About Susan Fine, Psy.D.
[fade] I completed training in psychoanalysis with adults (2016) and psychoanalytic psychotherapy with children and adolescents (2005) at Psychoanalytic Association of New York (PANY). My doctoral degree in psychology is from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology – Yeshiva University (1999), and my Master’s Degree in Special Education is from New York University (1993).
I am inspired by the natural force in people to grow and fascinated by the conscious and unconscious ways in which psychological struggles block this process. [/fade]
A Sample of My Perspective
The Power of the Unconscious
[fade]For the sake of simplicity and clarity, there is a map we consciously craft and a map of which we’re not aware. If you’re feeling stuck or dissatisfied with your life, then the maps have different destinations and you’re following the one you can’t see. This second one is based on childhood strategies for handling feelings. (A child can adopt unhealthy strategies in order to get along with family members.) Continuing to rely on those ways could be the cause of problems in adult relationships or satisfaction in school or work. When you begin to identify your unhelpful ways of handling difficult feelings and thoughts, you’re free to discover and employ ones that will yield the best outcome, improve your self-esteem and free you from an old repetitive and unhelpful dynamic. This mastery allows you to evolve. [/fade]
Linking and Unlinking
[fade]Assembling a puzzle means recognizing which pieces don’t belong together and joining the ones that do. When gaps in a person’s understanding of themselves and others get filled in with assumptions or misunderstanding, it’s like joining the wrong pieces. While we get clear about your struggles, think about how they developed, and help you handle mental and emotional symptoms, you will also learn to see yourself and others with less erroneous thinking and greater truth. Knowing yourself gives you the possibility of making more satisfying choices, leading to a fulfilling life.[/fade]
Communication and Connection
[fade]The most important person to be able to understand and to have a comfortable, trusting relationship with is yourself. Knowing yourself deeply means you can tell the significant people in your life who you are, what you need, what makes you happy, angry or hurt in a way that’s clear and honest. The capacity to describe your inner experience opens you to the possibility of feeling seen and understood by others. It also deepens your capacity to know and understand them. [/fade]
Working Collaboratively
[fade]I have professional training and experience and you are the expert on your life. [/fade]
Intuition
[fade]This wisdom resides in you but can get dismissed as unreliable or unimportant. Our work together supports your learning to listen to and trust your internal navigation system and to discover any impediments to that natural process.[/fade]
Self-Mastery, Emotional Resilience, Confidence, Self-Esteem
[fade]I would like each person I work with to become the expert on their inner life. [/fade]
