Psychodynamic Therapy in San Francisco and Throughout California

I practice therapy at my office in San Francisco and online throughout California—with teenagers, individual adults, and couples. I treat anxiety, depression, and other common psychiatric disorders, but I do not think of human beings only—or even primarily—in terms of diagnoses. I come to this work via the broader project of my own life, fifty-plus years of trying to understand the human condition. That project has taken me through a PhD in Literature; decades as a novelist, memoirist, and journalist; and a master’s degree in psychology, plus an ongoing effort to live with integrity and authenticity. So I think of human lives—and whatever I can do to help—through the holistic lens of all my reading, listening, and being in the world.

If I had to describe my therapeutic style, I’d go with warm, compassionate, and focused. If I had to label my approach, I’d call it psychoanalytic, meaning that I work from the premise that much of our mental and emotional life is unconscious and that coaxing it into light can set us free. But insight is only one part of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Equally important is a collaborative and genuine relationship built on shared exploration of a client’s dreams, hopes, and vulnerabilities. It’s about finding the safety and flexibility to wander the past and hear its harmonics in the present, and, from their shared music, discover new ways of being.

On a more practical note, I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT #155759) employed by Psychotherapist Coach: A Marriage and Family Therapist Corporation. I am supervised by Lynndal Daniels, LMFT #78183. My office is on Gough Street in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.

If it sounds like I might be able to help, send an email to dan@danielduanetherapy.com. I’d be happy to schedule a free consultation.