Understanding Modern Psychotherapy Approaches

When looking for a therapist, you may come across many different terms—psychodynamic, Jungian, somatic, feminist, trauma-informed. It can quickly become unclear what these approaches mean, or how they would actually affect your experience in therapy.

In practice, our work together is not about choosing one model and applying it rigidly, but about understanding you and your particular situation. For this reason, I describe my work as integrative depth psychotherapy, meaning that different perspectives are used together, depending on what is unfolding in your process.

Each approach offers a different way of understanding the psyche, which can be helpful in our work.

Psychoanalytic Foundations

A central foundation of my work comes from psychoanalytic therapy. This approach provides a solid understanding of both the structure of the psyche and the complex interplay of psychological processes.

The depth tradition began with Sigmund Freud and was further developed by thinkers such as Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, and object relations theorists like Melanie Klein and D.W. Winnicott.

Psychoanalytic approaches are based on the idea that much of our emotional life is shaped by unconscious processes. Patterns formed early in life continue to influence how we relate, respond, and make decisions, often outside of conscious awareness. This is why certain experiences repeat, even when we consciously want something different.

In therapy, we begin to notice these patterns—not to judge them, but to understand how they developed and how they continue to operate.

Jungian Analysis and Archetypal Psychology

Jungian psychology, developed by Carl Jung, was expanded by analysts such as Marie-Louise von Franz, James Hillman, Rafael López-Pedraza, and many others. This approach brings attention to the symbolic life of the psyche. Not everything we experience is linear or immediately logical. Dreams, images, and recurring themes often carry meaning that is not expressed in direct language.

This approach also introduces the idea of archetypes—original, primordial, instinctual images that comprise the collective unconscious, a shared psychological layer expressed through mythology, religion, art, and cultural narratives. The most common archetypes include the Self (soul), the shadow (qualities we reject in ourselves and project onto others), the persona (the mask we wear in order to function in the world), as well as the anima (inner feminine) and animus (inner masculine). As part of the collective unconscious, these archetypes shape how we experience ourselves and the world.

Working at this level allows therapy to move beyond surface concerns into deeper questions of meaning, identity, and transformation.

Existential Therapy

Existential therapy is grounded in philosophy, particularly the work of Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Friedrich Nietzsche, and later developed clinically by thinkers such as Viktor Frankl and Irvin Yalom.

This approach reflects on the fundamental conditions of human life—freedom, responsibility, isolation, and the search for meaning. From this perspective, anxiety is not always something to eliminate. At times, it reflects an encounter with these deeper realities.

The work is not to remove uncertainty or the fundamental anxieties of life, but to develop the capacity to live with them more consciously and with greater intention.

Humanistic and Relational Work

Humanistic approaches, influenced by thinkers such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, emphasize the importance of the present moment, as well as being understood without judgment. They are grounded in empathy, authenticity, and respect for your subjective experience.

Healing does not happen in isolation. In therapy, this means creating a space that is relational, attentive, and responsive to you and your inner world.

Feminist Therapy

Feminist therapy developed through the work of clinicians and theorists such as Karen Horney, Simone de Beauvoir, Nancy Chodorow, and Jean Baker Miller.

This approach recognizes that women’s experiences are shaped not only by personal history, but also by cultural expectations, gender roles, and power dynamics. What is often labeled as individual difficulty may reflect the ways women have had to adapt in order to function within these structures.

This perspective helps shift the focus away from self-blame and toward a more accurate understanding of experience. It also informs the therapeutic relationship, making it more collaborative, with your voice and insight central to the process.

Somatic Awareness

Somatic approaches have been developed by clinicians such as Peter Levine, Bessel van der Kolk, and Deb Dana.

These approaches recognize that experience is not only psychological, but also embodied.

The body often carries what has not yet been fully processed or put into words. This can show up as tension, fatigue, restlessness, or a sense of constriction. In therapy, we pay attention to these physical experiences—not to control them, but to understand what they are communicating.

For many women, this also involves developing a different relationship with the body—one based on awareness, rather than control or self-judgment.

A Note on Integration

While this work is rooted in depth psychology, it is also informed by contemporary, evidence-based approaches that support practical and relational change.

Why There Are So Many Types of Therapy