Today we’d like to introduce you to Caralie Jodlowski.
Hi Caralie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I knew for a very long time that I wanted to help people navigate their relationships. I began my path in the field of psychology, where I quickly discovered how deeply drawn I was to human connection and the ways people form, maintain, and struggle within relationships. That passion led me to pursue a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, knowing I wanted to work with a wide range of family dynamics, including couples and individuals.
As I completed my hours toward licensure, a variety of clinical settings greatly shaped my
perspective. These included an adolescent drug and alcohol program, intensive outpatient programs with adults, and a residential treatment center focused on dual diagnoses involving both mental illness and substance use disorders. Each experience broadened my understanding of the human psyche and deepened my respect for the emotional resilience people carry.
In 2018, I opened my private practice working with adult individuals and couples. Currently I work with those experiencing anxiety, depression, current and early life trauma, chronic pain, and unexplained medical symptoms, as well as those who feel stuck in patterns that affect their relationships and emotional well-being.
As my practice grew, I continued to deepen my clinical training, and in 2019 I was introduced to
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) through a dear mentor. This introduction became a pivotal moment in my work. I attended an immersion course in Nova Scotia, where I observed the work of Dr. Allan Abbass and Dr. Joel Town, and the experience was truly life-changing. This modality helps people uncover unconscious emotional conflicts, resulting from attachment trauma, allowing them to better understand themselves, their interpersonal difficulties, and deep emotions. For the first time, I felt I had found a very effective and reliable way of helping people create meaningful, lasting change.
Today, ISTDP remains central to my practice, alongside other approaches such as Internal Family Systems and Emotionally Focused Therapy. Together, these modalities allow me to support individuals and couples in a way that feels genuine, compassionate, and deeply human.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The Journey of becoming a therapist has not always been a smooth road. In addition to just trying to gain hours early on for licensure, entering into the self employed world and creating a business definitely kept me on my toes. Like many therapists, building and sustaining a private practice comes with some challenges. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced an abrupt shift from in-person sessions to online therapy, requiring flexibility and a willingness to adapt. While the transition was not without its difficulties, it ultimately expanded my professional world. Moving my practice online allowed me to continue supporting clients during an uncertain time, while also opening the door to advanced trainings both across the United States and internationally. I would have never been able to meet current mentors and colleagues without this online connection. It also made it possible to help people throughout California and not just within San Diego. San Diego has been my hometown city for all of my life, but the ability to work remotely, connect to different communities and travel for work has been very rewarding.
While continuing my practice, I quickly learned to anticipate the natural ebb and flow of client schedules, business growth, and life events. In 2023, I became a mom to a sweet baby girl, which brought an entirely new layer of challenge and joy. As I paused my practice for maternity, I adjusted to a new rhythm of balancing family and career responsibilities. Restarting afterward required patience and flexibility, but it also deepened my understanding of the real-life struggles my clients face and strengthened my ability to support them with empathy and authenticity.
Balancing career and home life can bring a mix of emotions—joy, excitement, and sometimes guilt or overwhelm. But despite the challenges, it’s incredibly rewarding to nurture both my family and my work, and the experience has made me a more present, empathetic therapist, parent and partner.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in working with adult individuals and couples, utilizing Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), as well as Internal Family Systems and Emotionally Focused Therapy. Over the years, I’ve built a practice that focuses not just on symptom relief, but on helping people understand themselves more deeply and transform the patterns that create exhaustion and overwhelm.
What sets me apart is my ability to meet clients where they are with warmth, empathy, and authenticity, while providing a structured, effective therapeutic approach. I’m known for creating a collaborative environment where people feel seen and connected with, even when facing the most difficult emotions. I’m inspired to help clients navigate conflicting and complex emotions, and supporting them in experiencing these deep emotions and intimate thoughts is truly an honor.
My own life experiences, including transitions, challenging relationship dynamics, loss, growth and becoming a parent, give me a personal understanding of life’s complexities, which guides my work with clients. In my practice, I focus on helping client’s physically experience emotions and resolve internal conflicts that have created negative or exhausting coping patterns in their lives. We do
this by tuning into the emotions physically, while noticing the different anxiety signals in the body, defense mechanisms and the impulses attached to blocked emotions. I guide clients to release these emotions safely and fully, creating deeper insight, acceptance of self and ultimately transformation in their inner life and relationships. My approach is warm and collaborative, allowing people to feel truly seen, and supported as they work through complex challenges and unresolved trauma.
I have fulfillment in the work that I do and I’m grateful that I can find a balance between career and family life. It isn’t always a smooth ride maintaining a business, but the journey has allowed me to grow in ways that I could never have imagined, and for that I am very thankful to be in this field.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me are our relationships in life. Without nurturing these, we can become isolated and alone in this world. Honoring people’s emotional experiences and helping them navigate these relationships with compassion brings me a lot of joy in life.
Equally important is my own growth as a mom, supporting my daughter’s emotional well-being, and nurturing my marital relationship. I believe we are all doing the best we can, and getting the support and care we need in a therapeutic setting can be so helpful in breaking through unresolved patterns that stunt our ability to deeply connect with others. Being connected to my loved one is really important to me, and it’s a true honor to support my clients in helping grow their capacity for connection
with themselves and in their relationships.
Pricing:
- Individual/couples session $190/50 minutes
- Sliding scale based on availability
- I provide superbills for insurance
- I also provide longer sessions including 75 and 90 minute sessions
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caraliejodlowskitherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caraliejodlowskitherapy/?hl=en
- Other: https://iedta.net/what-is-edt
