Psychodynamic Therapy in South Orange, NJ

Some problems don't budge with a quick fix, because they aren't sitting on the surface. The same kind of relationship keeps ending the same way. The anxiety has a shape you can't quite describe. You can explain exactly why you're stuck and still be stuck. That's the sort of thing psychodynamic therapy is built for.

I'm Sean Gilligan, LCSW, a psychodynamically trained therapist in South Orange, serving Maplewood and the wider Essex County area.

What is psychodynamic therapy?

Psychodynamic therapy works from the idea that a lot of what drives us sits below the surface, in old habits, early relationships, and feelings we've learned to look away from. Rather than only managing the symptom, we look at where it came from. As the patterns get clearer, they tend to loosen their grip, and change gets easier.

How it's different from CBT

CBT is good at going after a specific thought or behavior in the present, and I use it when it fits. Psychodynamic work goes a bit deeper and asks why a pattern took hold in the first place. Plenty of people find the two work well together, and I'll draw on both depending on what you need.

What it can help with

  • Anxiety and depression that keep coming back

  • Relationship patterns that repeat

  • Harsh self-criticism and low self-worth

  • The aftereffects of trauma or a hard early life

  • Feeling stuck, flat, or unsure what you want

  • A sense that something's off that you can't quite name

What sessions are like

Sessions are fairly open. You bring what's on your mind and we follow it where it goes. I'm an engaged listener, not a silent one. Over time we build up a picture of what's going on inside you, and you end up feeling less pushed around by it.

Begin

If that kind of deeper work appeals to you, request an appointment or call (646) 265-3634. My office is in South Orange, close to Maplewood and the towns nearby.