Dan Sutelman provides professional therapy services in Newton, MA, supporting individuals through anxiety, stress, depression, and relationship concerns. Using evidence-based approaches including CBT, DBT, and psychodynamic therapy, Dan helps clients build healthier coping skills, emotional resilience, and personal confidence.
Worries, relationship difficulties, and sadness are all welcome here. You may feel worn down—irritable, stuck in your own thoughts, unsure how to move forward. Your sense of yourself may be taking up too much space in your mind. Focus is harder. When your phone rings, you hesitate to answer. You know you mean well. You know you are capable. But things are not coming together in the way you had hoped. You tell yourself that this time will be different, that you will get a handle on things. And yet, meaningful change can feel just out of reach.
I work with adults, children, and parents to understand and shift the patterns that keep people feeling stuck. My approach integrates practical, evidence-based methods with a deeper exploration of the underlying emotional forces shaping your experience. Together, we work toward change that is not just temporary, but sustained and meaningful.
I aim to help you develop confidence in your strengths while also learning how to be more patient and less harsh with yourself in moments of difficulty. Whether you find yourself shutting down, avoiding what might help, or reacting with anger or withdrawal, these patterns often reflect something important—an underlying wish to feel understood, valued, and cared for.
Individual therapy offers a place to slow down and think more clearly about what feels stuck, repetitive, or overwhelming. People often come in with specific concerns—anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or problems with work or motivation—but these experiences are usually part of larger patterns that deserve careful attention.
My education and training includes Northeastern University and Boston College Graduate School of Social Work for my Master’s degree. Additionally I have advanced training in Motivational Interviewing, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Psychoanalysis and ERP, DBT and CBT.
My work experience includes Newton and Dedham high schools and middle schools, Arbour and St. Elizabeth’s hospital inpatient units and North End Waterfront Behavioral Health, an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital. I currently have a full time private practice in Newton, MA.
Psychoanalysis is a form of therapy that focuses on understanding how thoughts, feelings, and patterns—often outside of awareness—shape how a person experiences themselves and others. The goal is not just symptom relief, but a deeper understanding that allows for more flexibility and lasting change.
Many therapies focus on specific problems or behaviors. Psychoanalysis looks more broadly at how a person’s inner world is organized—how they think, feel, relate, and respond under pressure. Rather than working only on what is happening now, it explores how current patterns developed and how they continue to operate.
Sessions are conversation-based. You are encouraged to speak freely about whatever comes to mind—thoughts, feelings, reactions, or experiences from your day. Over time, recurring themes and patterns begin to emerge, which are explored together.
Psychoanalysis can be helpful for:
It is especially useful when problems are longstanding or don’t fully resolve with more short-term approaches.
Change develops gradually through increased awareness. As you begin to recognize patterns in how you think, feel, and relate, you gain more freedom in how you respond. The goal is not to eliminate emotion, but to better understand and work with it.
Not necessarily. Some people naturally talk more about the present, others about the past. Both are relevant. The focus is on what feels important to you, while also noticing how earlier experiences may shape current patterns.
Psychoanalytic work is typically more frequent than standard therapy, often ranging from one to several sessions per week. The frequency depends on your goals, availability, and what feels manageable.
There is no fixed timeline. Some people work for a shorter period around a specific concern, while others engage in longer-term work to address deeper patterns. This is discussed collaboratively and revisited over time.
The therapist listens closely, helps identify patterns, and offers observations that may not be immediately obvious. The aim is not to give advice or direct solutions, but to help you understand your own experience more clearly.
Psychoanalysis tends to be a good fit for people who are curious about themselves and interested in understanding the “why” behind their experiences. It requires a willingness to reflect and to stay with difficult thoughts or feelings as they arise.
That’s part of the process. Not knowing what to say can itself be meaningful and worth exploring. There is no expectation to perform or have something prepared—sessions begin wherever you are.