Online psychodynamic therapy from just $35/session with licensed therapists (PhD, PsyD, LCSW, LMHC, LMFT) trained in insight-oriented, depth-based approaches. At Grouport, we offer online individual therapy, online group therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, teen therapy, and virtual IOP options. Psychodynamic therapy is supported by over 60 randomized controlled trials and has been shown to be as effective as CBT for depression, anxiety, trauma, and personality disorders.
Unlike approaches that focus primarily on changing thoughts or behaviors, psychodynamic therapy helps you understand why you think, feel, and relate to others the way you do, by exploring how past experiences, unconscious patterns, and unresolved emotions shape your present life. Research shows its benefits not only hold up after treatment ends but actually continue to grow over time, a finding unique among psychotherapies. Schedule a free call to learn if psychodynamic therapy is right for you.
Consistently Recognized as the #1 Online Therapy pick
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At Grouport, we offer multiple ways to access psychodynamic therapy, all led by licensed clinicians. Whether you prefer individual sessions for deep personal exploration, group therapy for interpersonal insight, or a higher-intensity program, our offerings are designed to help you understand your patterns and create lasting change. Many members choose to combine formats for the most comprehensive support.
Psychodynamic therapy is one of the oldest and most widely practiced forms of psychotherapy, with roots in the work of Sigmund Freud and further developed by theorists including Carl Jung, Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicott, and John Bowlby. A 2015 Lancet Psychiatry systematic review identified over 64 randomized controlled trials supporting its efficacy for common mental health disorders, and a 2023 umbrella review confirmed its status as an empirically supported treatment for depression, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders.
Psychodynamic therapy is built on several core principles:
One of the most compelling findings in psychodynamic research is that its benefits continue to grow after treatment ends. A landmark meta-analysis found that effect sizes for symptom improvement increased from 0.97 at the end of therapy to 1.51 at long-term follow-up, suggesting that the insights gained in psychodynamic therapy set a process of change in motion that continues well beyond the final session. Psychodynamic therapy can be used on its own or alongside other approaches like CBT, EMDR, or DBT.
Psychodynamic therapy does not just help you feel better in the short term. It helps you understand yourself deeply enough that lasting change becomes possible.
Do you keep choosing the same type of partner, hitting the same wall in friendships, or struggling with authority figures? Psychodynamic therapy helps you see how early relationship experiences created templates that you unconsciously repeat. Once you can see the pattern clearly, you gain the freedom to choose differently.
Many people experience anxiety or sadness without understanding where it comes from. Psychodynamic therapy connects the dots between your current emotional experiences and the earlier experiences that shaped them. This deeper understanding does not just explain your feelings; it transforms your relationship with them.
When painful emotions feel too overwhelming, we develop defenses: intellectualizing, avoiding, numbing, or staying busy. Psychodynamic therapy helps you recognize these defense mechanisms and gradually feel safe enough to experience the emotions underneath. Processing these feelings, rather than running from them, is what creates genuine relief.
If you feel like you are constantly adapting to what others expect, or you are not sure what you actually want, psychodynamic therapy can help. By exploring how your sense of self developed, including the expectations, roles, and messages you internalized growing up, you can begin to distinguish between who you really are and who you learned to be.
Self-sabotage, whether it shows up as procrastination, pushing people away, or undermining your own success, often has roots in unconscious conflicts. Part of you wants to succeed while another part fears what success might bring. Psychodynamic therapy helps you uncover these hidden conflicts so they stop running the show.
One of the most unique findings in psychodynamic research is that the benefits continue to increase after therapy ends. Unlike some approaches where gains may fade, psychodynamic therapy sets a process of self-understanding in motion that keeps working long after your last session. You do not just learn to manage symptoms; you develop the capacity for ongoing personal growth.
Psychodynamic therapy is open-ended, collaborative, and designed to go deeper than surface-level symptoms. Here is what the early stages look like.
Your therapist will ask about your life history, key relationships, family dynamics, and the challenges that brought you to therapy. Unlike more structured approaches, psychodynamic therapy leaves space for you to talk freely about what feels most important. There is no homework or rigid agenda: the goal is to create a safe space where honest self-exploration can happen.
As therapy progresses, your therapist will help you notice patterns you may not have been aware of: recurring themes in your relationships, emotional reactions that seem disproportionate to the situation, ways you avoid certain feelings, or defenses that once protected you but now hold you back. These patterns often connect to earlier experiences in ways that bring sudden clarity.
One of the most powerful tools in psychodynamic therapy is the relationship between you and your therapist. How you feel about your therapist, what you expect from them, and how you react when they disappoint or challenge you can all mirror patterns from other important relationships. Your therapist will gently point out these dynamics, giving you a real-time opportunity to understand and change them.
Over time, the insights you gain in therapy begin to change how you experience daily life. You start noticing your patterns in real time, choosing different responses, and relating to yourself and others with more awareness and compassion. Because the changes come from genuine self-understanding rather than learned techniques, they tend to be durable and continue developing after therapy ends.
See how our therapy options have helped our members experience life-changing results
Stephanie
“Grouport is time flexible and affordable and if it didn’t exist, I don’t know where I would go. I had looked into other places before Grouport and there really wasn’t any option like it.”
Michael
“I highly recommend this to anyone who is struggling with anxiety or depression. The therapists are top notch and have made me feel really comfortable and my anxiety has improved tremendously in only a few sessions!”
Isabel
"I joined Grouport to work on myself and to heal. I’m learning so much at every session! The change I see not only in myself but in my fellow group members is abundantly encouraging and profoundly fulfilling. Group therapy with Grouport is a powerful healing tool."
Sheldon
“I was feeling very down at the end of 2020 and I was ready to do something drastic that I know I'd likely regret. The group definitely helped show me that there are people who feel the same way as I do.”
Nancy
“The therapy from Grouport is high quality and convenient. I am becoming much more self aware and am liking myself more. My relationships at work are better and I’m much happier.”
Emily
“I like the connection you can make with total strangers and the confidentiality it comes with.”
Danielle
"Grouport can help you with your issues. Their therapists are well trained to work with you on your issues. I felt my anxiety greatly improve after only a few sessions. I highly recommend it!"
Glenn
"Grouport's approach to DBT is a real strength. This approach provides tools and methods for working with difficult emotions and getting a handle on them. It has given me hope where other approaches have failed."
Psychodynamic therapy addresses the underlying causes of distress rather than just managing symptoms. It has the strongest evidence for the following conditions.
Depression is one of the best-studied conditions in psychodynamic research. Meta-analyses show medium to large effect sizes for symptom improvement, comparable to CBT. Psychodynamic therapy is especially valuable for depression that keeps coming back, because it addresses the underlying relational and emotional patterns that make someone vulnerable to depressive episodes rather than only treating the current symptoms.
A 2023 umbrella review found psychodynamic therapy effective for anxiety disorders with large effect sizes compared to control conditions. It is particularly helpful for people whose anxiety is rooted in relational fears, unconscious conflicts, or difficulty tolerating uncertainty, rather than specific phobias or situational triggers.
The strongest evidence base for psychodynamic therapy is in the treatment of personality disorders, particularly Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Specialized psychodynamic approaches like Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) and Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) have been shown to significantly improve interpersonal functioning, emotional regulation, and overall personality organization.
Psychodynamic therapy is uniquely suited to relationship issues because it focuses directly on how early attachment experiences create patterns that play out in adult relationships. By understanding these patterns (including how they show up in the therapeutic relationship itself), you can develop healthier ways of connecting, setting boundaries, and maintaining intimacy.
When emotional distress shows up in the body through chronic pain, digestive issues, fatigue, or unexplained physical symptoms, psychodynamic therapy can help. Research supports its effectiveness for somatic disorders, where helping patients understand and process the emotional conflicts underlying their physical symptoms leads to meaningful symptom relief.
Struggles with self-esteem, chronic self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and identity confusion often have roots in early experiences that shaped how you see yourself. Psychodynamic therapy helps you examine the internalized beliefs and expectations you carry, distinguish them from who you actually are, and develop a more authentic and stable sense of self.
Every Grouport therapist is a licensed, accredited mental health professional with specialized training in evidence-based approaches including psychodynamic therapy, and extensive clinical experience in depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and relationship issues.
Our therapists typically have over a decade of clinical experience across diverse settings, with specialized expertise in psychodynamic, insight-oriented, and relational approaches, as well as anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and relationship issues. Our therapists are trained in psychodynamic therapy and other proven modalities to provide the best fit for your needs.
We continually evaluate outcomes through internal studies and outcomes studies with researchers from leading universities such as Carnegie Mellon, University of Essex, and University of Cologne.
MEET OUR THERAPISTS
a healthier future starts right here
80%of our members start with moderate to severe mental health symptoms
70% of our members feel significantly better within just 8 weeks
50% of our members achieve remission levels within just 8 weeks
80%
of our members start with moderate to severe mental health symptoms
70%
of our members feel significantly better within just 8 weeks
50%
of our members achieve remission levels within just 8 weeks
Group, individual, couples, family, IOP, and teen therapy - all online, all therapist-led. Mix and match care options to fit your needs , and get discounted pricing when you bundle.
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Psychodynamic therapy addresses the root causes of many mental health challenges. Our licensed therapists also treat a wide range of conditions using evidence-based approaches.
Whether you are struggling with recurring depression, anxiety you cannot explain, relationship patterns you cannot seem to break, or a sense that something deeper is holding you back, psychodynamic therapy can help you understand the root causes and create lasting change. With licensed therapists and flexible online formats, Grouport makes it easy to get started. Take the first step toward genuine self-understanding today.
