How I Practice Psychotherapy

Our culture is so saturated with "therapy" these days that it can be hard to know quite what therapy is. Here is some information about my credentials and what it's like to work with me:

I am a New York State-licensed clinical psychologist. I earned my Ph.D. at Duquesne University in 2007 and completed my residency at Stony Brook University. While most of my time these days is spent in research, I still maintain a small therapy practice and occasionally have openings for tele-video or in-person work.

My approach is psychoanalytic, which means that I help my patients talk about things that feel impossible to talk about. This generally helps people feel less burdened and constrained in how they act and feel. It is particularly helpful with the effects of long-term severe trauma.  

If you are interested in what this can look like, my book Lacanian Psychotherapy provides theoretical discussion and several in-depth case studies (see publications page). The book is sometimes used in programs that train psychotherapists. It is over 15 years old now, and so it does not fully represent how I work currently, but if you are curious, it will show you some of my theoretical sympathies and a glimpse of what it might be like to work together.

I also provide Exposure and Response Prevention therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive disorder.  

I only provide either of these therapies after thorough assessment of what is appropriate.

I sometimes see patients for multiple sessions per week.

Yes, I will ask you about your dreams.  I may also say "tell me about your childhood."

I do not provide: General CBT; life skills coaching; couples and family therapy; forensic assessments; custody assessments; assessments for surgery or other medical treatments; or mandated psychotherapy.

I only provide psychotherapy for those suffering with identifiable symptoms. I will not provide treatment for the sake of general life-improvement or reflection.  

My approach tends to be open-ended, rather than solution-driven. My role is to ask questions, not to pretend I have answers.

My expertise is in helping you consider your own thoughts and behaviors from new perspectives. That means that I make a habit of hearing what you say differently from how you intend it. This can be irritating! But I think it's usually worth it.

If you are interested in therapy, please contact me at millermi@upstate.edu (see contact button for form) or at (315) 464-3440.  I will only speak to the prospective patient and will not return inquiries from anyone but the patient, including parents and spouses.