Garrett Tanner

Psychoanalytic work prioritizes speaking and different ways of hearing what is said. The way we speak is often full of ambiguity. In understanding different meanings, one comes to new understandings and can feel a greater freedom in living and making choices. Speaking unties unconscious conflicts that cause suffering. This kind of work assumes that all symptoms and life difficulties have a greater meaning. However, this meaning is far from obvious, especially at the beginning of a treatment. Therefore, therapeutic conversations are not limited to what is causing suffering now. It is taken as a given that all aspects of a person’s life have importance and impact current functioning. Likewise, one’s entire life is important to speak about, including early childhood and even infancy. This focus on speech is a different kind of therapy than you may commonly encounter. It can benefit anyone, and I certainly encourage those whom have not found therapy helpful in the past to reach out.

Therapy is an opportunity to expand on what it is to be you. It is a creative space to both play and mourn around a central question: How would you like to come to terms with your life experiences? In our work together, I will structure these conversations to help you notice more about yourself and your circumstances. One way I might do this is by identifying and attending to conflicts that I hear, but you may not. Sometimes conflicts might emerge in other unique ways, like slips of the tongue and difficulties talking about certain ideas. Once you begin speaking about your problems differently, you may find new ways of thinking about them. It is through speaking that one learns a new kind of freedom. To help you speak fully, I might challenge you, but I will always do so carefully and without judgement. My office is always a safe place for marginalized communities. My therapeutic approach appreciates and celebrates each person's uniqueness.