Frequently asked questions
When should I see a psychologist?
The reasons for seeking psychological help vary widely. Some people are looking for self-knowledge, to broaden their perception of themselves, their lives and their relationships. Others seek out a psychologist because they feel distressed and are suffering over something, whether it goes by the name of anxiety, depression, deep sadness, crying spells, substance dependence, emotional dependence, traumas that keep resurfacing, compulsions, sudden mood swings, among many other possibilities. In the end, only you can answer the question of when you should see a psychologist. If you are reading this website, it is very likely already time to get in touch, because, after all, wanting to is reason enough.
What is a psychologist for?
A psychologist can have many different roles depending on the field they work in. A clinical psychologist who works with adults using a psychoanalytic approach, as I do, serves as a mediating object that becomes the target of the most varied forms of transference over the course of the sessions, and uses this transference to help you work through something about yourself, your symptoms and your history. What does that mean? It means their role is to listen to the unconscious: to listen, within the unique relationship that patient and psychologist create, to what escapes the ordinary logic of everyday life, to what repeats, to what sometimes frightens you about yourself, to what makes you suffer and what satisfies you, to what nobody understands, not even you. A psychologist with a psychoanalytic approach is there to introduce you to yourself and to help you work through and find your place in your own history. In doing so, deep internal changes can relieve symptoms and transform suffering.
How does a first session with a psychologist work?
The first contact happens by message, where you tell me a few brief things about yourself so that I can understand a little of what you are looking for. After that, we schedule an initial session, which can take place in the morning or in the afternoon. This first session lasts 50 minutes and takes place through a dedicated session link. The first session is called the preliminary interview, because it is when you and I talk about what has been happening, what has already happened and what brings you to me. We introduce ourselves to each other. As simple as that, no big secret. Based on this conversation, we decide whether we can and want to work together on your concerns.
What is the course of treatment like?
Every clinical case is different, so there are different paths for treatment. Sessions usually take place once, twice or three times a week, depending on the case, availability and feasibility. There is no set duration and no pre-established number of sessions or length of time: some treatments last longer and others shorter. Sessions last between 40 and 60 minutes, following the time of the unconscious. We always follow the fundamental rule of free association, in which the patient should always try to say everything that comes to mind, without holding back.
What is psychoanalysis, and what are the different approaches to psychotherapy?
Psychoanalysis was one of the first forms of psychotherapy to be developed, and its method has kept evolving over the years since it was created - or discovered. Developed by Sigmund Freud and deepened by his contemporaries and by the psychoanalysts of the following generations - Ferenczi, Lacan, Winnicott, Klein, Bion, André Green and many others - psychoanalysis has always been, and still is, a living field of study, research and dialogue with culture, philosophy, literature and mental health.
Psychoanalysis and psychology are not the same thing, although many psychologists like me are also psychoanalysts and use its method as the main basis of treatment. This is because psychologists commonly choose, among the many approaches available, the one in which they will specialize their studies and define their practice. Just as doctors choose a specialty, even though they all share the same basic training.
Other common approaches available to psychologists include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, analytical therapy, systemic therapy and existential-phenomenological therapy, among others. Every psychotherapy has its own foundations, concepts, techniques and forms of treatment.
The fundamental foundations of psychoanalysis are the concept of the unconscious, the use of the fundamental rule of free association, the formation of the psychic apparatus and its agencies, repetition, transference and the drives.
How do I know if psychoanalytic psychotherapy is right for me?
By trying it. Just as you can't tell whether you like tomatoes just by guessing from their color, smell or shape, it isn't possible to set reliable rules for whether psychotherapy X or Y is right for someone or not.
What we can anticipate are frustrations with psychotherapy. For example, if you expect that a month or a few sessions will solve your problems, you will probably come away frustrated from psychoanalytic psychotherapy: in psychoanalytic therapy sessions there are no quick, easy, direct answers. If you are hoping for advice on what to do or not to do, you won't find that here either, since I will accompany you and help you understand what lies behind those decisions, not which one is right or wrong.
These are just brief examples, and even if you have these expectations, it doesn't mean this kind of psychotherapy can't work for you. Perhaps these are exactly the aspects of yourself you need to work on.
Still have questions?
This text was written entirely without the use of artificial intelligence.