INTENSIVE SHORT TERM DYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY

ISTDP

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." Audre Lorde

THE PROCESS

How It Works

ISTDP focuses on helping you understand what happens beneath the thoughts, behaviors, and patterns that keep you feeling stuck. It isn't about forcing you to talk about things before you're ready. The work is paced according to your ability to stay present with what you're experiencing, with attention to anxiety and emotional capacity throughout the process.

  • Identify What’s Keeping You Stuck

    We begin by understanding the problem you want to change and the patterns that show up in your relationships, emotions, and daily life.

  • Slow Thing Down

    We pay attention to what is happening emotionally and physically in the present moment, rather than only talking about things intellectually.

  • Notice Your Defenses and Anxiety

    Together, we identify the ways you may unconsciously move away from difficult feelings. We notice how your body responds and work at a pace that feels manageable.

  • Connect the Past and Present

    As patterns become clearer, we explore how earlier relationships and experiences may be shaping the way you respond today.

  • Create New Ways of Responding

    With greater awareness and attunement towards your emotions and patterns, you can begin making more intentional choices in your relationships and life.

For those wanting deeper emotional exploration and understanding to change patterns that keep you feeling stuck.

ISTDP may be a good fit if you:

  • Feel like you understand your patterns intellectually but still feel stuck

  • Find yourself overthinking, analyzing, or talking about feelings without actually feeling them

  • Have a hard time identifying or expressing emotions

  • Struggle with anxiety, emotional overwhelm, guilt, anger, or difficulty setting boundaries

  • Want to understand the deeper roots of your symptoms rather than only manage them

Who is ISTDP for?

Close-up of a woman's face with only her eye and a part of her forehead visible, surrounded by purple flowers, with blonde hair partially covering her face.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • That's completely okay. You don't need to come into therapy knowing exactly what you're feeling. Part of the work is learning to recognize emotions and notice how they show up in your body, thoughts, and relationships. We will slow down and begin to find language to express what you’re feeling, moment to moment.

  • Despite the word “short-term,” there isn't one set number of sessions. Treatment length depends on your goals, history, symptoms, and the patterns we're working with. ISTDP is designed to be focused and purposeful rather than open-ended.

  • Not quite. ISTDP is more active and experiential. Instead of only discussing what happened, we pay close attention to what you are feeling and experiencing right now, including what happens in your body and the ways you may move away from difficult emotions.

  • Defenses are automatic ways we protect ourselves from emotions that feel difficult or overwhelming. They can include intellectualizing, minimizing, people-pleasing, avoiding, becoming vague, shutting down, or turning feelings against ourselves. Defenses aren't viewed as something “wrong” with you—they often developed for good reasons, but may no longer be helping you in the same way.

Ready to reconnect with yourself?

Book a free 15-minute consultation to share what's going on, ask questions, and see if we're the right fit.

Lets Connect →