Psychodynamic Therapy in BC | Online Counselling for Lasting Change
Psychodynamic therapy helps you understand the unconscious patterns, past experiences, and relationship dynamics that shape your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours today. Our BCACC-registered therapists in BC offer online psychodynamic therapy for adults, teens, couples, and families throughout British Columbia.
Using a psychodynamic approach, you'll explore how early experiences and relationships influence your current mental health, gaining deeper self-awareness and insight into recurring patterns in your life.
Whether you're struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or unresolved trauma, psychodynamic therapy provides a safe space to process painful feelings, understand your true emotions, and create lasting change. Accessible from anywhere in BC, our online sessions make it convenient to begin your journey toward emotional healing and personal growth.
What is Psychodynamic Therapy
This type of therapy focuses on how early childhood and relations with others can affect our development. It is based on the idea that the unconscious holds onto painful feelings and memories that are too difficult for the conscious mind to process. Many children develop defences such as denial to hide these memories and experiences from themselves. The aim of psychodynamic therapy is to bring the unconscious mind into consciousness. It helps a child or youth to experience and begin to understand their true, deep-rooted feelings in order to deal with them.
A Psychodynamic approach focuses on:
increasing self-awareness
examining thoughts and feelings
becoming more resilient
being adaptable
The goal of psychodynamic therapy is to lessen your most distressing symptoms and help you lead a healthier, more fulfilling life.
For children and youth, this means developing emotional awareness and coping skills during crucial developmental years. Adults benefit by gaining insight into longstanding patterns that may be affecting their relationships, career, or sense of self. Couples use a psychodynamic approach to understand how their individual histories influence their relationship dynamics and communication styles. Families explore how generational patterns and unconscious roles shape their interactions.
Regardless of your age or situation, psychodynamic therapy helps you move from simply managing symptoms to understanding their roots and creating meaningful, lasting change.
How Psychodynamic Therapy Differs from Other Approaches
While therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focus on changing current thoughts and behaviours, psychodynamic therapy takes a deeper approach by exploring the unconscious patterns and past experiences that created those thoughts and behaviours in the first place. Instead of just addressing symptoms, a psychodynamic approach helps you understand why those symptoms developed and what purpose they might serve in your emotional life. Sessions are more exploratory and open-ended than structured CBT sessions, giving you space to follow your thoughts and feelings wherever they lead.
This therapy typically takes longer than short-term approaches because meaningful change comes from understanding yourself deeply, not just learning new coping skills. If you're looking for quick symptom relief, CBT or mindfulness-based therapies might be better suited to your needs. However, if you want to understand recurring patterns in your relationships, explore unresolved feelings from your past, or make fundamental changes in how you relate to yourself and others, psychodynamic therapy offers the depth and insight you're looking for.
What types of challenges are best suited for a Psychodynamic Approach?
This therapy is effective for a wide range of mental health symptoms, including:
Depression - Understanding the underlying emotional conflicts contributing to persistent sadness and low mood
Anxiety and Panic - Exploring unconscious fears and patterns that trigger anxious feelings
Trauma and PTSD - Processing painful memories and experiences in a safe, supportive environment
Relationship Difficulties - Recognizing how past relationships influence current connections with partners, family, and friends
Low Self-Esteem and Identity Issues - Discovering your authentic self beneath defensive patterns and negative self-beliefs
Grief and Loss - Working through complicated feelings about death, endings, or significant life transitions
Personality Patterns - Understanding repetitive behaviours and emotional reactions that interfere with your well-being
Physical Symptoms Caused by Stress - Addressing psychosomatic complaints rooted in emotional distress
Chronic Feelings of Emptiness - Exploring deeper emotional needs and developing a fuller sense of self
Self-Sabotaging Behaviours - Uncovering unconscious motivations behind patterns that hold you back
With psychodynamic therapy, you and your therapist work together to understand and become comfortable with underlying feelings that may have been confusing or overwhelming. Your therapist will adapt treatment to your individual needs, sometimes combining individual therapy with couples or family sessions for a comprehensive approach.
Duration of Psychodynamic Therapy
This depends on the individual, but evidence shows that children and youth often benefit from a minimum of 12 sessions up to one year of psychodynamic therapy.
Start Psychodynamic Therapy in BC Today
Ready to explore the deeper patterns shaping your mental health? Our experienced therapists offer online psychodynamic therapy throughout British Columbia, making transformative care accessible whether you're in Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey, Burnaby, or anywhere across BC.
We work with adults, teens, couples, and families, accepting CVAP, ICBC, and WorkBC claims. Services are available in English and Portuguese.
Using a psychodynamic approach tailored to your unique needs, you'll gain the insight and self-awareness needed for lasting change. Book your first session today and begin understanding yourself on a deeper level.
Terapia psicodinâmica disponível em português.