Sometimes life is a struggle. This is inevitable. But you don’t have to manage it alone. I believe that when we have someone to share our struggle with, we become better able to cope with our problems, no matter how troubling they may be.

I am here to provide a compassionate, confidential, and caring space for you to open up about your past and present experiences and examine the meanings you associate with them. Just being able to tell the whole truth about our lives (both to ourselves and others) releases feelings of shame and helps us heal, but we need a safe place to do so.

My main focus in individual therapy is on your past and present attachment figures, including your family of origin, your past romantic relationships, and your most intimate current relationships. We will assess what you have learned about yourself and others based on your experiences with these key attachment figures. This includes how you feel about yourself, how dependable and trustworthy you feel that people are, and what kind of love, comfort, and care you expect to receive. 

I have advanced training in the most well-researched and validated couples therapy model, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). This is a scientifically proven theory, with an 80% success rate. 

EFT is a groundbreaking model of relationship attachment and focuses on the bond between couples.  A secure bond depends on how engaged and responsive we are to each other emotionally. When we feel that our partner is not emotionally available to us we get anxious and have only a few choices: usually to pursue our partner to get a response (which sounds like criticism or nagging to our partner) or to protect ourselves and withdraw (which our partner interprets as not being cared about).  Both strategies take us further away from our partner, not closer, which is where we want and need to be.

Without a strong, secure bond with our loved ones, we often get anxious or depressed.  We tend to use alcohol, drugs, food, or even work or shopping to cope with our feelings of isolation.  I believe that underneath our symptoms we are struggling with a lack of connection with important people in our lives and that is what I focus on in couples counseling.

Additionally, I utilize the concepts of emotional intelligence in couples therapy, which focuses on how our brain responds to relationship distress. I help clients calm down their anxiety so that they can more effectively address their own and their partner's relational needs. This model draws heavily on the most recent advances in neurobiology, the science of intimate relationships, and the well-regarded research of the premiere couple and family therapist of our time, Dr. John Gottman. 

Click here for more information about couples counseling.