Our Way of Working

At Amphora Psychotherapy, our work is grounded in the belief that meaningful change happens through careful listening, sustained relationship, and attention to what unfolds over time. We offer psychotherapy that is thoughtful, relational, and depth-oriented—focused not only on relieving immediate distress, but on understanding the deeper patterns that shape a person’s life and relationships.

How We Understand Suffering

People come to therapy with many kinds of pain: anxiety, depression, chronic stress, physical illness, relationship conflict, or a sense of being stuck or disconnected. While these experiences may appear different on the surface, they are often shaped by enduring emotional patterns, relational histories, and ways of coping that once made sense but no longer serve.

Rather than viewing difficulties as isolated symptoms to be fixed, we understand them as meaningful responses to lived experience—responses that deserve curiosity, respect, and careful attention. Therapy offers a place to explore how these patterns formed, how they continue to operate, and how they might change.

What Happens in Therapy Here

Therapy at Amphora is a collaborative process. Sessions are a space to speak freely, to reflect, and to notice what emerges—not only in words, but in feelings, bodily responses, and relational moments between therapist and client.

We listen closely and engage actively. At times this means offering reflections, asking questions, or naming patterns as they appear. At other times it means slowing down, allowing uncertainty, and making room for what is not yet clear. The pace is guided by what feels tolerable and meaningful, rather than by a preset agenda.

This way of working may include attention to:

  • Current struggles and life circumstances

  • Repeating emotional or relational patterns

  • Early experiences and their ongoing influence

  • Unconscious processes that shape feelings and behavior

  • What unfolds in the therapeutic relationship itself

“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”

bell hooks, “All About Love”

The Role of the Therapeutic Relationship

We place particular importance on the therapeutic relationship. Research consistently shows that the quality of this relationship is one of the strongest predictors of meaningful change.

We aim to offer a relationship that is reliable, responsive, and genuine—one that can hold difficult feelings without rushing to resolve them. Over time, this relationship can become a place where new ways of relating to oneself and others are discovered and practiced.

What Kind of Change We Aim For

While many people experience relief early in therapy, our aim is not only symptom reduction. We work toward deeper, more enduring change: increased emotional freedom, greater self-understanding, and more flexible ways of relating to others and to life’s challenges.

Clients often describe feeling more grounded, less burdened by old patterns, and better able to live with complexity and uncertainty.

Who This Way of Working May Be Helpful For

This approach tends to resonate with people and couples who:

  • Want to understand themselves more deeply, not just manage symptoms

  • Are willing to slow down and reflect, even when things feel unclear

  • Feel that previous solutions have not fully addressed what’s underneath

  • Value a collaborative, relational approach to therapy

  • At the same time, therapy is always tailored to the individual or couple in front of us. No two therapeutic processes look the same.

A Shared Commitment

Our way of working asks something of both therapist and client: honesty, patience, and a willingness to stay with what is difficult. In return, therapy offers the possibility of relief, insight, and meaningful change over time.

If you’re considering therapy and wondering whether this approach may be a good fit, we invite you to reach out and begin a conversation.