Psychodynamic inquiry is one dimension of depth psychotherapy in my practice.
This work lives alongside somatic and relational approaches to healing, beginning with individual therapy and at times extending to include your intimate relationships, or more broadly, to your family constellation.
In person therapy in San Francisco near SoMa & Mission Bay
Psychodynamic therapy explores the unconscious patterns, entrenched beliefs, protective stances, relational dynamics, and inner conflicts that shape your present-day experience. It helps you understand the origins of emotional pain and fosters lasting transformation.
A form of depth psychology, psychodynamic therapy gets to the root of emotional distress by uncovering unconscious impulses and the underlying causes of suffering.
This work often resonates with people of seriousness, intellect, and intensity — those who have learned to function under pressure with little room for error while their internal life goes unattended.
Some clients arrive in my practice having lived primarily through intellect; others through emotion. Psychodynamic therapy offers a place where both can meet and find balance. As the work deepens, the labels recede.
Less concerned with symptom management alone, Psychodynamic psychotherapy is more interested in the architecture of the inner world: how meaning forms, how patterns repeat, and how unconscious life shapes perception, intimacy, and choice. It offers a rigorous psychological container for people who value depth, precision, and sustained inquiry.
This work is particularly suited for individuals in high-visibility, high-pressure roles who require exceptional discretion in a space where complexity is held rather than simplified.
For some, this depth becomes essential not only for personal growth, but for survival under sustained pressure.
Discreet psychotherapy for high-stakes professional lives
I offer confidential psychological consultation in a boutique private practice setting for individuals who carry significant responsibility, visibility, or risk—often in environments where consequences are real, discretion matters, and stress cannot be externalized.
This work is often sought during or after periods of sustained internal strain: following crises, investigations, leadership pressure, or when the cost of holding everything together privately becomes too high. Many of the people I work with function exceptionally well outwardly while managing anxiety, dissociation, exhaustion, or addiction quietly and alone.
In these contexts, pre-packaged wellness programs, surveys, or EAPs can feel unsafe — too visible, too documented, or reductive for what is at stake. Private practice psychotherapy is discreet, contained, and relational, offering a place to think freely without fearing for loss of reputation or nuance.
I work with attorneys, senior technology leaders, and founders in public facing roles who require a trusted advisor who knows the whole story. I also occasionally support firms on a confidential, referral-based basis when internal pressure is high and existing resources are not sufficient.
My work is informed by extensive experience treating addiction, trauma and relational violence, particularly as they present in high-functioning individuals where shame, secrecy, and self-reliance can mask significant suffering.
A rigorous psychological container for exploratory thought
While appealing to those for whom the intellect is a refuge, the healing process in psychodynamic therapy is often relational, stemming from the shared recognition that is created when client and therapist come together to do the work.
Some of the most important work many people do is confronting attachment issues within this sphere to understand how present day relationships become highly charged in seemingly innocuous circumstances.
Progress in analytic therapy takes the shape of a spiral, often involving a return to the start as you discover the things you were unaware to begin with.
Insights may originate from reason, emotion, intuition, memory or the body as you allow yourself to free associate, following one thought, memory, or fragment to the next.
A circuitous path rather than straight line, there is no standardized procedure in the highly individual work of self inquiry. Each session is distinct and irreproducible.
The inability to reproduce a given session is what makes psychodynamic therapy unique. Its power lies in the magic that happens in the therapeutic field when something new, unpredictable, and unexpected is discovered.
Embracing the realm of the unknown is the key that opens up the space for possibility and transformation.
Contact Marla to begin the coversation
Psychodynamic therapy is an insight-oriented approach that works well for individuals with reflective minds and a rich inner world. It’s especially helpful for those seeking deeper self-awareness and a clearer understanding of how past experiences shape present emotions, behaviors, and relationship patterns. Many clients are navigating lifelong dynamics related to anxiety, trauma, or intimacy.
Therapy sessions are spacious, intuitive, and often spontaneous. We might explore your history, relationships, dreams, or what’s surfacing in your body — with curiosity, care, and a sense of mutual presence. If you’re in crisis, sessions may be more directive, focused on safety, stability, and containment.
To prepare, consider what’s motivating you to seek therapy and what you hope to gain. My office is a space where you can tell the truth, express how you really feel, try on new ways of relating, and not worry about being exposed or judged.
For more information about starting therapy and what to expect, take a look at the Therapy FAQ.
The depths of the psyche hold patterns of memory, dream & desire.
Explore the unseen currents that shape your life,
inviting transformation and integration.
