Clinical Psychology & Psychoanalysis
I work with people who generally get along okay but who feel stuck in one or more ways and who want to understand why. Many have been in therapy before and are looking for something more substantial: a treatment that takes the mind seriously rather than offering reassurance or techniques. As a licensed psychologist and certified psychoanalyst, I offer that kind of sustained, rigorous attention.
The hardest thing to understand about psychoanalytic therapy is that it's not really a discussion back and forth. We sometimes do discuss things, especially pertaining to logistics, but mostly my focus remains on studying (or analyzing) how your mind organizes information. This is a unique experience that's hard to convey in words. To be listened to in this way is to feel deeply heard and startlingly confronted with oneself. The experience is somewhat jarring and takes some getting used to. Mostly, over time, people are able to learn how to open to the aspects of themselves that I'm reflecting back, and it's this that creates change and promotes healing/growth. The treatment model is growth through self-knowledge and the rest of this site is devoted to explaining the process and how it works.
I have more information below and on the learn page, and you may also find this video helpful.
How It Works
The mind is a meaning-making engine. Psychoanalysis makes its patterns visible.
The Mind Creates Meaning
The mind is a machine that constructs the ideas through which we see and experience ourselves, others, and the world generally. Sometimes these ideas distort things more than reveal them.
Patterns Take Root
When things are working well the mind is able to detect mismatches between the idea and the world itself, and update its construction processes accordingly. Sometimes, though, this updating process fails and patterns of experience are repeated again and again.
Patterns Surface in Treatment
The analytic setting works by making the mind's patterns visible. The analyst is in a position to observe or study your mind's construction processes as they work.
Understanding Brings Change
When you can begin to see how your mind is bending your perceptions into familiar patterns again and again, you begin to understand that there are reasons for why this is happening. Understanding those reasons hurts but frees the mind from old patterns which makes it work better and more efficiently.
Credentials
The credentials that support my practice are as follows: I hold a doctorate in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego which, in addition to my state granted license, qualifies me for the title of psychologist. I’m also a graduate of the five year psychoanalytic training program at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center which grants me the title of psychoanalyst. I meet regularly and often with a community of peers and mentors both here in Rochester and elsewhere in this country and abroad. I also participate in seminars led by accomplished teachers which focus on various themes central to the psychoanalytic literature. As for my involvement in professional organizations, I’m a voting member of the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center and the American Psychoanalytic Association, a full member of the International Psychoanalytical Association, and a member of the Genesee Valley Psychological Association.
Cost
The financial aspect of treatment really needs to be talked through in person. Though I still do accept some insurances, I am increasingly shifting my practice to a fee-for-service model. I know the cost of treatment is significant, but so too is its value. I offer consultations — at least two sessions within a week — as a chance to meet and get a feel for one another. If we can’t agree on a sustainable fee, I’ll charge $100 per appointment and, if desired, will help with referrals to other clinicians.
Call me — I’m happy to talk things through with you.
Dr. Lembaris's Office
