Business Details
Mindful Dynamic Psychotherapy in Santa Barbara
I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over three decades of experience integrating psychodynamic psychotherapy and mindfulness practices to help clients achieve emotional healing. My practice focuses on deep self-inquiry, relational dynamics, and cultivating self-intimacy to resolve psychological suffering. As both a certified psychoanalyst and Buddhist meditation practitioner, I combine traditional therapeutic frameworks with contemplative awareness techniques. My approach emphasizes empathic listening, personalized guidance, and empowering clients to understand the interpersonal roots of their challenges.Through mindful dynamic psychotherapy, I help individuals explore emotional patterns, release limiting beliefs, and develop greater self-awareness. My clinical expertise spans psychodynamic therapy, relational psychotherapy, and mindfulness-informed interventions. I maintain active teaching and consultation roles while continuing my own professional development through ongoing study of psychoanalytic theory and meditation practices. My practice is grounded in the belief that sustained self-inquiry and therapeutic dialogue enable lasting personal transformation.
Services
Mindful Dynamic Psychotherapy
Inquiring Deeply
Relational Psychotherapy
Mindfulness-Informed Therapy
Clinical Consultation
Highlights and features
- 30+ years combining psychoanalysis with Buddhist meditation practices
- Personalized approach integrating psychodynamic and mindfulness techniques
- Empathic focus on relational dynamics and self-inquiry
- Author of publications on meditation and psychotherapy integration
- Active teaching and consultation in mindful therapeutic approaches
Associations and certifications
- California Board of Psychology
- Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies
- Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Services
Mindful Dynamic Psychotherapy
This therapeutic approach combines psychodynamic principles with mindfulness practices to help clients explore emotional patterns rooted in interpersonal relationships. By fostering self-awareness and examining psychological forces shaping behavior, it enables clients to understand and resolve chronic emotional difficulties through structured therapeutic dialogue and self-reflection practices.
Inquiring Deeply
A systematic self-reflection practice that helps clients explore emotional experiences through guided questioning. This method cultivates greater self-intimacy by examining internal judgments, vulnerabilities, and relational patterns, allowing clients to develop more harmonious relationships with themselves and others through conscious engagement with their full emotional spectrum.
Relational Psychotherapy
Focuses on understanding emotional difficulties through interpersonal dynamics, examining how past relationships shape current patterns. This approach helps clients develop healthier relational skills while addressing unconscious processes affecting their interactions, using the therapeutic relationship as a framework for understanding and change.
Mindfulness-Informed Therapy
Integrates contemplative practices with traditional psychotherapy to help clients develop present-moment awareness. This approach enhances emotional regulation by teaching clients to observe thoughts and feelings without judgment, creating space for conscious choice rather than reactive behavior in challenging situations.
Clinical Consultation
Provides professional guidance to fellow mental health practitioners on integrating mindfulness with psychodynamic approaches. Focuses on applying self-inquiry methods and relational dynamics understanding to enhance therapeutic effectiveness, drawing from three decades of clinical experience and meditation practice.
People
Marjorie Schuman, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Licensed psychologist with 30+ years combining psychoanalysis and Buddhist meditation. Specializes in mindful dynamic psychotherapy, relational therapy, and self-inquiry practices. Certified by Los Angeles Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies and Spirit Rock Meditation Center graduate.
Questions
What therapeutic approaches do you specialize in?
I specialize in mindful dynamic psychotherapy integrating psychodynamic, relational, and mindfulness-based approaches to address emotional and relational difficulties through self-inquiry.
How does self-inquiry work in therapy?
Self-inquiry uses structured questioning to explore emotional experiences, helping clients develop self-awareness by examining internal judgments, vulnerabilities, and relational patterns affecting their well-being.
What issues do you typically help clients with?
Clients seek help for emotional difficulties rooted in relational patterns, including anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, and challenges in personal relationships through self-reflective exploration.
How long are therapy sessions?
Standard sessions follow conventional therapy durations, with appointment lengths determined by individual treatment needs and therapeutic goals established during initial consultations.
Do you offer virtual therapy sessions?
Session format details aren't specified in the provided information, but interested individuals should contact the practice directly to discuss available therapy modalities.
