How I Work

Why I Don't Do Therapy Online or by Phone.

Although it's not one of my specialties, teletherapy may be necessary for some people who live in very remote areas, making office visits impossible. Sometimes teletherapy is done with video and audio. I can imagine scenarios where only text is possible. But teletherapy is not one of my specialties or a service I offer because I believe I can be much more effective doing psychotherapy in person. When we are sitting face-to-face, I can see changes in your body language, changes in facial expression or color, differences in breathing or eye contact. I can also hear when there's a small difference in the mood expressed by your voice, or when you speak just a bit louder or more quietly. Noticing these changes does not allow me to know exactly what you're thinking. But they do tell me that perhaps you feel differently about something you or I just said, or that the subject we're just starting to discuss is a sensitive one. Whatever the change, I'm much more able to help you if I can respond in the moment to what I'm sensing. These additional channels of communication are also available to you, if you hear me speaking with more emphasis, or if my posture or other body language changes, punctuating the words with additional meaning that you can ask about. If we are not seeing each other in person, we are missing the use of important channels of communication, and I want every channel available to enhance a meaningful exchange between us.

Everyone has a unique life history and their own innate temperament. Because of this, I adjust my work to meet a person's specific needs. My style is collaborative and respectful and non-manipulative, as I believe such an approach best facilitates your personal growth. The modalities I use may include:

Talk therapy
Cognitive restructuring = examining self-talk to help you see whether your inner dialog matches your experience, so you can decide if that inner voice helps you or holds you back
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Less complicated than the name suggests, EMDR can help you uncover and quickly resolve emotional and other traumas
Personal log or diary
Expressive drawing and journal writing
Dreamwork: Focusing on what your dreams mean to you, a powerful guide to one's deeper yearnings and conflicted desires, and help for overcoming fears revealed in dreams
Depth psychotherapy, including discussion of your relationship responses to me that may have roots in your past
Dialogue guided by intuitive sensing of emotions held in the body and subtle body (the interactive field and the human biofield or aura)
Guided imagery
Role play
Education, including recommendations for reading
Couples therapy (click on the words at the left for more detail about my approach to couples therapy)
Group therapy (as available)

(A more in-depth sense of my therapeutic approach can be seen in my articles entitled Getting the Most Out of Psychotherapy, and The Transformative Power of Dreams. Both of those articles are posted on this site and can be accessed through the links on this page.)

Throughout our work, I am interested in and open to your feedback about aspects of the work that you find useful and those you find difficult. Your feedback allows me to adjust the work to best meet your needs.

To ask about a low-cost first appointment, please select this link.

Gary Seeman, Ph.D.	(415) 271-2350 drgary@drgaryseeman.com