Our Approach

Seaside is a gathering of clinicians committed to relational psychotherapy. A relational approach to psychotherapy is rooted in the belief that we are inherently relational beings with longings to connect and belong. We believe that much of what shapes our lives, the way we live with ourselves and with others, has been formed through important relationships in our lives. Often, our deepest wounds occur in these relationships, resulting in patterns of relating to ourselves and others in ways that are shadows of the initial injury. Thus, deep healing and transformative changes take place in a uniquely safe and empathic relationship with someone who is specifically trained to listen and understand the pain of the original wound.  

What type of therapy do we offer?

While there are many good approaches to psychotherapy, and our clinicians have been trained in them, Seaside focuses on psychodynamic therapy. This approach holds that what ails us is often embedded in our story, the stories we live by, and the stories passed down to us, often which we are unaware of consciously. So instead of simply looking at how to manage symptoms, we seek to understand the personality patterns that often lay outside of our consciousness and which cause our clients to feel stuck in the symptoms that they have come in to address. Our clinicians take a collaborative approach to help client’s uncover, explore, and understand these patterns, which fosters the client’s capacity to choose and act outside of these familiar and harmful patterns and to freely live in a way that contributes to a more satisfying and meaningful life.

Doesn’t your approach take longer than other approaches?

Yes, psychodynamic/relational psychotherapy may last longer than other modalities of psychotherapy since we are interested in helping our clients make lasting changes and work through deep hurts and profound struggles that have been in their life for a long time. We also believe that the goal of psychotherapy is not only to treat but also to provide unique, continuing support in a world that can often feels isolating and disconnecting.

 Do you take insurance?

Most of the therapists at Seaside are private pay only. However, if you would like to go through your medical/health insurance and have a plan that reimburses for out-of-network mental health services, our therapists can provide you a superbill so that you can submit to your insurance company and receive reimbursement from them directly. One of the benefits of not going through insurance is that your therapist and you can work out a treatment plan and a pace that fit you the best without being limited by the insurance company’s policies. If you have more questions about this issue, please feel free to discuss with one of our therapists.In general, our pre-licensed therapists’ fee range is lower than the licensed therapists.