While relationships, when at their best, can offer us all kinds of benefits—from feelings of safety and comfort to emotional support to a sense of belonging, among many others—they can also cause us a great deal of loneliness, sadness, and anxiety.  When this is the case, we, quite understandably, want to find our way back. 

Couples who seek my help come with a range of difficulties, including:

• communication problems

• difficulty resolving conflict

• challenges with physical and emotional intimacy

• difficulties with trust

• struggles with recurring negative cycles or interaction patterns

• challenges with life transitions

• struggles with individual mental health problems (such as depression, anxiety, or past trauma) that can impact relationship dynamics. 

 In addressing these challenges, I draw upon several different modalities.  A psychoanalytic framework helps me to work with you to explore early family dynamics and how they may get replicated with your partner.  It also helps me to discover what lies beneath your surface conflicts so that we can come to a deeper, more nuanced understanding of what is truly at play.  I turn to Emotionally Focused Therapy to expand upon this pursuit as we will look at your underlying emotions and attachment needs that are activated during conflict.  I will help you to express these emotions so as to get you to a place of increased trust and security in your relationship.  Finally, I can get more practical with you when making use of the Gottman Couples Method.  This influence will help me to offer you more concrete guidance around communication and de-escalation. 

 In short, I like to make use of all of what’s out there so that I can tailor my approach to you and your specific needs.  At the end of the day, I hope to help you come to understand your partner and yourself far more than you did before walking through my door, and to feel a much-strengthened capacity for working through difficulties when they emerge.