Family Conflict

I have completed training to work with families and provided family therapy for over a year.

We all struggle in our families to one degree or another. When this feels overwhelming it may be time to change our approach. Together we can create new strategies for navigating complex relationships with our relatives both chosen and biological.

Helping couples work through couple conflict and family conflict.

Past and current dysfunctional or unhealthy family dynamics can contribute to a myriad of mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression. Together we can explore how these dynamics impact your life without blaming your parents or caregivers.

I specialize in couples and family therapy, I have extensive experience helping families navigate conflicts. I work with families to improve communication, resolve misunderstandings, and strengthen relationships. My approach focuses on understanding each family member’s perspective, promoting empathy, and creating healthier dynamics. I strive to empower families to overcome challenges together and build stronger, more supportive connections.

Inner child work may help those experiencing interpersonal conflict. Inner child work helps explore unprocessed childhood emotions and feelings that currently impact one’s life and understanding, managing, and/or reducing triggers. One desire for inner child work may be to identify wounded areas and/or unmet needs of the child, learn to advocate, protect, or show compassion for the child, create a safe enough space to invite the child to play, and integrate the child with the adult self.

I work with adult families and friends on mid to late life issues. This may include multigenerational family conflict; caregiving and planning for loved ones; coping with health conditions; redefining parent-child relationships.

We help families get out of negative patterns of communication and get on the same page with things like parenting.

Family relationships are complex and meaningful. I have worked with many clients to support them in understanding how those relationships are impacting them now and how they would like to move forward with them.

I believe we are hardwired to seek affirming and intimate bonds with others. Conflict with parents, partners, children, siblings, and extended family can cause significant stress and unhappiness. I can assist in developing communication skills, healthy boundaries, conflict resolution techniques, and relationship scripts. The goal is to establish relationships with others that are fulfilling and allow for personal growth.

The family unit may experience significant stress because of work, school, or the personality differences of various family members. In addition, as children grow and enter new phases in their lives, parents and children may need help in a safe environment to explore ways of coping with these changes. Our clinicians work with families and/or with a parent and a child to help them learn how to navigate transitions, communicate effectively, and develop an empathic, secure connection.

All families go through transitions & as these relationships are often longer term if not lifetime relationships it's important to learn how to adapt & change within them. What was once true of a dynamic in one phase of life may not remain to be true. Adaptability is important. Quite simply if you do not set realistic expectations of these dynamics then you'll likely be experiencing years of hurt & resentment. Built up & unreleased resentment is toxic.

Family relationships can be a source of both support and stress, especially when dealing with trauma, boundaries, or estrangement. I work with clients to navigate complex family dynamics, rebuild healthy communication, and address past wounds. Together, we’ll explore ways to foster connection, set boundaries, or find peace in situations where conflict may feel overwhelming.

At The Refuge Marriage and Family Therapy, we specialize in helping families navigate and resolve conflict. Using a blend of research-based approaches like the Gottman Method and Emotion-Focused Therapy, we guide families in improving communication, fostering understanding, and building stronger relationships. Our trauma-informed, inclusive approach helps families address underlying issues, enhance emotional regulation, and create lasting solutions to restore harmony and connection.

Looking at family conflict from the lens of generational trauma, I support clients who are navigating issues of the past in their lives today.

Intimate relationships that are not safe, trusting or respectful hijack your sense of feeling valued. Any compulsion, addiction, or dysfunction in the family, when the focus is on one member affects all. It may be a serious illness, a recent death, or a huge life stressor that creates upheaval and discord in the family. This can result in estrangement, bickering, loneliness, and isolation. Healing is available and often can help develop stronger bonds.