Hi, I’m Loren GAillardetz.
I have a set of tools that can help you live a fuller life, one with more depth and vitality. They may be different from other tools you have encountered before, even if you’ve been in therapy in the past.
Broadly speaking, there are two different kinds of therapy these days. The first is the short-term, manualized approaches that are quite popular in St. Louis and the surrounding areas. If you’ve been in therapy before, chances are this is the kind you’ve been in. Then, there is the kind of therapy referred to as depth therapy. That’s the kind that I do.
More specifically, I practice psychoanalytic psychotherapy (also referred to as psychodynamic). In psychoanalytic psychotherapy, there is no step-by-step manual. Therapy lasts as long as you want it to (and, yes, it can last a while). While other therapies tend to address symptoms, psychoanalytic therapy asks why the symptoms are there in the first place.
Well-known psychoanalyst Jonathan Shedler talks about the seven basic principles of this kind of therapy:
Focus on emotion
Exploration of what we’re avoiding—and how and why
Identifying our recurring themes and patterns
Discussion of the past (how we became who we are)
Focus on relationships and interpersonal experiences
Focus on the therapy relationship itself
Exploration of fantasy life and inner world
I practice this kind of therapy for several reasons. When I first sought out therapy, well before I was a therapist myself, I was confused by how different it was than what I had envisioned it to be. I was disappointed that the therapy I found didn’t go as deep as I wanted and didn’t allow me the space to explore my inner world or learn about myself that I had hoped it would. I also wished my therapist would challenge me more (but gently) to talk about things that I knew I was avoiding but needed to talk about.
That changed when I found psychoanalytic psychotherapy. This approach honors each person as a world unto themselves. This kind of therapy is a process of becoming an expert on yourself in a non-judgmental environment, with a partner who might not have an exact map of the territory (because it’s different every time!), but is nonetheless a skilled, experienced guide. The primary tools are curiosity and humility—remembering that there is always more to each of us than we can know in any given moment.
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy has a strong research base supporting it. Studies have shown psychoanalytic psychotherapy to be just as effective at symptom reduction as other modalities. Studies have also shown that, unlike other therapies, people continue to improve even after they have ended treatment. (In other therapies, there is often a return of symptoms after ending treatment.) Studies also show that people who receive psychoanalytic treatment show personality change—not just symptom reduction.
I’ve experienced this change first-hand in my own life and I’m passionate about sharing this approach with others because I know it works. I know how life changing it can be.
More about me
I graduated summa cum laude with Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and French. During my undergraduate studies, I emphasized courses in neuroscience and literature. I received my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Most recently, I completed a two-year intensive postgraduate training program in advanced psychoanalytic psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and adults at the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. Before I was a therapist, I held jobs as a medical interpreter and a cultural liaison for international students.
My background in studying psychology, neuroscience, research methods, and the human mind combines with the my background in literature, language, culture, and the human spirit to give me a well-rounded approach as a therapist.