Dr. Franklin George Maleson, MD

I regard empathy, responsiveness, and respect for the patient as core therapeutic values. While I always tailor treatment to the individual, as a psychoanalyst I place special importance on gaining insight about unconscious contributors to current difficulties; the past may indeed influence the present in subtle yet powerful ways. Having said this, I also appreciate the importance of clarifying and resolving here-and-now problems. When appropriate I prescribe medications and/or work short-term. My style is collaborative rather than authoritarian. To elaborate a bit on my style and treatment philosophy, as both psychiatrist and psychoanalyst I vary my approach according to my patients' psychologies, clinical needs, and life situations. For example, some (but not all) patients benefit greatly from medication and find that it actually facilitates psychotherapeutic work. Some benefit the most from an explorative, introspective and interpretive therapy, whereas other patients require and appreciate a more advisory and supportive approach. Session frequency varies similarly, from multiple sessions weekly to far less intensive approaches. Some patients find that using the analytic couch is helpful in freeing up full expression of thought, whereas others (a majority) are more comfortable with a face to face approach. Sometimes couples therapy is indicated and quite helpful. In short, one size does not fit all. I note that I work with a wide variety of self-esteem, mood, relationship and situational problems. Some professional background information may be helpful. For many years I have taught psychotherapy to psychiatry residents and taught various aspects of psychoanalytic theory and technique to students in analytic training, both in seminars and individual supervision. I am a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia and a longstanding member of the faculty at Thomas Jefferson University (Jefferson Medical College). In addition, I teach professional ethics and for many years chaired the Ethics Committee of the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. I have published articles and book reviews on a wide variety of subjects in the major journals in my field, and given numerous public presentations on clinical and ethics matters. I am a graduate of Cornell University and have previously been a faculty member of the Harvard Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, although my primary faculty position has long been with Jefferson. I have offices in both in Center City Philadelphia and in Chestnut Hill. I am not a participant in most insurance plans but will do what I can to facilitate out-of-network insurance benefits, which are often available. To help make treatment affordable I utilize a limited sliding fee scale based on a variety of factors, the the application of which requires, of course, a bit of preliminary discussion.