Relationship
Psychotherapy
Families and Love Relationships come in many different constellations
None of them come with a conflict-free guarantee. We all get into emotional tangles with the people we care about most. Sometimes, it’s really hard to find a way through. Using Emotionally Focused Therapy, we will work together to understand and repair disconnect, and help you to navigate future tangles with more confidence.
Couples therapy may help you…
Grow
After experiencing an individual or shared trauma that’s affected the relationship.
Sustain
Move towards an ongoing feeling of mutual support and care for one another.
Navigate
Disconnect is inevitable - a successful relationship is not one without conflict, it’s one where you can navigate through conflict, together, back to a place of connection.
Communicate
I want to help you get out of the stuck, circular conversations that don’t go anywhere. I want you to have a different kind of conversation.
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Relationships
Disconnections can seemingly happen in a split second. They can leave us feeling lonely, confused, and frustrated, wondering, “how did we get here?” or “no matter what we do, we get stuck.” Many people who start therapy with me have found themselves in this place, feeling a bit hopeless but also longing to find a way to reconnect.
Emotionally Focused Therapy is an evidence based treatment that recognizes and utilizes the deep importance of attachment - that we are biologically wired for relationship “from cradle to grave,” and that we need others to flourish (which is why it’s so uncomfortable when we are disconnected). I love EFT because it is non-blaming, compassionate, and facilitates hope and lasting change in relationships.
To learn more about EFT, watch this excellent short video.
Counseling for Multiracial Relationships
There are many ways our identity plays into the personal relationships we have with others, including our partners. We are habitually making sense of our own stories, the stories of our families, and the stories of our partner[s]. When we aren’t able to reach for or receive our loved one(s) and share these experiences with confidence that we will be understood and our stories validated, those stories — and the silence that surrounds them — can create friction.
There are some things you just wish your partner could understand
Maybe you have different life experiences, and while you know your partner loves you, it feels like they don’t always get it, or you are having a hard time making sense of them. They unknowingly say something hurtful or take for granted gestures that are really meaningful to you.
I specialize in helping couples who can relate to experiences like:
Difficulty navigating differences in family culture
Struggles with different parenting styles
Struggling to talk about race/identity/culture with your partner
Feeling frustrated that no matter what you do, you end up in the same disconnected place
About working with me
I am biracial, and I understand many of the unexpected challenges that come up in a relationship with a person[s] who don’t share the same background, cultural values, or daily experiences. Despite our best intentions, sometimes interracial couples feel tension navigating these hard topics. I want to help you improve the way you talk to each other when things get hard.
Having a therapist who understands the many elements pulling at us, even in loving and supportive relationships, can help elevate your bond and help relieve the pressure to be the other’s race, culture, and ethnicity educator.
While my experience may diverge from yours, I have dedicated my practice to learning. I continue to educate myself on race, ethnicity, and culture, especially how it plays into our personal relationships, and am committed to working through any missteps with humility.