Individual Psychotherapy in Washington, DC
When What Once Worked Stops Working
Most of us develop ways of coping that made good sense at the time. What brings many people to individual psychotherapy is the discovery that those same strategies are no longer effective — in relationships, at work, or in managing anxiety, depression, or other emotional challenges. Sometimes those strategies are out of our conscious awareness, which makes them hard to address on your own.
Our primary approach is psychodynamic psychotherapy, which emphasizes that we have conscious and unconscious motivations, recognizes how a person’s past impacts their present, and considers the therapy relationship a vital aspect of treatment. It is an empirically validated treatment that has been shown to have increased mental health benefit over time, as does psychoanalysis.
What Is Psychodynamic Psychotherapy?
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a depth-oriented form of talk therapy that works from the premise that much of our emotional life operates outside conscious awareness. Rather than focusing primarily on symptom management, you and your therapist examine the patterns underneath the symptoms — where they came from, what purpose they once served, and why they persist.
The work is collaborative. You share what’s on your mind; your therapist listens for themes, patterns, and ways of thinking and feeling that you may not notice yourself, or that you’re aware of but have difficulty modifying. Oftentimes, those patterns emerge within the therapy relationship, and we have an opportunity to explore them in real time.
Simply stated, what was once necessary may no longer be.
What Concerns Do You Work With?
Our clinicians provide individual psychotherapy for adults and adolescents dealing with:
- Anxiety, chronic worry, and stress from high-pressure work
- Depression, low mood, and persistent emptiness
- Trauma and post-traumatic stress
- Relationship difficulties and recurring relational patterns
- Grief and loss
- Life transitions, including career change, divorce, and becoming a parent
- Questions of identity, meaning, and authenticity
- Sexual and gender identity concerns
- Mid-life transitions, including menopause
- Racial, cultural, and political stressors
How Is Psychodynamic Therapy Different from CBT?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is structured, present-focused, and typically time-limited. It identifies unhelpful thought patterns and works to change them directly, often with homework and specific techniques. It works well for many people, particularly for discrete, well-defined problems.
Psychodynamic therapy is less structured and more exploratory. It asks not only what you’re thinking, but why that particular thought took hold, why it persists, how you might be participating in holding onto it, and what it might be protecting you from.
It’s generally longer-term, and the therapeutic relationship itself becomes part of the material — the ways you relate to your therapist often mirror the ways you relate to others.
Many people come to us after they try CBT or Internal Family Systems (IFS). They found those approaches useful and got real relief, but the same patterns eventually resurfaced. That’s a common reason to seek out depth-oriented work.
What Happens in a First Session?
The first session is a conversation. You’ll be asked what brought you in, what you’re hoping for, and something about your history and current life. You’ll also have room to ask questions — about the approach, about frequency, about what the work will actually look like.
Before that, we offer a free initial phone consultation. It’s brief, there’s no obligation, and its purpose is to help you decide whether this practice is the right place for you.
How Often Are Sessions, and How Long Does Therapy Last?
Most individual psychotherapy is weekly, in 45 or 50 minute sessions. Many clients meet twice weekly, which allows for a deeper and more continuous process. For those seeking the most intensive form of this work, we also offer psychoanalysis with a certified contemporary psychoanalyst. Duration genuinely varies by person. Psychodynamic therapy is open-ended by design, and the length is something you and your therapist decide together rather than something set in advance.
Where Are Sessions Held?
Janna Sandmeyer Psychotherapy is located at 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 440, in downtown Washington, DC — near Farragut North and Dupont Circle, and convenient to K Street, Foggy Bottom, and Logan Circle, easily accessible to Capitol Hill, and the Red, Blue, and Orange metro lines. We also offer secure telehealth sessions for clients located in Maryland, Virginia, and Texas.
About Our Clinicians
Dr. Janna Sandmeyer has over 30 years of clinical experience. She trained at the National Institute of the Psychotherapies in New York City, and at the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy + Psychoanalysis in Washington, DC. She is a certified psychoanalyst and practices contemporary psychoanalysis. Dr. Sandmeyer holds faculty appointments at ICP+P and the Washington School of Psychiatry, serves on the editorial board of Psychoanalytic Inquiry, and is an award winning author.
Our practice includes additional clinicians with training in psychodynamic psychotherapy, EMDR, and couples work. You can read about each of us on our clinicians pages.
Fees and Insurance
We are out-of-network and do not participate in insurance panels. Many clients receive partial reimbursement through out-of-network benefits, and we provide the documentation needed to submit claims.
Full fee information is on our Fees & Policies page.
Begin With a Free Consultation
Finding the right therapist matters more than any other factor in therapy effectiveness. We offer a free initial phone consultation so you can ask questions, describe what’s bringing you in, and get a sense of whether we’re a good fit.