Relationship Issues

Therapy can really help us sort through feelings about our relationships and decisions we might need to make for our own self-care and for the good of our relationships. I can help you process your feelings and decide what practical things you can do in order to show up the way you want to in your relationships and make good decisions for everyone involved. Finding ways to improve boundary- setting and communication are just a couple examples of what we would be working on together.

I help with relationship issues mainly through the lens of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. What this means is, I help you to communicate with others in a more efficient way; to get what you want, while maintaining or improving the relationship, and while maintaining or improving your self-respect. I believe it is important to maintain a healthy balance in relationships and help you understand this better by showing you how to think/communicate more with nuances and less in extremes.

Ultimately, I see the goal of therapy as a greater sense of connectedness with ourselves and others.

Relationships are hard. I work with a lot of individuals who are either learning to identify or are recovering from toxic relationships or who just have had trouble maintaining healthy relationships. We all carry wounds from previous relationships, and we can look to our partner to heal them for us, but it turns out, that doesn't work, and it's really an inside job. By improving communication, conflict resolution, and identifying our own triggers as well as strengths, we can grow.

I support clients who have a wide range of dynamics in their close relationships, either with friends, family, work or romantic partners as well as those who are experiencing a lack of closeness. I believe that the roles and patterns that we play in relationships develop for a good reason, and that having awareness of them can offer us increased freedom, creativity and resilience in how respond in our relationships with others.

Issues in relationships with others can feel overwhelming. We can often feel stuck in emotional patterns and communication patterns. As an individual therapist, I work with you to connect to your own thoughts, feelings and needs and support you in making sense of, and moving toward growth and change in these dynamics.

I have experience working with individuals who have experienced relationship distress or struggle, which may include relationships with themselves, partners, family, peers, etc.

Relationships are built through healthy communication and understanding. I am trained in Gottman Level II therapy and utilize this approach in teaching couples how to reconnect and create a healthier, happier relationship.

Our primary goal is to give you a place to express your thoughts and needs without the fear of retribution or judgment. As skilled and experienced relationship therapists, we can assure you, we have heard it all. Often the core issue in relationships is understanding your needs and desires and being able to effectively communicate them with your partner or spouse. No matter what stage of a relationship you’re in, our therapists can help.

I am trained in effective couples therapy and family therapy methods, including Gottman Method Therapy, which uses 50 years of research on relationships and communication to help you communicte in ways that bring you closer together rather than further apart. I use couples therapy and family counseling to resolve unproductive communication patterns, deepen understanding of each other, and grow connection with each other. Non-traditional relationship styles are supported and welcome.

Help people resolve obstacles to having healthy relationships

Even the best relationships have struggles. If unaddressed, these interactions can they harden into acting out, mistrust, and resentment. In relational dynamics the stories we tell ourselves often become 'facts' rather than 'perspectives,' resulting in escalating conflict and injury to the relationship. Therapy can help correct unhelpful interactions, change unfair perceptions, and heal old wounds.

Whether you are a part of a couple (or poly) or just come in by yourself, or maybe it's about platonic or work relationships, this has been the main focus my academic studies. My Masters degree is actually in Systems Psychology, which is basically the perspective that an individual's psychology is driven, at least in part, by all of the systems with which they are connected or even have been connected. I have helped many clients improve their relationships with themselves and others.

When relationship issues like infidelity, sexual dysfunction, and communication barriers come up, I utilize cognitive processing therapy in conjunction with emotional feeling therapy where perceptions, emotions, and feelings are processed. I then with you to create healthier solutions, by collaborating and understanding what behaviors and patterns are no longer healthy for you and your relationship.

Whether wanting to explore dating, short-term relationships, long-term relationships, friendships, workplace dynamics or familial relationships, I guide individuals in exploring their relationships with themselves and how that may be externalized different relationships. Areas of focus may include: communication, boundary setting, personalization, the role of validation, how to support friends/partners, attachment styles, trauma, building & maintaining connections