There are two main forms of psychotherapy today (I am generalizing for simplicity’s sake): Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and its derivatives (Solution-focused therapies, Acceptance-Commitment Therapy, etc.) and Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic/interpersonal psychotherapies. CBT and comparable therapies are often called “evidence-based” treatment. They focus on short-term goals and concrete solutions. It provides people with a plan to get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B.’ The treatment offers techniques, and a plan, to create change rapidly through following a therapist’s instructions. Because this can be achieved in several sessions (generally ten or less) with simple tools and exercises, it has become very popular with insurance providers - which consider it a “gold standard” in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and addictions. It requires compliance with the therapist’s plan of treatment. However, this simple model of treatment has met with complicated results - unsurprisingly - since people are complicated. CBT and its derivatives have been proven to function less well over time - because like any system/protocol/tool - something that comes from outside of us tends to no longer hold. We simply get tired of it - like a diet, or a new workout. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-heart-of-addiction/201907/the-fallacy-in-evidence-based-treatment

What CBT etc. doesn’t consider is our own personal resistance to change. We all know what we “should” do, and how we would like to feel. But we get in our own way, repeatedly, and fail to sustain change. This is because our so-called “unreasonable” beliefs, moods, habits, etc. ... all make sense at another level. We cling to them for reasons that we can’t immediately see. The therapeutic plan (to get from A to B…) will inevitably hit the brick wall of our own resistance. We can begin another plan, but until we know what we are holding on to - and why - at a deeper level, the repetition will continue. In our minds, our past story and our present functioning our unavoidably and intimately entwined. The idea of analytic therapy is not to visit the past for its own sake, but to free us from old patterns that no longer serve their purpose today.

This decision has come through many years of training and psychotherapy in both models and has boiled down to a personal decision based on what I feel is ethical and stands the test of time. Although I sometimes use “techniques” or “tools” from the CBT model, I believe that enduring results from treatment come from a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic model. Here is why. I want people to feel better quickly, but I want them to experience long-lasting results that come from them- not from any tools or plan which require adherence. The more subjective the work, the more one understands one’s own mind and history, the more one can become more authentically oneself. The more authentic you are, the clearer you will feel in your desires, decision-making, and relationships. My training has allowed me to listen deeply to you, rather than give you tools. Over time, you learn what works for you, and create your own set of “tools” such as they are. You will acquire the ability to truly “hear” beyond any symptom, mood, or complaint to something more essential and salient. This is the work I wish to provide for those who seek treatment.

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-02208-012 https://tavistockandportman.nhs.uk/research/research-projects/tavistock-adult-depression-study/ The above link provides access to additional scholarly and scientific articles, should you wish to explore further.

Because each person has a different situation, I prefer to not put my fees on the internet. The session fees in Nantes can range from 40€ to 80€. Fees can also be adapted should someone choose psychoanalysis rather than once-weekly psychotherapy. The fees can be partially reimbursed through your private insurance, or “mutuelle.” This is not to be confused with the French Social Security System, where only doctors and paramedical practitioners (physiotherapists, nurses) can be completely reimbursed. Note that only mental health clinicians with an ADELI number (a French health-care system number) can be reimbursed through your insurance.