We all have moments when we get “stuck” or “off track.” When these moments become prolonged — when we struggle with depression, anxiety, irritability, identity and relationships — psychoanalytic psychotherapy can be a powerful process in assisting us to heal. Psychotherapy involves working together to gain a deeper understanding of what might be going on internally. Together we will begin to disentangle and make sense out of all that you are experiencing.
Psychoanalysis is an intensive form of psychoanalytic psychotherapy available to children, adolescents, and adults. It is recommended when an individual’s way of thinking and behaving continues to get in the way of cultivating a more fulfilling life despite having been in psychotherapy.
Psychoanalysis involves sessions of 4–5 times a week and with adults may include the use of a couch. The increase in frequency of sessions serves to intensify the process and move the therapy along.
Awareness of painful symptoms including self-doubt, excessive worry, and self-critical thinking often motivates an individual to explore the possibility of psychoanalysis.
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis are related in terms of theory and concepts. The idea of putting thoughts and feelings into words and making meaning out of experience are central to both. My practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy involves working together to gain a deeper understanding of what might be going on internally that may be contributing to painful feelings. I will be listening as you share all that is on your mind in the moment. Psychotherapy involves face-to-face contact with sessions occurring one to two times a week.
Psychoanalysis is a more intensive form of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, with sessions occurring four to five times a week. Psychoanalysis may also involve the use of a couch, allowing you to feel greater freedom in expressing your thoughts and feelings.
Psychoanalysis is an intensive form of psychoanalytic psychotherapy available to children, adolescents, and adults. It is recommended when an individual’s way of thinking and behaving continues to get in the way of cultivating a more fulfilling life despite having been in psychotherapy.
Psychoanalysis involves sessions of 4–5 times a week and with adults may include the use of a couch. The increase in frequency of sessions serves to intensify the process and move the therapy along.
Awareness of painful symptoms including self-doubt, excessive worry, and self-critical thinking often motivates an individual or parent to explore the possibility of a more intensive therapy such as psychoanalysis.
Yes. More often than not, individuals choose to begin in psychotherapy with possibility of moving toward psychoanalysis.
Yes. I work with teens ages 16 +
Considering the possibility of psychotherapy for your teen can feel like a daunting task. To make the process easier, I recommend to parents that we speak on the phone for a brief consultation. This will enable us to begin sorting through some the issues together while giving you the opportunity to experience how I think about and work with adolescents. If appropriate, we will then move forward with scheduling a parent meeting, so that I may hear more about how your teen is functioning in all areas of his/her life including developmental history and family background. At the conclusion of our meeting, we will either decide that continuing our work together in parent sessions is all that is necessary at the moment or we may incorporate several teen appointments, allowing me to directly observe how he/she is thinking, feeling and behaving in the context of your concerns and your teen’s overall history. At the end of this initial assessment period, I will present you with my preliminary findings and recommendations.
Yes. Collaboration with parents is an integral component of the therapy, and work I consider necessary to ensure change in the home.
Although I do not work directly with insurance companies, my professional services qualify for reimbursement as an “out of network” provider under most insurance plans. At the end of the month, I will provide you with an invoice containing all the information most insurance companies require for reimbursement.
I encourage you to contact your insurance company regarding your “out of network” benefits prior to the first appointment.
Mary FitzGerald is a licensed independent clinical social worker and an adult and child psychoanalyst. She received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland and her psychoanalytic training through the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, Inc. Ms. FitzGerald has spent more than 25 years providing clinical services to children, adolescents and adults.
Mary FitzGerald’s adult practice focuses on helping individuals find a deeper sense of purpose in their lives and a more meaningful connection in relationships. Her adolescent clinical work includes providing individual adolescent-centered therapy and parent guidance both in a private practice setting, and formerly as a treating clinician at Children’s National in Washington, DC.
Mary FitzGerald is on the faculty of the Clinical Program on Psychotherapy Practice at The Washington School of Psychiatry, and is on the faculty of the adult training program at the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, Inc.
Additional post-graduate training includes:
The Washington School of Psychiatry
Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, Inc.
Mary FitzGerald is a graduated adult, adolescent and child psychoanalyst from the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, Inc.
The George Washington University, Catholic University of America and Howard University are where Mary FitzGerald provided clinical and administrative supervision as a field instructor for graduate students.
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