Many of us come to therapy because we find ourselves caught in a series of puzzling contradictions: Why do we seem unable to change the patterns that keep us stuck in place, or even hurt us? Why do we both crave connection with others and pull back from them? Why do we keep fighting the same battles over and over with other people—or with ourselves? From the difficult emotional experiences that we keep having to the repetitive choices that we keep making to the conflictual ways in which we relate to friends, partners, and even ourselves, our core struggles are continually being shaped by unseen forces that we have yet to name.
Psychiatric symptoms—anxiety, depression, PTSD, relationship issues—tell us stories about these forces and their origins. I listen closely to your symptoms as they arise in conflicts that echo past losses: losses of self-esteem and direction, breaks in trust, relationships that ended before you were ready, and hopes that never materialized.
Tracing the roots of your relational life, I use the power of the therapeutic relationship to help you transmute these losses into something precious: freedom, freedom from painful emotional and relational patterns and freedom to act authentically. If you think you might be interested in pursuing this kind of work together, I’d be happy to speak with you and answer any questions you might have.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis • Fellowship
University of Chicago
AM • Clinical Social Work
MA • Social Sciences (Psychology)
BA • Philosophy with Honors
CONTACT ARIANE POTVIN