In a culture that prizes quick fixes, it’s easy to forget that true healing takes time. The process of untangling long-held emotional patterns, repairing attachment wounds, and understanding the unconscious roots of our pain doesn’t happen overnight. Therapy is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing commitment to your own evolution.
Whether you’re navigating anxiety, OCD, depression, trauma, or self-esteem struggles, real and lasting change requires consistency. Weekly therapy is generally recommended, especially at the start of treatment, because frequency and continuity create the stability necessary for deep emotional work. Each session builds on the last, forming a steady rhythm that allows insight to deepen and transformation to unfold.
Why Long-Term Work Matters
Healing is not linear. At times, you’ll feel progress and clarity. Other times, you may feel like you’ve taken a step backward. These fluctuations are part of the process. With regular therapy, you develop the ability to stay with your emotions rather than avoid them. You begin to understand their origins and patterns, and gradually reshape how you relate to yourself and others.
Short-term symptom management can be helpful, but long-term therapy allows you to address the roots of distress rather than just the surface manifestations. That’s why most evidence-based therapies, even CBT, originally recommended at least 12 weeks of weekly sessions, and that was once considered a brief therapy modality.
The Value of Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy is an umbrella term for psychoanalytically oriented approaches that emerged from the work of Freud, Jung, and their followers. While these early thinkers laid the foundation for modern psychology, their approaches have continued to evolve and adapt to contemporary research and clinical understanding.
Contrary to popular belief, psychodynamic therapy is not outdated. It is evidence-based and empirically validated. Research shows that the benefits of psychodynamic therapy are as large as those of other psychotherapies, and they tend to last longer.
In a 2010 study published by the American Psychological Association, Dr. Jonathan Shedler concluded that:
“The American public has been told that only newer, symptom-focused treatments like cognitive behavior therapy or medication have scientific support. The actual scientific evidence shows that psychodynamic therapy is highly effective. The benefits are at least as large as those of other psychotherapies, and they last.”
This kind of therapy goes beyond symptom reduction. It transforms the way you understand and relate to yourself. It invites curiosity about the unconscious, your early experiences, even your dreams if you remember them, and the unseen forces that shape your emotional life.
Four Depth-Therapy Approaches at Smart Therapy™
At Smart Therapy, my practice offers four psychodynamic approaches, each designed to meet you at a deep level of self-understanding and transformation.
1. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Rooted in the pioneering work of Freud and his followers, this approach explores the role of early childhood experiences and family dynamics. Together, we look at how these patterns continue to echo in your adult life, shaping your relationships, behaviors, and emotional world.
2. Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy blends cognitive-behavioral and psychoanalytic principles. It helps identify the “schemas,” or mental filters, that color your perceptions of yourself and others. By uncovering these patterns, we open up new ways of relating and living.
3. Jungian & Archetypal Approaches
This approach explores archetypes, dreams, symbols, and your inner mythology. Through this lens, we work to understand both your conscious personality and your shadow side, the parts of you that seek expression or integration. Jungian therapy supports the lifelong process of individuation, which means becoming more fully yourself. Jungian therapy has also been shown by research to be evidence-based and effective.
4. Dream Analysis & Dream Therapy
Dreams are the language of the unconscious. In therapy, exploring your dreams can help reveal hidden truths, emotional needs, and internal conflicts. This process can bring both relief from symptoms and deeper clarity about who you are.
My Approach to Depth Therapy
In Depth Therapy, we go beneath the surface, exploring your past, present, and psyche to uncover the underlying patterns that shape your life. This work involves curiosity, courage, and commitment. It’s not about “fixing” you, it’s about understanding you.
Through insight and emotional processing, you’ll begin to shift unconscious patterns and create new ways of being. This is the kind of transformation that lasts because it’s rooted in awareness, not avoidance.
I offer a conversational, down-to-earth, and compassionate style of therapy. With over a decade of clinical experience and more than five years of my own personal depth therapy and dream analysis with Thomas Moore, I know firsthand the power of this work. My training has taught me how to integrate different depth therapy lenses and how to help you access the unconscious material that can lead to healing and freedom.
Why Clients Seek Depth Therapy
Many clients come to me after trying more structured, surface-level approaches like CBT. They’re looking for something deeper, something that honors their complexity and inner life. Common reasons include:
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CBT didn’t meet their therapy goals
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It felt too rigid, shallow, or overly cognitive
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They want to explore their past, not just their present symptoms
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They’re curious about personality factors or unconscious motivation
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They crave a holistic approach that integrates the whole self
Depth Therapy is for people who want to understand themselves, not only manage their symptoms.
Healing Is a Relationship, Not a Quick Fix
Weekly therapy provides the consistency and safety that make this work possible. The therapeutic relationship itself becomes a place where old patterns can be seen, understood, and transformed. Over time, this leads to real, sustained change, not just symptom relief but a profound sense of self-awareness and peace.
If you’re ready to explore your psyche and heal from the inside out, I invite you to begin your journey.
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Meet Rebecca Steele, Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist (MA, MSW, RSW, CCC)
Rebecca is a Waterloo-based trauma therapist offering virtual counselling across Ontario. With over a decade of experience, she helps adults navigate trauma, anxiety, OCD (including “Pure O” presentations), and self-esteem. Her insight-driven depth therapy approach supports self-understanding, emotional healing, and lasting change. Book an appointment or learn more about her online therapy services.
Located outside Ontario? You can explore Rebecca’s coaching and consulting offerings here.
