Courtney Dombrowski

I work with high-performing adults, including executives, physicians, medical students, therapists, attorneys, artists, musicians, and professionals in demanding careers. Many have built accomplished lives while quietly struggling with anxiety, complicated relationships, shame, or a persistent sense that they should be happier than they are.

A significant part of my work involves conversations people rarely feel free to have elsewhere. Infidelity, sexuality, desires they don't fully understand, resentment toward people they love, or questions about relationships and choices they've spent years defending. These experiences can be profoundly lonely, especially when shame, guilt, or fear of exposure makes honesty feel risky. I bring a sex-positive perspective and genuine curiosity to these conversations. I'm interested in understanding what people experience and the parts of themselves they've had to keep private.

I'm warm, direct, and genuinely curious about what makes people who they are. I'm interested in the parts of ourselves we work hardest to hide, even from the people closest to us. Many of my clients have become remarkably skilled at managing how they're perceived while feeling increasingly disconnected from their own wants and needs.

My work is about creating the conditions where that armor can soften. I want people to feel genuinely seen and begin experiencing more of the lives they've worked so hard to build. Some have spent years creating meaningful moments for everyone around them while standing at the margins of their own joy.

My approach is grounded in psychodynamic, Jungian, existential, and relational psychotherapy. I'm fascinated by human behavior, particularly the contradictions we carry and the ways our relationships and experiences shape how we love, protect ourselves, and understand who we are.

I pay close attention to attachment, identity, and the patterns that develop when we learn to manage other people's expectations. Some of these patterns have helped us become successful and capable. Others leave us feeling emotionally guarded or disconnected from what we actually want.

Our work is collaborative and deeply exploratory. I'll listen carefully, ask difficult questions, and challenge you when I think there's something worth examining more honestly. I'm interested in what happens beneath the explanations we give ourselves, including feelings or desires that don't fit comfortably with the roles we've learned to inhabit.

We may explore experiences from your past, recurring relationship patterns, or the ways you respond to vulnerability in the present. I believe meaningful change comes from developing a deeper understanding of yourself and becoming more willing to live in accordance with what you discover.

Our first session is an opportunity for me to understand what brought you to therapy and begin getting to know you beyond the immediate concerns you're experiencing. We'll talk about your background, relationships, and what has been happening in your life. I'm interested in how you experience yourself and what you may have been carrying privately for a long time.

You don't need to have everything figured out before we meet. Some people arrive with a specific concern or a difficult decision they're trying to make. Others have spent years functioning well professionally and personally but find themselves questioning why something still feels unsettled.

I'll ask questions, offer observations, and give you room to tell your story in your own way. You're welcome to ask about my approach and what working together might look like. My hope is that we leave our first conversation with a clearer understanding of what you're looking for and where our work might begin.