ERIN CARPENTER, PSYD
I want to help you move through life with clarity and confidence.
All parts of you are welcome here.
You don't need to arrive with things figured out or feelings sorted. This is a space for your whole self to show up, including the messy, confusing, hard-to-explain parts. We'll work together to understand the patterns, relationships, and experiences that have shaped you, and start to get a clearer sense of what you want for yourself going forward.
I also understand that beginning therapy can feel vulnerable, especially if you're used to handling things on your own or have spent a long time feeling misunderstood, unseen, or emotionally alone in your experiences. My goal is to create a space where you can show up fully as yourself, without fear of judgment, pressure, or needing to have everything figured out beforehand.
Over time, therapy can become a place where you feel more connected to yourself, grounded in your relationships, and able to move through life’s challenges with greater clarity and confidence.
At the core of my approach to therapy is a belief that healing happens in relationship.
The connection we build is not just the backdrop to the work, it is the work. I'll show up as a real person, warm, direct, and genuinely invested in you. The way we relate to each other becomes part of how we understand you, your patterns, and what you want to change.
In sessions with me, we'll slow down and pay attention to the things that are usually moving too fast to notice, like the stories you've been carrying for a long time and the way your past shows up in your present. Together, we'll make sense of it in a way that brings you clarity, and use that insight to give you more choice in how you move through your life and relationships.
MY APPROACH
Psychodynamic therapy can help you get to the root of what’s keeping you stuck.
How it works
Psychodynamic therapy is based on the idea that much of what drives our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and relationships exists outside of our conscious awareness. The patterns we carry in how we relate to others, cope with anxiety, navigate vulnerability, and understand ourselves often have roots in our earliest experiences and relationships.
Over time, we naturally develop ways of protecting ourselves emotionally. Some of these patterns may have once helped you adapt or feel safe, but no longer serve you in the present. You may find yourself worrying constantly, struggling to trust others, repeating painful relationship dynamics, feeling disconnected from yourself, or reacting in ways you don't fully understand. Even when you logically know why something is happening, it can still feel difficult to change.
Psychodynamic therapy creates space to slow down and become more aware of these deeper emotional patterns with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment. By bringing them into greater awareness, therapy can help you better understand why certain struggles continue to repeat and create space for new ways of navigating your life.
What to expect
Sessions are conversational and started by you. You might come into session with something specific on your mind, or we may follow a feeling, pattern, or theme that emerges naturally in the moment. Sometimes we'll talk about current relationships or challenges, while other times we may explore past experiences, emotional reactions, identity, or recurring themes that continue to shape your present life in ways that aren't always obvious.
I'll be an active and engaged presence in the room, asking questions, offering reflections, and helping you notice things that may exist just outside of your awareness. Together, we'll work to better understand not only what you're struggling with, but also the emotional meaning underneath those experiences.
Our work together is collaborative and unfolds at a pace that feels right for you. You don't need to know exactly what to say or where to begin, and I’ll be there to guide you. Our work can be an opportunity to slow down, explore your inner world more deeply, and begin understanding yourself in new and more meaningful ways.
How it can help you
Psychodynamic therapy can help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your emotions, and your relationships. As insight grows, many people begin to feel less consumed by anxiety and better able to move through life with greater clarity, groundedness, and self-trust.
Therapy can also help you better understand the relational patterns contributing to feelings of disconnection, conflict, or difficulty feeling fully seen and understood in relationships. As these patterns become more clear, you can begin relating to yourself and others in ways that feel more authentic, intentional, and connected.
This work can also offer space to explore identity, relationships, family dynamics, and the emotional impact of feeling different, misunderstood, or unsupported. Through deeper self-understanding and the experience of being genuinely seen within the therapeutic relationship, many people begin to feel more connected to themselves, secure in their relationships, and able to build a life that feels aligned with who they are.
Anxiety
Relationship Issues
LGBTQ+ Identity
Training & Education
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, CA (PSY 34855)
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, NY (027195)
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Best Life Therapy, Los Angeles, CA
Doctoral Internship, Pace University, New York, NY
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of San Francisco
Masters in Clinical Psychology, University of San Francisco