Meet Pooyesh Ganji
I am a licensed individual, couple, and family therapist (LMFT). I received my master’s degree in counseling from George Fox University in Portland, Oregon. I also got a second master’s degree in psychology from University of Orgon because I wanted to learn more about attachment theory, interpersonal trauma, and developmental psychopathology.
For more than a decade I worked in a variety of mental health settings like hospitals, agencies, and private practice under the supervision of excellent supervisors. As a therapist, I believe in the lifelong learning and as a result I have received extra training in psychodynamic psychotherapy, CBT, and a variety of couple and family therapy models.
I chose this career because I enjoy building authentic and close connections with people and I believe the relationship that I form with my client is the most important agent of change. On the foundation of connectedness, then I can be curious with them to find their strengths and help them overcome their challenges. I also prefer experiential approaches in therapy because I believe change needs to happen in the session and clients can benefit from experiencing their emotions in the presence of a person that can tolerate those feelings and contain them. Each session is an opportunity to experience the true self, and to get in touch with the parts that did not have a chance to be seen.
I am also curious about attachment and early (traumatic) interpersonal experiences since they shape how we relate to ourselves and how we relate to others. These experiences shape frameworks for how we see ourselves and others. They affect our sense of trust, safety, and security. By targeting these attachment related experiences clients can move towards building a sense of security that can lead to further positive changes like better self-esteem or creating healthy relationships.
The training that I received at Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute taught me how to also find the trauma at the somatic level and how to incorporate the body into treatment since trauma also exists in the body. Now I am a psychoanalyst in training at Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute to go even further in gaining an in-depth understanding of psychological issues and how to relate to my clients to bring more positive change.
Niches
- Young adults
- Couples and families
- Immigrants and second generation adults with a specific specialization with immigrants from Middle East.
- Bilingual and can work with Farsi speaking individuals and families
