My Approach
Psychotherapy is the general name for the therapeutic work between a clinical psychologist and the person applying for support, but it is practiced in different approaches.
In any school of psychotherapy, it is essential to adhere to ethical principles and protect client confidentiality.
In my own practice, I use the psychodynamic, or better known as psychoanalytic, approach. The primary feature that distinguishes psychodynamic therapy from other schools is its recognition of the existence of the unconscious. According to this understanding, some recurring difficulties we experience in daily life; may be due to emotions and past experiences that we are unaware of and buried deep in our minds. The patterns we learn and internalize, especially in the relationships we establish in the first years of life, may be affecting our present without our conscious awareness.
At some point in one's life, one may realize that their habitual way of living no longer serves them and may feel the need to explore new ways. At this point, psychodynamic psychotherapy offers a supportive and containing space for the person to gain insight into their emotions. In this space, the psychotherapist opens ways for the person to feel authentic and alive without being judgmental or directive.
F.A.Q
Do we only talk about the past or our childhood in sessions?
Who is a Clinical Psychologist/
Psychotherapist?
In Türkiye, people who graduate from a four-year psychology undergraduate education receive the title of “psychologist”. Psychotherapy is not taught as part of undergraduate education. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain practical training at the master's level.
Psychotherapy is a healing practice, conducted within the scope of clinical psychology. Implementation by people who don't have the necessary professional competence is harmful and unethical.
The short answer is no. Although the psychoanalytic approach finds the person's past very valuable in understanding the person, it is not just an excavation work. The aim is not to seek out traumatic memories, but to understand the emotions that were not experienced in time. By that, we create space for them to be verbalized. In line with this goal, we work cooperatively to establish the connections between the present and the past.
Childhood memories are just one of the instruments on this journey. The person's daily problems, dreams, difficulties in relationships and everything else that goes through their mind are the subject of therapy and important elements of understanding them.
How long does psychotherapy take?
Psychoanalytic understanding suggests a process-oriented and open-ended practice in terms of duration. It sees recovery as a journey, and although this path varies for each person, it is usually not very short. It does not offer formulas to define what is good or right.
Unlike many other schools, psychoanalytic psychotherapy views a symptom as only the tip of the iceberg. This approach aims to provide a more sustainable and permanent recovery by trying to understand the bigger picture behind it. This process requires long-term investment from the person and the therapist.