Claire Dennis

You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin. Many people come to therapy feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated that understanding their problems hasn’t led to real change. My work focuses on helping you slow down, notice the patterns that keep repeating, and understand what’s happening beneath the surface—so things can actually shift. My goal is to help people understand the deeper patterns behind their struggles, so they’re not stuck managing the same anxiety or sadness over and over again. When those patterns shift, people often feel steadier, clearer, and more like themselves. My therapeutic approach is informed by Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and focuses on identifying and working through unconscious patterns and defenses that keep people in emotional pain. While many clients are insightful and self-aware, insight alone often isn’t enough to create change. This work involves building the capacity to experience complex feelings, regulate anxiety, and stay present with internal experience rather than avoiding it. I am a warm, engaged therapist, and I am also direct and active in the work. I value clients’ time and investment and work intentionally in each session. This is not passive or purely reflective therapy. Together, we pay close attention to what is happening in the moment—emotionally, relationally, and physically—to help loosen entrenched patterns and support real movement. Clients are invited to come exactly as they are, with their symptoms, defenses, and ambivalence. Nothing needs to be hidden or managed. In fact, these patterns are not obstacles to the work—they are the doorway through which change becomes possible.