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Psychodynamic therapy at Quest Wellness Center is a depth-focused form of talk therapy that examines how past experiences and unconscious processes shape present behavior. It surfaces the repressed emotions and unresolved conflicts behind symptoms, recurring patterns, and addiction, so clients can understand and change them at the root. We offer it in individual sessions, in person or online. We accept most commercial PPO plans with out-of-network benefits.
Psychodynamic therapy is a form of depth psychology that focuses on the unconscious processes showing up in a person’s symptoms and recurring patterns. Rather than treating only what is on the surface, it works to uncover the psychological roots of emotional suffering by bringing repressed emotions and memories into awareness. The central idea is that much of what drives behavior happens outside conscious awareness, and that past experiences, especially unresolved ones, keep shaping how a person feels and acts in the present. By making those hidden influences visible, psychodynamic therapy helps clients understand why they do what they do, which is the first step toward changing it. It is best suited to people who want to understand the source of their struggles, not just manage the symptoms.
Psychodynamic therapy works through self-reflection and honest exploration with a trained therapist, who helps a client examine deep desires, unresolved conflicts, and challenges that have gone unaddressed. In sessions, you talk openly about your experiences, relationships, and emotions, and the therapist helps you notice the patterns and connections you might not see on your own. As repressed emotions and memories come to the surface, they can be understood and worked through rather than acted out. This process builds genuine insight and awareness into a person’s true self, which guides healing. It tends to be less structured than skills-based therapies, because the work is about understanding rather than completing exercises, and the relationship between client and therapist is itself part of how change happens.
Psychodynamic therapy has a specific value in addiction recovery: it targets the unconscious thoughts and unresolved conflicts that drive harmful actions. Many addictive behaviors are compulsive re-enactments of old patterns, ways of coping with uncomfortable emotions that a person may not consciously recognize. By increasing insight into those repressed emotions and conflicts, psychodynamic therapy helps people in recovery understand what their substance use was actually doing for them, which loosens its grip. When someone can see the emotional logic behind a craving or relapse, they gain freedom from the maladaptive behaviors that arise from avoiding difficult feelings. For clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, this root-level work is often what makes recovery hold, because it addresses the cause rather than only the behavior.
Psychodynamic therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are both effective, but they work differently, and the distinction helps you understand what to expect. CBT is present-focused and structured: it identifies unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and teaches concrete skills to change them, usually over a defined number of sessions. Psychodynamic therapy is depth-focused and more open-ended: it explores the unconscious roots and past experiences behind those thoughts and behaviors, aiming for insight that produces lasting change. CBT asks what you are thinking and doing now; psychodynamic therapy asks why those patterns formed in the first place. Neither is better in the abstract, and many clients benefit from both. At Quest, psychodynamic therapy is one part of a treatment plan that can also include CBT and other approaches, so the choice is rarely either-or.
Quest Wellness Center accepts most commercial PPO plans with out-of-network benefits, and we verify your coverage before treatment begins. What you pay depends on your plan, deductible, and coinsurance. Call (818) 275-9810 or verify your insurance to get exact numbers for your plan.
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Psychodynamic therapy is a strong fit for adults dealing with both psychiatric and substance use disorders, particularly those who want to understand the deeper reasons behind their struggles rather than only manage symptoms. It helps people whose problems keep recurring despite their best efforts, because recurring patterns are exactly what this approach is built to surface. It suits clients seeking long-term recovery through genuine self-awareness, those carrying unresolved conflicts or repressed emotions, and people whose addictive behaviors seem tied to old emotional patterns. Because the work depends on reflection and honest exploration, it is best for clients who are stable enough to engage in that process. The main groups who benefit include:
Quest combines psychodynamic therapy with complementary services to build well-rounded, sustainable recovery plans, rather than offering it in isolation. Treatment is tailored to each client, so mental health and addiction challenges are addressed together. Alongside psychodynamic sessions, clients may receive individual therapy, group therapy, case monitoring and progress tracking, and medication management when it is clinically necessary. This integrated approach means the insight built in psychodynamic sessions is reinforced by the rest of a client’s care, and it is available both in person at our facility and through secure telehealth. The result is ongoing support that strengthens long-term recovery from several directions at once.
Group therapy is treatment where a small group of clients works through shared challenges together, led by a trained clinician. At Quest it is facilitated by licensed mental health professionals and addiction counselors using several evidence-based models.
Quest’s group therapy is built around three core models: psychoeducational groups that build knowledge and awareness, skill-building groups that strengthen coping strategies, and process-oriented groups that support emotional expression. Trauma-informed practices run alongside them.
Quest runs co-occurring disorders groups, addictive-disorders groups, psychoeducation, CBT groups, REBT groups, spiritual-exploration groups, and trauma-informed groups, so clients can work on the issues most relevant to their recovery.
Group therapy is led by licensed clinicians and follows structured, evidence-based models with specific clinical goals. Peer support groups are valuable but are typically peer-led. At Quest, group therapy is part of a professional treatment plan.
Yes. Group therapy is a core part of addiction treatment because it builds coping skills, reduces isolation, and adds peer accountability that lowers relapse risk, especially in early recovery.
You are encouraged to share, but at your own pace. Groups are structured to create emotional safety, and trauma-informed groups in particular are designed to let clients process difficult experiences without being retraumatized.
Quest offers group therapy in person at our facility and through secure online sessions across California. Call (818) 275-9810 to find out which groups are the right fit.
Group therapy is delivered within our therapy and outpatient programs, so it generally follows your plan’s behavioral-health benefits. Quest works with most PPO plans as an out-of-network provider and verifies your benefits before you start.
Call (818) 275-9810 or verify your insurance to start psychodynamic therapy at Quest Wellness Center.
Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, MA
Medically reviewed by Ali Javadivand Samei, AMFT, the Primary Therapist who leads Quest’s evening track. An Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, Ali supports adolescents and young adults facing stress, anxiety, emotional challenges, and behavioral difficulties. With experience across residential treatment, outpatient care, and school counseling, he provides evidence-based guidance through CBT-informed interventions, psychoeducation, and individualized therapeutic planning. Trained in group facilitation, crisis support, and skill-building, Ali has worked with clients navigating mental health and substance-use concerns, holds First Aid and CPR certifications, and is dedicated to creating a safe, structured, and supportive environment where clients feel encouraged to grow.
We specialize in treatments for mental health issues and co-occurring disorders.
We concentrate on mental health treatments and co-occurring conditions.
We provide a personalized approach to care.
We possess many years of relevant experience and a strong track record of success.
Our partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs provide choices for morning, afternoon, or evening sessions.
We offer case management grounded in clinical evidence.
Experience a secure setting that allows you to concentrate on healing and maintaining a healthy way of life.
We provide opportunities to engage with individuals at every phase of recovery.
We accept most commercial PPO plans with out-of-network benefits. Coverage and costs vary by plan, and we verify your benefits before treatment.
The aim of psychodynamic therapy is durable change rather than a temporary easing of symptoms. Because it works at the level of unconscious patterns and unresolved conflicts, the insight clients gain tends to keep paying off after therapy ends, as they recognize and interrupt old patterns on their own. This is part of why it fits recovery so well: addiction often returns when the underlying emotional drivers go unaddressed, and psychodynamic work is specifically aimed at those drivers. At Quest, the goal is not only to reduce what hurts now but to help clients understand themselves well enough to sustain recovery for the long term.
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We accept most commercial PPO plans with out-of-network benefits. Coverage and costs vary by plan, and we verify your benefits before treatment.
