Childhood is a period that is filled with challenges:  language development, learning difficulties, social anxiety, sibling rivalries, eating disorders, bullying, cultural integration, body image, and trauma. For children who were adopted, placed in foster care, or who have been separated from their family, these difficulties can be even more acute. It is important to address issues early to help the child develop into a confident individual with a strong sense of self, particularly as they move into adolescence, a period of development with its own set of challenges associated with coming of age, sexual development, establishing an identity separate from one's parents, and changing social dynamics. Non-verbal techniques such as sandplay,  drawing, fairy tales, and play therapy are extremely helpful in this journey.

Throughout the life cycle, one must navigate countless relationships with parents, children, friends, lovers, and yourself. As we develop and mature, some of these relationships stand the test of time, while others falter or fade leading to suffering. Loneliness, sadness, grief, anger, resentment, betrayal, anxiousness, fear, and loss are emotions that often characterise how we feel about others, and how they make us feel about ourselves. Addressing these concerns is one of the most important parts of the analytic process. The 'talking cure' is a key part the journey, but non-verbal approaches are also helpful as we seek relief from painful experiences and work to maintain those ties that bind us to our loved ones.

We often define ourselves by our profession, career status, and how our workplace peers see us. However, every career has its ups and downs, and difficulties can result in low self-esteem, feelings of isolation, listlessness, dissatisfaction, and feelings of inadequacy. Entrenched workplace dynamics and hostile relationships with colleagues can negatively impact other dynamics in our daily lives. Changing careers, lack of promotion, job loss, and the evolving work environment (home office, new technologies, etc.) can amplify our insecurities, make us feel overwhelmed, and trigger fears about the present and the future. Emotional coaching can keep us on track in order to reach our professional goals, while also supporting personal development and overall well-being.

No matter how beautiful we are in the eyes of others, we can always find fault in ourselves - especially in our body. Societal norms, which are always demanding an unobtainable perfection, can often feel unbearable leading to dangerous behaviours. For some, this includes unwelcome alterations in perceptions of the body, preoccupation with imagined minor bodily defects (body dysmorphia), low self-esteem, eating disorders, and obsessive exercising, which can lead one to engage in self-harm. Through positive mirroring, imagining with objects, the talking cure, and other verbal and non-verbal techniques, the analytic relationship can positively realign one's relationship with and experience of the body.

Human sexuality is extremely complicated, and only made more so by pressures put on us by family, friends, society, and culture. Whether one is cisgender and heterosexual or LGBTQIA, embracing and becoming comfortable with one's sexual identity is a lifelong process. Feelings of physical attraction, inadequacy, shame, and guilt, when combined with social expectations, negative judgements, and discrimination, can affect our overall mental state. Facing these challenges alone makes them feel unbearable. Psychoanalysis provides you with the tools to find your individual path, and enable you to be proud of who you are and who you love.

Loss of a loved one,  long-term illness or injury, domestic, emotional, and sexual abuse, conflict, displacement, witnessing acts of violence, and natural disasters are all causes of trauma. Yet, there are other events in our lives that can trigger post-traumatic stress and impact our relationships, daily life, and long-term development. Symptoms can include high levels of anxiety, faceless fear,  detachment from reality, nightmares, disrupted sleep, and despair. If left unchecked, such negative emotions can lead to violent behaviour towards the self and/or others. Becoming aware of the symptoms of trauma is a starting point that allows us to build a foundation for the well-being you deserve.

Moving to a new country, adapting to a different culture, and learning another language present a host of challenges to the psyche. Feeling like an outsider can lead to a crisis of identity and devalue our self-worth. Such emotions are acutely heightened by the stresses of finding a job and moving to a new place in a foreign environment with its own set of social rules. Everyday interactions like visiting the doctor, grocery shopping, driving, and ordering at the restaurant can instantly become a cultural battlefield, leading to social anxiety, resentment, and even self-imposed isolation. Working with an analyst who herself has gone through the difficulties of acculturation and integration provides you with targeted strategies for coping with these emotionally-trying situations that will help speed your adaptation and overcome what first felt like culture shock.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a 'new normal' that makes us perceive our 'flows' and those of others (our partner, children, relatives, co-workers, etc.)  more strongly than usual. For some, balancing parenting duties (including remote learning) while working from home is a cause of  new forms of stress as boundaries that once separated the workplace from private space disintegrate. For those who live alone, the forced isolation has deprived us of  the social support network that every human needs for their basic well-being. Other issues such as 'Zoom fatigue', burnout, hyperactivity, lethargy, insomnia, and feelings of detachment are also natural responses to this changed state of affairs.  Navigating these difficulties in an analytic setting helps us work through unprecedented demands so we can better balance the demands of our inner and outer worlds.

Climate change, global pandemics, and societal discord all have an impact on our mental health. As human beings, we grieve the daily loss of species, whether animals or plants. As bodies, we fear that we might get sick or infect others. As citizens, we suffer when our politicians turn us against ourselves based on politics, religion, race, gender, or other factors. Insomnia, panic attacks, paranoia, intrusive worries, generalised angst, and social media dependency (including 'doomscrolling') are all symptoms of existential dread in these difficult times. Active imagination, guided meditation, mindfulness exercises, and nature therapy - when paired with analytic work -  can help us to reconnect, reground ourselves, and engage in constructive ways of meeting the challenges of our time.