I have been engaged in private practice as a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist in New York City for over 30 years. I treat individuals with a wide range of issues and have a good deal of experience treating adults through psychoanalytic methodology. I have also had a very successful and positive experience treating approximately 3,000 adolescents in various school settings. Additionally, I have made numerous presentations to mental health professionals on working with adolescents. I am an instructor at The New Jersey Institute for Training in Psychoanalysis. I teach and developed the curriculum for the course “Basic Psychoanalytic Concepts”. I also developed the curriculum and taught “The History of Psychoanalytic Thought from Freud through Present Times”.

As someone who has greatly benefited from both psychoanalytic treatment and training, I can attest to the fact that both psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy can create the opportunity for the resolution of life long destructive and resistant patterns of behavior that interfere with the important areas of our lives. This is achieved as a result of a commitment to the therapy with an experienced and well-trained analyst over an extended period of time. The changes take place, first as a result of the gradual awareness of the various levels of the unconscious mind that over a period of time begin to be revealed. As these unconscious processes are first observed by the analyst, a foundation for the beginning of the necessary insight and understanding of the situation takes shape. This is made possible during the beginning phase of working together through the honest and sincere attempts on the part of both parties to understand the important dynamics. It is this honest and sincere attempt during this beginning phase that allows for the formation of the all-important “working alliance”. It is this particular alliance that allows the work to continue and proceed despite the inevitable and occasional degree of resistance which is actually a very respectable part of this work.

I also provide a wide range of services to both mental health professionals and students including supervision, control analysis and consultation.
 
As my name is not as uncommon as one might think, it is important not to confuse me with other persons with a similar name. I am Peter J. LaBarbera, Psychoanalyst, who has always lived in the New York Metropolitan area Unfortunately I have occasionally been confused with someone from the mid-west referred to as “Porno Pete.” I am not he.

Psychoanalysis

Allows for the awareness of deep-seated and in many cases emotionally painful feelings to begin to enter into the area of consciousness where they can be modified and remediated through the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis.

The unconscious is over a gradual period of time revealed through re-enacted scenarios from the past that are now repeated and experienced towards the analyst in the present.

The analyst then uses this experience along with the individual’s description of their own history with others, to understand what the underlying issues are. The key components here are the quality of the individual’s working alliance with the analyst and the analyst’s level of expertise.

The tremendous advantage of psychoanalytic treatment is the potential to achieve a lasting change in relation to feelings about the self and in relation to intimacy with others. In addition to this, many people I have treated have come to experience a significant enhancement in their occupational success as a result of the therapy. This is the result of the beneficial effect of the frequent sessions.

The frequency for psychoanalytic treatment is a minimum of 3 sessions per week.