Psychoanalysis, founded by Neurologist Sigmund Freud, is the hallmark of psychotherapy. Freud believed that individuals have levels of consciousness and mental health disorders come from the unconscious mind, which stores primal energy and sexual urges.
Psychoanalysis’s goal is to make the unconscious conscious so people can better understand their whole self. Because the unconscious guards repressed emotions and memories, people can be hesitant to bring them forward. Freud referred to these defense mechanisms as ways people avoid confronting their unconscious thoughts.
Psychoanalysis uses the Rorschach inkblot test, free association, and dream analysis.
Rorschach inkblot tests are ambiguous images that have no meaning. Psychoanalysts ask a person to explain what they see within the image and then interpret their unconscious material from there.
Free association is when a psychoanalyst says a word or phrase, and then the person is encouraged to speak about whatever first comes to mind. Free association aims to discover parts of repressed memories and incorporate them into the conscious mind.
Dream analysis asks people to explain their dreams. Then, the psychoanalyst makes interpretations, or guesses, about the dream’s latent content. Latent content refers to what the dream means instead of the dream’s manifest content, which is what happened during the dream.
Psychoanalysis is an intensive form of therapy that requires years of work. It can be helpful for people experiencing anxiety or depression or for people who want to incorporate unconscious material into their consciousness.
I practice psychotherapy with adults of all ages, older adolescents, and couples. I treat clients with problems related to depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship conflict, and feeling stuck and overwhelmed by life decisions. I am sensitive to and interested in the role of culture and socioeconomics, and I have had the privilege of treating clients with many different ethnicities, religions, ...
My work is dedicated to helping people develop healthy relationships and productive, satisfying lives. You may be experiencing depression, anxiety, a difficult situation, a sense that somehow your life is not working out as you'd like. It's easy to lose our way and feel lost, sad and overwhelmed. Sometimes we need a compassionate, objective person to help us sort out problems, regain perspectiv...
Dr. Efrain Antonio Gonzalez provides individual psychotherapy to adults and adolescents. Psychotherapy offers an opportunity to manage anxiety, depression, and relationship issues by exploring difficult experiences and emotions in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Dr. Gonzalez is a certified Psychoanalyst and an Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Neuroscience and...
My ideal clients avoid cookie-cutter formulas and psychotherapeutic truisms. They seek useful self-knowledge and authenticity; freedom from self-blame, doubt, anxiety, and depression; confidence during life changes and clarity of purpose; and dignity in a confused and often shallow culture. They wonder “What’s it all about?”, "Is this all there is?", "How do I find a way?" They are willing to...
Uncomfortable symptoms exist for a reason. We can take medication to make them go away for a while. Alternatively, we can take the time and make the effort to listen to ourselves and work, with the help of a trained ear, to decipher what our symptoms reveal about what is not going well in our lives. As a psychoanalyst, I engage with my patients directly and know that their work is not done alon...
As a Licensed Professional Counselor, I have experience collaborating with individuals, families, and groups of people who desire to make significant, lasting changes to their lives through therapeutic intervention. To date, I have provided services in psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities, and directly in the homes of clients ranging from preschool age to those well past...
I have practiced psychotherapy and psychoanalysis for the past 30 years. I have worked with both men and women. I have found that underlying a person’s distress is often a sense of not feeling safe and or connected. We are usually at our best when we feel safe. I offer a safe, empathic and compassionate environment informed by my many years of practice as well as my own journey through life. In...
If you're feeling off balance - challenged by life's transitions, significant loss, difficult emotions, feelings of confusion, or relationship problems - therapy can help. My view towards therapy is “there is more right with you, than wrong with you." This was said by Jon Kabat Zinn, an early champion of mindfulness in the U.S., and it points to our inherent strengths. I believe we all have the...
I have over 20 years of clinical experience in the mental health field working with adults struggling with a variety of concerns. I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (CA License #PSY15300), a Board-Certified psychoanalyst, and a fellow of the American Board of Psychoanalysis. I am currently an Associate Professor at the California School of Professional Psychology and teach classes at the San...
As a clinical therapist I am honored to hear people’s stories and witness incredible resilience in the face of trauma, intersections of injustice, and the stigma surrounding seeking help. My passion is in empowering clients in recognizing their own strengths and building upon them in a safe and nonjudgmental atmosphere. I am committed to being culturally respectful and an ally to diverse...
I help couples and individuals stuck in unsatisfying, repetitive patterns find clarity and regain momentum. I have a warm, collaborative and direct style. My work is informed by years of postgraduate training in psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, a form of treatment that aims to fully resolve underlying causes of our distress. I draw on the latest research in neuroscience, attachme...
I work with many clients from many different backgrounds and cultures. My priority and number one goal is to enhance their lives and over all psychological functioning and wellbeing. I am not here to fix you, as you are not broken. My main goal is to help every single client to actualize and become the best version of themselves. I approach each client as an individual, with respect, dignity, a...
Everyone’s experiences and paths are unique. Every journey is its own struggle. My main goal is to connect with my clients as a person, help them feel understood and support them through their journey. I strive to use the therapeutic techniques most compatible with the client’s characteristics and needs. I have extensive theoretical training and practical experience in psychoanalysis,...
Are you looking for greater joy and satisfaction in your personal relationships and professional achievements? I am a psychotherapist with over 40 years of experience. I am a graduate of The Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University. I am a graduate of the Washington Square Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, The Group Therapy Training Program of the Post Graduate Center ...
I am happy to help with referrals at this time. Psychotherapy is a process for relieving emotional distress by restoring and cultivating its participants' inborn capacities for thought and growth. Everyone engages with the world in idiosyncratic ways developed over the course of his or her path through life, and emotional suffering results when such adaptive measures go awry or no longer serve...
