Therapists:

Robert Riethmiller PhD
992 Great Plain Avenue
Needham, MA 02402
617-738-0100

The human mind is amazing. At every moment, we are experiencing a complicated mix of emotions, thoughts, sensations, and memories.  We notice some of these, but most we do not. In fact, many psychologists believe that in our current busy world, most Americans have become less aware of what is occurring within their minds.  Emotions, in particular, are often perceived only vaguely, or they can seem mysterious, foreign, or out of our control.  This is unfortunate.  Contemporary neuropsychologists have found that the decisions that we make are much more influenced by emotions, some of which are out of our awareness, than they are by our rational thoughts.
 
Our emotional reactions tend to be largely influenced by the experiences that we have had in the past. Most people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, loneliness, anger, or general lack of fulfillment are either feeling blindsided by their emotions, or have become “stuck” in old ways of experiencing.  I have found that when people become more engaged with and attentive to their own minds they experience more growth and change in their lives. As a psychotherapist, I attempt to create a safe place for people.  I listen intently, and with curiosity so that I and my patients can discover and appreciate the complexity within them. With greater depth comes greater fulfillment and contentment.  I find this work, and the patients that I see, to be inspiring.
  
I generally see people for long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy, though I also do short-term treatment when it seems most appropriate. I work with adults, children, and adolescents.  I offer insight-oriented talk therapy for adults and adolescents.  For children, I have found play therapy, along with parent guidance and consultation with schools, to be most useful.  Children are less comfortable discussing their thoughts and emotions, and often express themselves very well through play.  Play can be a rich way for a child to engage with his/her imagination and emotional life.

While I have some clear opinions about what makes psychotherapy effective, my style tends to be flexible. I believe that treatment works best when it is collaborative. Different clients will need me to respond and work in different ways.  

I am currently in advanced training in psychoanalysis at the Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis, where I am a candidate.  Previously I completed three years of coursework in Advanced Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the Boston Institute for Psychoanalysis.  I received my Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee in 2002.  Prior to that I completed a Master’s degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1995.  Upon coming to Boston I completed an internship in Adult Inpatient and Outpatient treatment at the Cambridge Hospital as well as two post-doctoral fellowships in Child and Adolescent Inpatient treatment and Pediatric Neuropsychology.  I was an instructor in Psychological Assessment for Harvard Medical School from 2002 to 2005, and was the coordinator of the Psychological Assessment Program at the Brookline Mental Health Center from 2002-2005.

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Needham Psychotherapy Associates
922 Great Plain Avenue
Needham, MA 02492
781-449-7522


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