If you are in a relationship and sometimes struggle with how to communicate or express difficult emotions, you are not alone! As a couple, you may find yourself constantly bickering or in conflict, have difficult trusting each other, or bringing past trauma from your upbringing into your current relationship. Maybe you just moved in together and it has been difficult acclimating. Maybe one of you feels like you hold a lot of the emotional labor in the relationship. Maybe one partner always wants to talk about things right away while the other partner needs space for a bit.
Maybe it just feels… unbalanced.
I offer couples therapy for couples who are at any stage in their relationship (married, dating, etc). I specialize in the following:
- attachment-based issues (this might look like partners having different relational needs… maybe a partner fears the other will abandon them, maybe one partner doesn’t open up as much as the other partner would like them to. Our attachment styles stem from our upbringing)
- communication concerns
- dynamics of inter-abled relationships (relationships that include a partner who identifies with having a disability or illness and the other partner identifies as able-bodied)
- management of life transitions
One size never fits all, so I utilize an integrated approach with emotion-focused theories and Gottman Method Couples Therapy in my work. I provide a validating and nonjudgmental space for couples to learn how to communicate with one another and help find more balance. This might include providing the space to talk about difficult emotions with each other or identify big picture themes of conflict. We figure out the tough things, like expectations and needs. I offer couples therapy to partners of any gender and sexual orientation.