Getting To Know Patricia Longlade MSW RSW and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
- The Vivid Health Team
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
Patricia specializes in psychoanalytically-informed and supportive psychotherapy or ‘talk
therapy’ for adult clients ranging from late teens to late adulthood. Here is a brief description of this specialized type of therapy.
What is psychoanalytic psychotherapy?
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a ‘talk therapy’ that is based on the theories
originally developed by Sigmund Freud, who founded psychoanalysis in the 1920s.
Over the past century, psychoanalysis has evolved far beyond Freudian drive psychology, with contemporary approaches informed by ego psychology, object relations, intersubjective and relational theories.
It is a therapy designed to help people gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the unconscious and conscious forces that influence their experience of themselves and their relationships and affect their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.
The process of psychoanalytic psychotherapy explores past experiences and how they might be linked to current thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It also explores how deeply ingrained patterns of attachment and interaction ‘play out’ in the person’s personal, social and workplace/school relationships.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy seeks to uncover unconscious patterns and maladaptive ways of coping within a confidential, structured and safe therapeutic relationship.
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is different from psychoanalysis. The main difference is that psychoanalytic psychotherapy is less intense: there is usually one weekly session, compared to three or four sessions required for a proper analysis. Another difference is that whereas clients recline on a couch in analysis, client and therapist face each other in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
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Who can benefit from psychoanalytic psychotherapy?
The concerns that Patricia’s clients bring to therapy include anxiety, bereavement and loss, complex trauma, depression, relationship problems, identity and self- esteem issues, as well as difficulties regulating emotions or adjusting to major life transitions.
Feelings of inadequacy, rejection sensitivity, fear of conflict and struggles with guilt and shame are often reported by those who seek this type of therapy. These feelings may prevent realizing one’s full potential, coping with life’s challenges or experiencing a sense of wellbeing and quality of life.
Individuals who are seeking more than immediate symptom relief and are motivated towards increasing their self-awareness and insight as a way of making lasting change are excellent candidates for psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Becoming more aware of the factors that have influenced perceptions of self and others may empower an individual to overcome limiting
ways of being and open up different choices.
About Patricia
Patricia is a Registered Social Worker who is trained and experienced in providing the attentive, deep and non-judgemental listening that is one of the hallmarks of this type of therapy and provides the basis for its interventions. Patricia augments psychoanalytic psychotherapy with techniques drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems Therapy,
and Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction when they are appropriate to an individual client’s needs.
Patricia’s education and training include:
Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University
Completion of the Ontario Psychotherapy and Counselling Program’s five- year training in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Completion of the Toronto Psychoanalytic Society and Institute’s two-year Advanced Training Program in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.
Patricia is currently accepting a limited number of new clients. If you’re interested in learning more and exploring whether it would be right for you, please contact her directly at plonglade@protonmail.com or (647)324-8437 to book a free and confidential brief consultation.
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