Practice Areas

My approach to psychotherapy is to provide a safe, respectful environment in which you are able to discover new insights into yourself that can lead to change and transformation. As a therapist, my style is warm, curious and engaging. The goal of our work together is symptom relief, emotional growth, and personal integration. I see patients who seek  individual therapy for a variety of reasons including:

  • Depression, sadness, loneliness
  • Anxiety, worry, panic
  • Low self-esteem or self-worth
  • Trauma and abuse
  • Grief and loss
  • Troublesome patterns in your life
  • Alcohol or substance abuse or problem drinking behavior
  • Eating and body image issues
  • Sexual issues
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Family of origin issues
  • LGBTQ issues
  • Career issues
  • Life transitions
  • Personal growth
  • Recovery (developing creative outlets, understanding triggers)

I work with all couples at every stage of relationship. Whether you are seeking therapy to address a mixture of anger, despair, and hopelessness in your relationship, or to regain a sense of vibrancy and love between you, couple therapy can provide an effective holding environment to allow for new ways of relating to emerge. I strive to create a safe, collaborative space in which each partner can freely express thoughts and feelings and come to feel heard and understood. I also help couples identify and alter the troublesome patterns in their relationships, often with insight into how they are connected to past relational experiences.

Issues addressed include:

  • Relationship difficulties
  • Conflict, frequent fighting or arguing
  • Lack of intimacy, feeling disconnected
  • Life transitions
  • Sexual problems
  • Infidelity, separation, divorce
  • Disagreements about values, important life decisions, parenting style
  • Improving communication
  • Building a strong, loving relationship
  • Adjusting to new life events or circumstances (marriage, cohabitation, child birth, infertility issues, etc.)

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About Sandy

Before establishing my private practice in Excelsior, MN, I provided psychodynamic psychotherapy for two years as a fellow at the Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society and Institute Psychotherapy Center and then four years at Tubman Chrysalis Center, both in Minneapolis. I enjoy working with individuals and couples in a safe, respectful environment in which new insights are discovered that can lead to change and transformation. As a therapist, my style is warm, curious and engaging. The goal of our work together is symptom relief, emotional growth, and personal integration.

Advanced training in:

  • Inhibitions in work, creativity, and intimacy
  • Compulsivity in work, substance use, and relationships
  • Self defeating patterns of relating and behaving in romance and work
  • Childhood neglect, physical and sexual abuses, and emotional invalidation
  • Lifecycle and developmental crises
  • Sexuality, gender, and identity concerns
  • Struggles with power, personal authority, and leadership

Education

  • Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis: New Directions Program
  • MPSI Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program graduate
  • Masters in Clinical Social Work, University of St. Thomas/St. Catherine University
  • Masters in Curriculum & Education, University of St. Thomas
  • Bachelors of Arts in education, K-12, Hamline University

Sandy Ryan, MSW, LICSW
Psychotherapist

Forms & Fees

My fee for individual therapy is $150 for a 50 minute session. Couples therapy sessions are $200 for each 75 minute session. Fees for services such as written reports, extensive between-session telephone contacts, letters and/or written professional correspondence, and professional consultations will be established and charged based on my hourly rate. 

As an out-of-network provider, my practice operates on a fee-for-service basis, which means I do not deal directly with your insurance company. I will provide you with a receipt for services, which you may be able to submit to your insurance for out-of-network reimbursement. It is your responsibility to be informed of your policy’s benefits. Problems or disputes with your insurance company regarding coverage and payment for services are your responsibility to resolve. The contract is between you and the insurance company, so you do need to understand the terms of your policy agreement.

  • American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA)
  • American Association for Psychoanalytic Social Work
  • Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society & Institute (MPSI)
  • The Society for Psychoanalytic Studies – Division 39, Minnesota Chapter

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Get in Touch

Thank you for visiting my website.
I encourage you to contact me directly at 612.845.0929 If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment. If you prefer email, simply fill out the form below.