Dr. Daniel Papapietro
Psychotherapy
Office Location
Farmington, CT 06032
Dr. Papapietro maintains a psychotherapy practice devoted exclusively to individual psychodynamic psychotherapy.
He is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 35 years of training and clinical experience across outpatient and inpatient psychiatric settings, including private, public, state, and VA hospitals.
For more than three decades, Dr. Papapietro has taught, trained, and supervised psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers in the theory and practice of psychodynamic psychotherapy. He holds a faculty appointment as Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
SELF-PAY ONLY
Fee Is $200 Per Session.
Why Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Psychotherapy?
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is fundamentally different from counseling or cognitive-behavioral approaches. Those treatments can offer quicker relief by targeting symptoms directly — and the symptoms may indeed improve. But just as often, they return, because the therapy never addressed what was driving them in the first place.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy addresses both the symptom and its underlying unconscious cause.
This is a rigorous process. It takes time and does not offer quick fixes. It is not casual conversation, homework assignments, cheerful encouragement, or advice. The goal is to help you understand how your current struggles — anxiety, depression, anger, substance use, among others — are actually symptoms of deeper emotional conflicts. Psychotherapy is about understanding yourself and your past, and that requires time, patience, and trust. It is hard work, and it may not be for everyone.
Consider depression as an example. People often speak about being depressed as though that were the problem to treat. In reality, depression is a symptom of something else — and reaching the emotional root of that symptom requires careful exploration of your life: childhood and family experiences, possible traumas, relationship losses, and other painful memories.
The same process applies to anxiety, relationship difficulties at home and at work, and certain addictions. This kind of therapy asks for a genuine willingness to look deeply at your life. To do that, you have to trust your therapist — and learning to trust takes time. It means taking emotional risks, being open and honest, even when that feels uncomfortable. The more fully you are able to do this, the more likely you are to free yourself from these symptoms, make better choices, build healthier relationships, and create the kind of stable emotional life you want.
Why Is Insurance Not Accepted?
Trust and privacy are essential to psychotherapy. You need to feel free to think and speak honestly about yourself without self-censoring — and that requires a setting where you know your confidentiality is absolute, as protected by federal law.
The problem with insurance is that carriers typically require the release of personal clinical information in order to decide whether they will cover treatment. Insurance companies can — and sometimes do — use your psychotherapy records in making those decisions. Once your information is released to an insurer, neither you nor your therapist has any control over how it is used. Psychodynamic psychotherapy works best when you know that every thought you share is protected, fully and without exception.
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The links below are video presentations on psychodynamic therapy by Dr. Jonathan Shedler, one of today's leading writers and researchers on contemporary psychoanalytic therapy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNWy1ksxIDo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Iin4f0sgI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UpHl9kuccc
https://jonathanshedler.com/writings/
Psychotherapy Is Effective for the Following Common Problems
Depression. Research indicates that psychodynamic therapy can help people identify, understand, and change recurring interpersonal patterns that play a significant role in their depression.
Anxiety. Numerous studies have found that psychodynamic therapy often provides relief from social anxiety, social phobia, and panic disorder by helping patients understand that these symptoms are frequently expressions of unconscious psychological conflicts.
Chronic Pain. Unexplained chronic pain with no clear physical cause can consume a person's focus, leading to significant emotional distress and strained relationships. Psychodynamic therapy explores the psychological sources of that pain.
Personality Disorders. Studies have found psychotherapy to be effective for a range of personality difficulties — unstable moods, impulsivity, self-centeredness, insensitivity, or a lack of empathy — that create persistent conflict in relationships.
Anger. Unrealistic entitlement, a need to control others, irritability, poor frustration tolerance, and impulsivity can often be understood and managed through therapy.
Relationship Problems. Recurring patterns of conflict with family, friends, coworkers, and romantic partners often respond well to psychodynamic therapy.
Trauma. Physical or emotional trauma — whether in childhood or later in life — can condition a person to chronic, elevated anxiety and stress, resulting in depression, insomnia, anger, or other symptoms.
Substance Abuse. Addictions often begin as attempts to self-medicate against powerful and frightening unconscious emotions, frequently rooted in childhood abandonment or other early trauma. Psychodynamic psychotherapy helps you explore these experiences, express the related emotions, and understand their origins — with the goal of freeing you from the control those issues have over your life and reducing the chaos and conflict that substance use creates. Combined with active participation in 12-step recovery programs, this approach can be highly effective in managing addiction.
addictions
Dr. Daniel J. Papapietro, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy Supervision/Consultation
Farmington, Ct
860.269.4756
Office Hours
By Appointment Only
Tuesdays & Wednesdays
Copyright © Daniel J Papapietro, Psy.D. All rights reserved.