Psychodynamic Therapists in Washington, DC

My aim in individual and couple therapy is to help you with your life challenges - whether it is with anxity, depression, self-esteem, conflictual and/or less than satisfactory relationships and intimacies, understanding and overcoming the limiting, even crippling, effects of early life traumas on your life at present. I believe that the safety of a confidential therapeutic environment is ideal for us to explore problems together and find ways to move forward to a more rewarding and satisfying life.

My approach to therapy involves empowering persons to better understand themselves and acquire the tools to heal and make desired life changes. I utilize a combination of cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic therapeutic orientations in my practice. Consistent with an emphasis on empowerment is my wholistic focus on total well being. I promote balance across all personal dimensions (spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and social). My life coaching practice draws from a similar wealth of psychological knowledge, however, with more of an educational emphasis. I facilitate the acquisition of problem solving and success orientation skills, aimed at enhancing personal empowerment and life satisfaction.

During this time of uncertainty, many are experiencing increased stress, grief, depression, and interpersonal difficulties. With over 20 years of experience, I am here to help. I am on faculty at The Catholic University of America and the Washington School of Psychiatry where I continuously both learn and teach the latest findings in effective therapy.

I am a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist who treats adults and older adolescents seeking individual psychotherapy for a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, life transitions, relationships, and loss. My approach is eclectic but is fundamentally psychodynamic .

Individuals who seek therapy are brave. They are acknowledging their natural need for support and taking an emotional risk. This is why I seek to facilitate a warm and supportive environment for my clients, as they ease into the therapeutic process. I conduct individual, couples, and family therapy.

We all have a unique journey in life, as individuals and as couples, and I believe that our resilience is as unique as our journey. I work with clients to help them overcome distressing cycles that make them feel stuck and empower them to find stability, create healthier relationships and live an enriched life. Together we explore underlying emotions and find new ways of coping with past traumas, difficult life transitions, loss, relational distress and other mental health issues. While EMDR, mindfulness and cultural sensitivity are at the core of my practice, I also integrate Psychodynamic and CBT interventions.

There are few things more painful than feeling isolated and alone. Many people enter therapy because they are feeling alone, disconnected and their relationships are suffering. I see therapy as a place where you can feel truly heard, seen, and understood and it is in this safe place that you can begin to make more satisfying and effective life decisions. I work with people to help them understand the unconscious role they may be playing in life decisions and to develop a life of confidence and joy. I work with adults, couples, and families around issues of depression, anxiety, relationship problems, and addictions.

I'm licensed in DC and Virginia. My work is with adults experiencing difficult transitions who are trying to cope with the resulting stressors and uncertainties. The goal is to build capacity, make and sustain changes that are meaningful: including changes/losses related to career and relationships, new circumstances such as grief, sexuality, return to school, and retirement. My expertise is in the treatment of issues related addiction/recovery, and the impact on family and significant others. We work together so that you may effectively reengage in your personal and professional life and handle any potential license/clearance

Whatever your reason for seeking therapy is—whether it is an addiction, depression, anxiety, body image issues, gender identity—I work to collaboratively get to the root of it to help increase insight about patterns that are playing out in your life. I have a background as a yoga practitioner and teacher so I also work to use mindfulness and meditation in sessions where appropriate. I work to individualize each therapy relationship, using psychodynamic principles, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy to guide my interventions.

As a psychiatrist and therapist, I offer both medication management and psychotherapy, fitting best mental health needs. I work with adolescents, adults and couples. I can help with the effects of traumatic experiences, with troubles of everyday living, interpersonal difficulties, sexuality, or infertility/adoption issues. I can help if you struggle with anxiety, depression, grief or with not reaching your goals. I assist couples in resolving painful, conflicted relationship issues. I also provide long-term therapy for self-exploration, and for changing complex personality patterns that make everyday life difficult.

Many people get stuck and feel disappointed or unsatisfied when they evaluate their lives. I work with clients to help them identify destructive thoughts and behaviors, manage disruptive, uncomfortable emotions, establish more fulfilling relationships, and reach a place of genuine satisfaction. I teach clients skills to increase positive feelings and we will work together to uncover deep insights and break entrenched maladaptive, negative life patterns. As your therapist, I provide a warm, directive and active role to help you meet your treatment goals.

I offer a space for empathy, reflection and relatedness. Focus areas in my work include relational and acute trauma, depression, racing thoughts, perfectionism and relationship difficulties. I’m particularly interested in supporting individuals who have experienced loss, separation, displacement and those who find themselves navigating their way through cultural nuances or differences.

Are you suffering from low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, shame or perhaps even self-loathing? These feelings can make it extremely difficult to seek the very treatment which might offer relief and change. It can feel risky and sometimes exquisitely shameful to reveal oneself to a another person. I can help reduce your shame and make the therapeutic process more bearable and productive. Together we will look honestly and fully at your conflicts, strengths, relationships and experiences - in a manner that is gentle, yet steadfast; warm, yet serious; and attentive to you in all your individual complexity.

Warmth, acceptance, and care. That’s how I approach every person that seeks to find peace while navigating life’s challenges. While I have had the privilege of working with and learning from diverse populations for 10+ years, my practice focuses on women who feel overwhelmed, are in a rut, and need support in exploring their purpose. I understand that the unique challenges women face impacts our ability to be authentic with ourselves and others, and can also prevent us from having the lives we want. My intention is to create a safe and compassionate space for women to feel seen, so they can truly see themselves.

Being human is hard, and is only made harder in the many challenges life can throw your way. In our work together, we will build insight into what patterns you use to navigate life’s challenges, how you learned those ways of being, and how they aren’t working for you now. Through this insight, we will build up your compassion for yourself while finding new tools that will leave you feeling more satisfied, capable, and connected in your life.

Jamie's therapeutic focus is on you and your unique perception of your daily life and surrounding environment. It is explored through verbal and symbolic forms of individual and group psychotherapy. This process creates a focused consciousness on your personal inner perceptions regarding who you are and who you want to become. As a Washingtonian herself, Jamie understands the challenges you face while living in a demanding city where many people feel a balanced lifestyle is unattainable. Jamie is most gifted in her work with individuals who have a history of disordered eating, grief and loss, trauma, and abuse.

My goal as a therapist is to help clients embrace their authentic selves, foster meaningful relationships, and improve their quality of life. I work to create a safe and accepting environment that values the unique personality, lifestyle, and goals of the individual. My clinical expertise includes treatment of eating disorders, trauma, anxiety, depression and self-harm behaviors.

I specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy, which allows me to work most successfully with clients on a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems. I also incorporate other theoretical approaches and interventions when called for, including attachment theory; and humanistic, pastoral, and psychodynamic approaches. I work with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. See my website: www.debbieschechter.com for more information.

Are you feeling stuck? Problems are like snowflakes -no two are the same. Each person experiences life and the challenges that pop up in a unique way. As your therapist, I will help you explore, gain insight, search for meaning, and understand yourself. I provide therapy to individuals and couples struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship distress, and work-family balance. In my office, you will find a safe place to tell your story and to develop strategies to live life to the fullest. My approach focuses on psychodynamic principles and I will help you explore and overcome unconscious barriers to life satisfaction.