Couples therapy

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

- Rumi

Many of us hoped that our romantic relationship would provide a space for experiencing acceptance, companionship, support, and intimacy—a place where we could grow alongside another person while navigating life's joys and challenges together.

This very hope makes it even more painful when we begin to feel disconnected, in opposition or stuck in negative cycles in that same partnership.

Couples Therapy is a unique relationship between you, Your Partner and your therapist.

While I bring expertise in evidence-supported treatments to support couples, you are the authority on your own experiences, culture, and needs.

We will work together to illuminate the patterns and dynamics that occur in your relationship. By mindfully bringing these to light, my goal is to help you both build empathy, and understanding for each other. This increased compassion, utilization of communication skills learned in session and the new insights you gain can create a closer connection between you and your partner. This, in turn, can facilitate the changes you both hope to see.

The couples therapy process is collaborative and requires commitment to evolution and growth both in and out of session. Progress happens in the space between our meetings.

I would love to support you and your partnership.

My integrative approach to couples therapy

eMOTIONally FOCUSED THERAPY

EFT helps couples identify and transform negative patterns that cause distress in relationships. With a focus on emotional awareness and emotional intelligence, clients begin to learn how to foster secure bonds with their partners in a healthier way.

Gottman Method

The aims of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflict based communication; increase intimacy, respect, and affection; remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy; and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.

Couples SPECIALTIES

  • For couples who don't have major issues but are seeking to enhance their relationship and learn valuable skills, couples therapy can serve as a proactive and enriching experience.

    Rather than focusing on resolving specific problems, the therapy sessions can be tailored to help the couple strengthen their connection, improve communication, and deepen intimacy.

    During these sessions, I’ll integrate various evidence-based techniques and strategies to help you and your partner develop effective communication skills, navigate conflict constructively, and cultivate greater empathy and understanding for each other's perspectives.

    Additionally, couples therapy can provide a supportive environment for the couple to explore their relationship dynamics, identify areas of growth, and set goals for their future together. .

  • Intercultural relationships typically refer to a partnership between individuals from different racial, ethnic, national, or religious backgrounds.

    I understand that navigating differences in culture, race, and religion can present unique challenges in a relationship. With a foundation built on empathy, respect, and cultural sensitivity, I provide an inclusive space where couples can explore and honor their unique backgrounds while strengthening their connection.

    Whether you're navigating intercultural communication, differing religious beliefs, or family expectations, my goal is to help you bridge divides and foster understanding. I strive to celebrate the richness of your cultural heritage while helping you creating a relationship culture that honors both of your vales.

  • High conflict couples is a clinical term for a couples who frequently engage in intense, emotionally charged disputes or disagreements that often escalate into persistent patterns of conflict and struggles in regulating emotions.

    I understand the unique challenges faced by couples caught in cycles of conflict. As a therapist who balances directness with compassion, I am uniquely suited to offer guidance and support on your journey towards resolution and reconciliation.

    Using evidence-based approaches and tailored interventions, I help couples develop effective communication skills, build empathy and understanding, and cultivate healthier patterns of interaction.

    Whether you're struggling with constant arguments, unresolved resentments, or communication breakdowns, my goal is to empower you both to learn skills to support a more harmonious and fulfilling relationship.

  • From an emotionally focused lens, attachment injuries typically involve experiences that disrupt or damage the sense of security and connection within a close relationship. Some examples include:

    • Betrayal: Actions or behaviors by a partner that violate trust, such as infidelity or dishonesty, can lead to attachment injuries. These betrayals undermine the sense of safety and security in the relationship.

    • Abandonment: Experiences of rejection, neglect, or abandonment, whether physical or emotional, can cause significant attachment injuries. This might include a partner withdrawing emotionally or physically from the relationship during times of need.

    • Invalidation: Dismissing or minimizing a partner's feelings, needs, or experiences can result in attachment injuries. When one's emotional expression is consistently invalidated, it erodes the sense of being understood and accepted by your partner.

    • Dismissiveness: Behaviors that convey a lack of importance or value towards a partner's emotions or needs can lead to attachment injuries. For example, consistently brushing off or ignoring a partner's attempts to connect emotionally.

    • Emotional Neglect: Chronic emotional neglect, where a partner fails to provide emotional support, validation, or responsiveness, can create attachment injuries. This lack of emotional engagement can leave one feeling unseen, unheard, and emotionally disconnected.

    • Critical or Controlling Behavior: Persistent criticism, control, or manipulation by a partner can cause attachment injuries. Feeling constantly judged or controlled undermines the sense of autonomy and safety in the relationship.

    • Traumatic Events: Experiencing traumatic events together, such as accidents, loss, or violence, can result in attachment injuries. These events can disrupt the sense of safety and security within the relationship and may lead to emotional distancing or withdrawal.

    • Repetitive Patterns of Conflict: Engaging in repetitive patterns of conflict without resolution or repair can also cause attachment injuries. Continual cycles of argument, blame, or defensiveness can erode trust and intimacy over time.

    These attachment injuries can have significant impacts on the emotional bond between partners and may contribute to feelings of insecurity, disconnection, and distress within the relationship.

    Emotionally focused therapy aims to address and repair these attachment injuries by fostering a secure emotional bond between partners through increased emotional responsiveness, validation, and support.

  • I am an ASSECT certified sex therapist that specialize in helping couples navigate the complexities of sexual compatibility, passion, and connection.

    I understand that intimacy is a vital aspect of a fulfilling relationship. Whether you're experiencing challenges with sexual desire, communication, or intimacy, I hold a nonjudgmental space where you can explore your concerns openly and collaboratively.

  • Love is Love

    Embracing diversity and celebrating love in all its forms is core value. I am committed to supporting LGBTQIA couples on their journey to thriving relationships.

    With a passion for inclusivity and understanding, I prioritize cultivating a safe and affirming space where couples of all genders and sexual orientations can explore, heal, and grow together.

    Grounded in empathy and respect, I specialize in addressing the unique challenges and joys that LGBTQIA couples may encounter, guiding them towards deeper connection, authenticity, and fulfillment in their partnerships.

  • Dedicated to honoring the diverse expressions of love and commitment, my work embraces and supports ethical non-monogamous, open, and polyamorous couples.

    With a deep respect for individual autonomy and relationship diversity, I provide a judgment-free space where couples can explore and navigate the complexities an joys of non-traditional relationship structures.

    My passion lies in empowering couples to build healthy, fulfilling connections based on trust, communication, and mutual respect.

Dr. Sue Johnson : Hold Me Tight

“I am encouraging you to be courageous, look hard, and identify your usual response. It’s the one that pops out before you have taken a breath. This is the response that can trap you in a vicious cycle of disconnection with the person you love best.”

John M. Gottman: Eight Dates: Essential Conversation for a Lifetime of Love

“Successful long-term relationships are created through small words, small gestures, and small acts.”

Interested in working together?