Understanding what lies beneath.
I offer psychodynamic and relational therapy for adults and couples in Washington, DC. My style is engaged and collaborative, with attention to both your immediate concerns and the patterns that shape them.
Patterns have
a history.
The ways we relate, respond to stress, and protect ourselves often develop for understandable reasons. Over time, some of these familiar responses can become limiting or painful.
Psychodynamic work explores how earlier experiences, less conscious feelings, and expectations of ourselves and others may shape life in the present. We pay attention to symptoms while also asking what they may mean in the context of your experience.
Relationships
are part of
the work.
Relational therapy recognizes that our sense of self develops through relationships. The therapeutic relationship can become a place to notice familiar expectations, make sense of misunderstandings, and explore new ways of being with another person.
I participate actively in that process through questions, reflections, and a willingness to think together about what is happening between us.
Depth, with room
for everyday life.
My clinical thinking is informed by psychodynamic, relational, object relations, and Bionian traditions, while remaining responsive to the practical needs of the person in front of me.
When useful, I draw on other approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). We can explore immediate challenges alongside the broader patterns that give them meaning.
We will discuss your goals and keep returning to how the work is feeling and what is changing for you.
You do not need
the right words
to start.
You can arrive with a clear concern, a question, or simply a sense that something is difficult. Our first conversations help us understand what brings you to therapy and what you hope the work might offer.
This approach informs my work in both individual therapy and couples therapy.
Interested in beginning psychotherapy?
A free 15-minute consultation is an opportunity to talk about what brings you to therapy and whether working together may be a good fit.
Joseph Dorer, PsyD
Psychological Associate practicing under the supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist.
1350 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 605
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 714-4163
jdorer@dorerpsychology.com
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Please use the consultation form above for consultation requests. Do not include sensitive clinical information in ordinary email.