J Workman Purvine (he/him)

My work is informed by existential therapy, which takes seriously the deeper questions beneath everyday struggles, meaning, freedom, isolation, and mortality. Rather than only managing symptoms, we explore how you're making sense of your life and choices. This lens is especially useful for identity and self-worth work, helping you build a life and sense of self that feels authentically yours.

My primary orientation is psychodynamic, I work from the belief that present-day struggles are shaped by unconscious patterns, early relationships, and unresolved conflict. Rather than focusing only on symptoms, we explore their roots, including how they surface in our therapeutic relationship. This approach favors depth and lasting insight over quick fixes, helping you understand yourself well enough to change, not just cope.

I draw on attachment theory to understand how your earliest relationships shaped your expectations of closeness, trust, and safety. We look at your attachment patterns as they show up in current relationships, and in our work together, to make sense of recurring dynamics. Understanding these patterns creates room to relate differently, both to others and to yourself.

Recurring relationship patterns, the ones that repeat no matter who we're with, usually have a history. I help people trace how early relationships shaped their expectations around closeness, conflict, and trust. We also look at how those same patterns show up here, between us, where they can be worked with directly rather than just discussed. Understanding these roots opens up real choice, so relationships start to feel like present decisions rather than repetitions of the past.

A shaky sense of self-worth rarely comes from nowhere, it forms early, from messages about who we're allowed to be. Together we trace where self-doubt or a harsh inner critic originated, and make room for a more authentic self beneath the defenses built to stay safe or accepted. Being consistently seen and taken seriously in our work is itself part of the process, helping build a steadier, more internally-held sense of worth over time.

My work is informed by existential therapy, which takes seriously the deeper questions beneath everyday struggles, meaning, freedom, isolation, and mortality. Rather than only managing symptoms, we explore how you're making sense of your life and choices. This lens is especially useful for identity and self-worth work, helping you build a life and sense of self that feels authentically yours.

I draw on attachment theory to understand how your earliest relationships shaped your expectations of closeness, trust, and safety. We look at your attachment patterns as they show up in current relationships, and in our work together, to make sense of recurring dynamics. Understanding these patterns creates room to relate differently, both to others and to yourself.

My primary orientation is psychodynamic, I work from the belief that present-day struggles are shaped by unconscious patterns, early relationships, and unresolved conflict. Rather than focusing only on symptoms, we explore their roots, including how they surface in our therapeutic relationship. This approach favors depth and lasting insight over quick fixes, helping you understand yourself well enough to change, not just cope.

A shaky sense of self-worth rarely comes from nowhere, it forms early, from messages about who we're allowed to be. Together we trace where self-doubt or a harsh inner critic originated, and make room for a more authentic self beneath the defenses built to stay safe or accepted. Being consistently seen and taken seriously in our work is itself part of the process, helping build a steadier, more internally-held sense of worth over time.

Recurring relationship patterns, the ones that repeat no matter who we're with, usually have a history. I help people trace how early relationships shaped their expectations around closeness, conflict, and trust. We also look at how those same patterns show up here, between us, where they can be worked with directly rather than just discussed. Understanding these roots opens up real choice, so relationships start to feel like present decisions rather than repetitions of the past.

Recurring relationship patterns, the ones that repeat no matter who we're with, usually have a history. I help people trace how early relationships shaped their expectations around closeness, conflict, and trust. We also look at how those same patterns show up here, between us, where they can be worked with directly rather than just discussed. Understanding these roots opens up real choice, so relationships start to feel like present decisions rather than repetitions of the past.

A shaky sense of self-worth rarely comes from nowhere, it forms early, from messages about who we're allowed to be. Together we trace where self-doubt or a harsh inner critic originated, and make room for a more authentic self beneath the defenses built to stay safe or accepted. Being consistently seen and taken seriously in our work is itself part of the process, helping build a steadier, more internally-held sense of worth over time.

Recurring relationship patterns, the ones that repeat no matter who we're with, usually have a history. I help people trace how early relationships shaped their expectations around closeness, conflict, and trust. We also look at how those same patterns show up here, between us, where they can be worked with directly rather than just discussed. Understanding these roots opens up real choice, so relationships start to feel like present decisions rather than repetitions of the past.

A shaky sense of self-worth rarely comes from nowhere, it forms early, from messages about who we're allowed to be. Together we trace where self-doubt or a harsh inner critic originated, and make room for a more authentic self beneath the defenses built to stay safe or accepted. Being consistently seen and taken seriously in our work is itself part of the process, helping build a steadier, more internally-held sense of worth over time.

A shaky sense of self-worth rarely comes from nowhere, it forms early, from messages about who we're allowed to be. Together we trace where self-doubt or a harsh inner critic originated, and make room for a more authentic self beneath the defenses built to stay safe or accepted. Being consistently seen and taken seriously in our work is itself part of the process, helping build a steadier, more internally-held sense of worth over time.

Recurring relationship patterns, the ones that repeat no matter who we're with, usually have a history. I help people trace how early relationships shaped their expectations around closeness, conflict, and trust. We also look at how those same patterns show up here, between us, where they can be worked with directly rather than just discussed. Understanding these roots opens up real choice, so relationships start to feel like present decisions rather than repetitions of the past.

My approach is primarily psychodynamic, relational, and trauma-informed. I look beneath symptoms to understand how early experiences, relationships, and patterns of protecting ourselves continue to shape the present. With trauma, we work at a pace that respects your safety and readiness. I believe therapy requires both understanding and action: insight helps us understand why patterns exist, while meaningful change creates new possibilities for how we live and relate to others.

A shaky sense of self-worth rarely comes from nowhere. We can explore how early relationships, expectations, criticism, comparison, and experiences of acceptance or rejection shaped the way you see yourself. Rather than simply trying to build confidence, we can understand the beliefs and patterns beneath your self-doubt and develop a more grounded sense of who you are, one that is less dependent on others’ approval or achievement.