Simon Bennaroch
MA, Pre-LPCC
Simon is a psychotherapist interested in how we develop and experience authentic agency. Psychoanalytic theory provides his framework for thinking about the multiple ways we act unconsciously on others and ourselves by means of others. He is committed to the view that conscious experience is the end product of mental processes with roots in early life, and that the better we’re able to conceptualize these roots, the better oriented we become to the present and future. He believes there is growing awareness in our society that our ills are systemic in nature, but that little help exists for engaging with them honestly. This has created a hunger for therapeutic partnerships which can enable us to look deeper, and truly integrate elements of our experience that tend to become dissociated. Simon is interested in addiction, both as a term of pathology and as a universal aspect of the human life. He takes a harm-reduction approach to managing chemical dependency. His approach to therapy is non-judgmental, curious, and geared towards bringing about deep, systemic healing.
Simon received his BA in Linguistics from the University of Minnesota in 2015, and his MA in Counseling Psychology from the University of St. Thomas in 2024. He is currently seeking licensure as an LPC/C. He has received training in an approach to OCD treatment which integrates exposure with psychodynamic understanding. Simon also runs film a film discussion group for the Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society and Institute.
“People who have experienced specific traumas work well with me, as do those who have struggled for a long time with hard-to-define, deep-seated patterns of thinking, feeling and relating.
As a therapist I have some annoying tendencies. I think everything you say and do is meaningful (especially when you deny it), I always suspect you are caught up in some feeling or other about me, and I often answer questions with questions. If you can put up with it, you’ll have gained a compassionate listener and ally. You’ll also quickly get a sense of the freedom and peace that can be achieved through the type of therapy I practice - psychoanalysis.
In psychoanalytic therapy, we’re interested in the feelings, memories, and mental processes we tend to push out of awareness. We’ll treat your dreams, fantasies, word choices, and blunders as just as important as the thoughts that obsess you and the feelings that torment you. We do this with the aim of expanding your self-concept, as well as cultivating a mental skill that underpins creativity, love, emotional depth and stability, playfulness, resilience, and honesty.
Therapy with me is work, but there is no set agenda. Your job is to show up and talk with as little filtering as you can, saying whatever comes to mind no matter how random or uncomfortable. If the thought of doing this makes you nervous, good - that just proves there’s meaningful work to do.
I meet in person, at least once a week. For those who pay privately, I have a base fee, but we work together to settle on a price that is feasible for both of us. This also varies depending on how many times per week we meet. For those able to pay with insurance, see the list of accepted providers below.
Send me a message if you think I might be able to help you. I’ll be eager to hear what you have to say.”