Depth-Oriented Therapy in Newport Beach, California
My Approach
A Collaborative, Integrative Approach
Therapy is deeply personal, and there isn’t one approach that works for everyone. I approach our work collaboratively, shaping therapy around your needs, your pace, and what feels most meaningful to you.
Bridging Behavioral and Depth-Oriented Therapies
Early in my career, I trained extensively in approaches such as CBT, DBT, ERP, and ACT. These therapies gave me a strong foundation in practical tools that can help reduce distress, build coping skills, and support change.
But sometimes you can know the skills, understand what you’re “supposed” to do, and still find yourself pulled back into the same patterns. You might think, I know this isn’t good for me, so why do I keep doing it? Or, I know my emotional reaction is bigger than the situation calls for, but I still can’t seem to talk myself out of feeling this way.
Over time, I became increasingly interested in what our symptoms might be communicating and why certain patterns can be so difficult to change. Our struggles don’t happen in isolation. They develop within the context of our experiences, relationships, emotional pain, and the ways we’ve learned to cope with what life has asked of us.
This led me toward depth-oriented approaches, particularly Jungian and psychodynamic therapies. These approaches invite us to look beyond the symptom itself and explore the meaning it may hold within the larger context of your life. They also leave room to wonder about what may be trying to emerge: parts of yourself that need more space, things you may be outgrowing, or ways your understanding of yourself and what you want may be changing.
Today, my work brings this depth-oriented perspective together with practical support. We’ll pay attention to what’s happening in your life right now while also slowing down to understand what keeps showing up, what may be underneath it, and what might be asking to change.
Rather than seeing symptoms only as problems to get rid of, we can get curious about what they might be doing for you. What has this helped you manage? What might it be expressing or protecting? Why might something you genuinely want to change also be difficult to let go of? We can also pay attention to what feels more alive, what seems to be asking for more room, and the person you may be becoming.
As we begin to understand these things more deeply, there can be more room for new ways of responding and living. The goal isn’t simply to manage symptoms better, but to help you understand yourself more fully, have more choice in how you respond, and create a life that has room to grow and change with you.
Common Questions About Therapy
Depth therapy is an approach to psychotherapy that looks beyond the surface of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to better understand what's going on. It's rooted in the work of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and others who recognized that much of what shapes us happens outside of our conscious awareness.
Sometimes we find ourselves repeating patterns we know aren't good for us, having emotional reactions that feel bigger than the situation calls for, or feeling stuck even when we understand what needs to change. Rather than just focusing on how to stop these patterns, depth therapy helps us get curious about why they're there in the first place.
Together, we'll explore how your experiences and relationships have shaped you, what purpose certain patterns may have served, and how they might be affecting your life today. But this work isn't just about understanding the past. It's also about paying attention to what your struggles might be telling you about what you need now, what may be ready to change, and who you're becoming. The goal is to develop a deeper understanding of yourself and create space for meaningful, lasting change.
Absolutely. Practical tools and coping strategies are an important part of my work, especially when you need support managing distress, regulating emotions, navigating relationships, or getting through something difficult in your day-to-day life.
How much we focus on practical support will depend on what you need. At times, our work may be more structured and focused on what’s happening right now. At other times, we may slow down and spend more time understanding the patterns and experiences that continue to shape you.
We can make room for both: what helps you navigate your life today and the deeper work that can create meaningful change over time.
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Counseling in Newport Beach & across California
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