Education and License

I, Barbara L. Gamble, MS, LLP, am a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst in private practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan, providing psychotherapy and psychoanalysis for children, adolescents, and adults; parent guidance; and school consultations. I have Masters Degrees in Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology, and extensive postgraduate training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. My LLP, Limited License Psychologist, licenses me to practice in Michigan under the supervision of fully licensed PhD psychologists.

Style and Types of Treatment

My style is warm and attentive, and I enjoy working with people of all ages. My overall approach is psychodynamic, or insight-oriented, meaning that we work together to understand your feelings and behavior to help you become more self aware, intentional, and effective in your life choices.

I offer psychoanalysis for those interested in a "deeper dive" of insight-oriented treatment, helping you discover how your mind works, how you experience relationships, and what drives your thoughts, feelings, wishes, and behavior. Psychoanalysis, via play with children and talking with adolescents and adults, typically involves four to five sessions per week, inclusive of parent guidance when the client is a child. This leads to individuals developing a more integrated sense of self and happier ways of being alive, with greater self understanding and the ability to move ahead and grow.

I also incorporate family systems, attachment, cognitive-behavioral, and mindfulness perspectives in my work as indicated. Whatever brings you to consider therapy for yourself or your child, I will work with you to decide if working with me is a good choice for you or if referring you to someone else will best meet your needs.

Experience

I have considerable experience working with parents and children ages 0 to 5 years from my ten years at Allen Creek Preschool in Ann Arbor as a parent, parent-infant and parent-toddler teacher, preschool substitute teacher, family consultant, and administrator.

My experience also includes working with school aged children from teaching at the mid-elementary level in a special needs school, consulting with teachers throughout my graduate work in Educational Psychology and since then in my private practice, volunteering for many years in schools, and skillfully executing many comprehensive psycho-educational evaluations.

My deep respect for the challenges of parenting position me well to help parents understand and work through their struggles in parenting all ages of children. Parent work can help you feel more effective in parenting and help you enjoy parenting more. Parenting challenges may be with an infant or toddler, a preschooler, or may be evident through a child’s difficulties in school or with family and friends. I am pleased to work together with you and your child’s school to develop a more complete understanding of your child’s needs and to formulate recommendations to meet those needs. I also enjoy play and talk therapy directly with children, in a one-to-one setting and sometimes with parent and child together. When a child has difficulty separating from their parent, we work together to establish the child’s comfort with me prior to meeting without a parent present. With adolescents, I work directly with the young person and provide parent guidance as indicated.

I also enjoy working with adults across the lifespan, helping them get to know themselves better, work through their challenges, and to facilitate their growth and development into who they want to be. Life’s textures are rich and complex, and well worth embracing intentionally, at any age. It is a great honor and privilege for me to join people’s journey as a trusted other.