DC | MD | VA | NY | PsyPact || Telehealth
Psychodynamic Therapy
I’m a licensed clinical psychologist, and I help individuals and couples deepen their self-understanding so they can have fuller lives and more meaningful relationships.
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why psychodynamic therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy can help you overcome anxiety, depression, intimacy and relationship difficulties, trauma, ADHD, conflict avoidance, low self-esteem and self-doubt, perfectionism, and related concerns.
a bit about dr. steglitz’s practice
At its heart, therapy is relational — it’s a relationship, itself, and it’s also about relationships from the past and from the present; but, mostly, therapy is about the relationship we have with ourselves. How we treat ourselves and others in our orbit is shaped largely by the stories our minds have woven about who we are and what we imagine others think of us. The way I generally work with people flows from that idea.
Those who work with me come from all walks of life, with a huge range of backgrounds and upbringings. Some people come with specific goals they’d like to achieve or symptoms they’d like to improve; others arrive at my doorstep wanting to process hardships, life transitions, or with a general sense that something has been off or of feeling stuck; many seek me out because their relationships aren’t what they want them to be. Those who seem to click with me tend to have a similar interest in understanding themselves more deeply so they can feel more self-confident and comfortable in their own skin.
My approach and the way I think about your problems, strengths, and needs are unique to you; but, generally speaking, I’ll help you clarify the narratives that guide your life — ones, maybe, you’ve known for a long time and others that have been living at the edges of your awareness. I’ll work to help you deepen your understanding of how these thoughts serve you but also how they might be holding you back. We might try to influence how you construct and consolidate storylines about yourself and other people, and how you experience your own feelings. We’ll work to create a little more space — or less — between when thoughts come to mind and how you respond to them — to create the possibility of a different relationship in that moment with yourself and people around you. As these moments accumulate over time, little shifts begin to happen, and you might begin to inhabit new narratives and experience a fuller, more authentic way of being.
about dr. steglitz
I’m a psychologist in private practice outside Washington, DC. I provide teletherapy to individuals, couples, and groups from the DC area, New York, and other PSYPACT states. I’m a member of the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis and dedicate my time there to deeper learning about contemporary psychodynamic thinking and practice, couples dynamics, and gender and sexuality. I’m also a member of the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, a division of the American Psychological Association (APA). I provide yearly seminars to training therapists at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City and the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, both places where I’ve previously trained and led research. I’ve completed specialized training in couples therapy at The Gottman Institute to complement the deeper psychodynamic work I do with couples.
education //
Northwestern University
PhD in Clinical Psychology
Yale University
MPH in Social & Behavioral Sciences
University of Pennsylvania
BA in Psychology
advanced training //
Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis
Adult Psychotherapy Fellow
The Gottman Institute
Level 1 Certification
Washington DC VA Medical Center
Clinical Fellow
New York City Mount Sinai Health System
Clinical Intern
services
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My approach to individual therapy is depth-oriented and anchored by a persistent curiosity about you and your inner world. I work to help my patients clarify conflicting feelings and uncover blindspots that may be fueling their symptoms. We’ve all learned ways since very early on to adapt and avoid things that stir up deeply uncomfortable feelings, but this avoidance tends to sustain our suffering and impact our self-esteem over time.
While your therapy goals will be unique to you, a general aim of psychodynamic therapy is to help you understand the psychological roots of your behaviors today. Those roots tend to be deep, so I generally meet with people one to three times per week. Meeting more regularly allows for greater continuity and momentum which enables a deeper understanding and greater capacity for growth. After we meet during the initial sessions of therapy, we’ll discuss the cadence that would be most beneficial to you.
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Couples psychotherapy is particularly useful for couples who find themselves unable to get unstuck on their own, repeating the same unhelpful patterns again and again. I believe that both partners maintain the current equilibrium of a relationship, so no one individual is to blame and each partner holds responsibility for their own actions.
As a couples therapist I take a direct approach to increase self-awareness as well as improve understanding of what’s behind a partner’s behavior. The general goal of my couples psychotherapy practice is to help partners communicate more constructively, build mutual respect, and foster greater emotional and sexual intimacy.
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Group therapy can be as equally effective as individual therapy, and, in fact, offers unique benefits that can allow for meaningful shifts in one’s self-esteem and quality of relationships.
I’m currently enrolling members for a new group called, Marlin, beginning October 2025. It’s a virtual psychotherapy group for fathers living in the DC area who are seeking more meaningful connection to other fathers and interested in deeper self-understanding. The group aims to help dads strengthen their family relationships by using that self-understanding to communicate and respond more effectively to their children and partners.
>>> More information about Marlin can be found here.
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I provide psychodynamic supervision to licensed therapists in DC, VA, MD, and other PsyPact states. Therapists seek me out because they are interested in deepening their work with their patients by honing their psychoanalytic case conceptualization and technique.
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what to expect in the very beginning
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After you initially reach out to me, whether by phone, email, or with the form below, I’ll call you back shortly. During this phone call, we’ll set up at least one initial session to begin to get to know each other. Sometimes during this first phone call, you may have important questions about my fee, health insurance, or schedule, which I’d of course be willing to answer for you.
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The first several sessions are a time for us to get to know each other. I’ll be asking you questions to begin to formulate ideas of what’s going on and if I think I could be helpful to you. At the same time, you’ll be figuring out if I’m someone you’d like to work with. If we learn that what you need is outside my wheelhouse, I’ll provide you with referrals of other clinicians who have expertise to help you.
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As the initial evaluation period unfolds, I’ll share with you my initial hypotheses about your challenges and what I believe would be the best approach. If we both agree that working with each other would be useful to you, then we’ll choose a regular day and time — an important part of what people in the field call “the frame” of psychotherapy — which will be your dedicated spot.
When you’re ready, please reach out. I’d be happy to hear from you.
If you’re thinking about scheduling a session or have questions, feel free to call or email me, or you’re welcome to complete the form below.