Relational Therapy

Relational therapy focuses on the role of relationships in mental health. It posits that healthy relationships can heal psychological issues while poor relational dynamics can worsen them. The therapy emphasizes genuine connection and communication between therapist and client, using the therapeutic relationship itself as a model for constructive interpersonal interactions, aiming to improve clients' relationships outside of therapy.

This is my core theoretical approach

I believe the therapeutic relationship is a key component of healing. It provides a safe, supportive space to explore relational patterns and past experiences. Through this connection, you gain insight into how your relationships have influenced your current behaviors and feelings. Relational therapy helps you develop healthier ways of relating, fosters self-awareness, and promotes personal growth by addressing issues within the context of past and present relationships.

It is hard to feel content and at peace when there is conflict or strife in your intimate relationship(s). I can help you to reduce conflict, improve communication, and enhance connection. I am experienced in working with open relationships, consensual non-monogamy, and polyamory. As a certified sex therapist, I can help with concerns such as desire discrepancy, sexual dysfunction, and navigating kink / BDSM.

I also work relationally, using the therapeutic relationship to help clients understand how it feels for them to be in relationship and to experience new ways of being in relationship that can 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.

I use Relational Cultural Theory to help clients explore how their relationships and cultural context shape their sense of self and personal growth. This approach focuses on the power of connection and mutual support in healing and development. By understanding how external influences impact relationships, I work with clients to strengthen their connections with themselves and others, fostering healthier, more fulfilling interactions and promoting personal empowerment.

Therapy is a very particular kind of relationship, but a relationship none the less. Sometimes dynamics and patterns you experience outside of therapy will find their way into therapy too. This creates a perfect opportunity to work through whatever feelings may be coming up in the moment and to explore them in real time to create deeper understanding and change.

I often work with clients from a relational perspective which means that I look at their patterns of relating to others, and how these patterns often originate from relationships earlier in life. Even though they begin early in life, they often continue throughout life, and they may cause problems in adulthood. Once people are aware of the interpersonal patterns they are engaging in during adulthood, we are able to start working on altering them if needed.

Relational therapy, sometimes referred to as relational-cultural therapy, is a therapeutic approach based on the idea that mutually satisfying relationships with others are necessary for one’s emotional well-being. I believe that building authentic connection creates a space for vulnerability and ultimately change.

This is my primary theoretical orientation.

A relational approach to therapy means that I will operate as an active participant in your therapy. The foundation of this work is the relationship between you and I and the dynamics that manifest during our sessions as they illuminate and relate to your other relationships. I often use the immediacy of the therapeutic relationship with the goal of increasing awareness and discovering previously hidden processes and beliefs that undermine well-being.

We grow through and towards relationship. My training emphasizes the importance of relationships to our mental health.

Counseling is not about me, and yet there I am, for every minute of every session. Recognizing the counseling dynamic as an important relationship plays out in several ways. It means having a consultation call to make sure we are a good fit. It also means that I may have to earn your trust before you feel safe, or I may share my own emotional reactions in session when helpful. Challenges that you encounter in your daily relationships may arise between you and I, and we’ll talk about that!

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 focuses on the therapeutic alliance as the key point of intervention. Drawing from various models, relational therapists provide a personalized, focused, and experiential therapy in which one is invited to explore their thoughts, feelings, defenses, and behaviors in the therapeutic moment to better understand how they are experienced and move through life. This modality can be open many complex emotions and opportunities for growth and change.

Relational therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on the importance of interpersonal relationships and their influence on an individual's emotional well-being. It emphasizes the therapist-client relationship as a primary factor in the healing process, encouraging clients to explore and understand their patterns of relating to others. The goal is to improve the client's relationships by fostering healthier, more supportive connections.