Relational Therapy

Relationships can be tough, especially when old patterns sneak in under the surface. Through a mix of mindfulness, creative reflection, and gentle observation, we look at how you show up with others—and with yourself. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Together, we build awareness in the moment, so you can understand your responses, shift stuck patterns, and feel more connected in the relationships that matter most.

Using the therapeutic relationship, I can help you understand more about how you feel in relationships and to experience new ways of being in relationship that translate to outside the therapy room.

Our damage happened through relationships with other people, so it needs to be healed through our relationships with other people. Our earliest experiences starting in the womb shape our bodies and our brains and impact how we are able to interact with the world around us. It takes repeated positive interactions in order to heal the repeated negative interactions that so many experienced as infants and toddlers.

We encourage you to view the therapeutic space as your “relational home,” where your experiences will be honored and held by our empathetic team of clinicians. Our goal is to collaborate to help you make meaning of your story, ultimately searching for opportunities for relief and personal growth. By embracing what happens in the therapeutic relationship, valuable information is gained and is helpful in our understanding of you and your opportunities for growth and healing.

Trained to focus on therapeutic relationship, transference, and countertransference.

I provide therapy from a relational-cultural frame, with attention to how the past affects the present. Relational-Cultural therapy focuses on how connection is a vehicle for healing as well as an outcome of healing. This therapeutic approach also considers how psychology has historically pathologized people based on identity (ex: sex, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, sexuality)

The secret sauce to good therapy is the relationship between therapist and client. This is why you've probably heard so much about "fit." For therapy to work, you need to feel safe. It's not that you'll trust your therapist right away, because trust has to be earned and built. But you'll have the sense you can share personal or vulnerable information with your therapist and they'll hold it close, with love and respect.

For many of us, problems with our partners can be the most frustrating issues we have to face, leaving us feeling “crazy,” overwhelmed, and miserable. We start our relationships feeling hopeful, buoyant, and exhilarated, believing we have found our “soul mate”. All too often, this dream fades within years, and we do one of two things: we jump from one relationship to another, blaming problems on our partners; or we stay in a miserable union, hurting each other and/or stagnating.

Relational therapy understands that our relationships with others can be at the core of our unhappiness or happiness, and that life can only be lived with others. And yet-- living with others can be hard! How do we bridge these two things? By understanding *your* role in a relationship, you can focus on where you have control and make your life and relationships better.

Relational therapy is a type of counseling that focuses on the importance of our relationships in shaping our emotional well-being. It helps individuals understand how past and present relationships impact their thoughts and feelings, and it aims to improve communication, connection, and overall relationship quality. I collaborate with my clients to explore and address relational issues, aiming to enhance emotional health and promote more satisfying interactions with others.

The therapeutic orientation that best describes me is Relational-Cultural Therapy. Counseling is all about the relationship between the client and the therapist. If we are not vibing or connecting, then the therapy will not be ideal. My goal is to understand you and collaborate with you. Together we can solve any problem that comes our way.

I see the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for the work of therapy. I strive to engage compassionately and authentically, and to enter into a collaborative space with the client that is based on building trust, openness, and curiosity. I invite clients to provide me with feedback about their experiences in our time together, as these reactions can often help us strengthen our relationship as well as build insight into patterns a client may be experiencing in the rest of their life.

A big piece of our work in therapy will be examining how you feel in your relationships. We all have a deep desire to be known and understood, yet sometimes we get stuck repeating the same patterns that keep us from being truly seen, heard, and known. In our work together, we'll learn about these patterns and come to understand them with compassion for how they developed in the first place. In doing so, you'll be able to let go of patterns & fears keeping you from what you want the most.

Our relationship is the catalyst for change, and compassion is the foundation on which self-acceptance and transformation are built.