Also known as couples therapy or marriage counseling, relationship counseling is appropriate before making a major life transition (such as marriage or children), and also when problems are identified. Often, people wait far too long to come to couples therapy, and it can feel hopeless. I’m here to help navigate out of this “stuck” feeling space, and re-establish what’s gone missing in your relationship. Couples come to therapy with many different goals, including improving your communication, connection, and sex life. It’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong, it’s about getting you back on the same team and moving in the same direction to co-create your life together. It can be helpful to take the time with a neutral party to help see the issues more clearly. A therapist can be a good “referee” to make sure that both partners get a say in co-creating the relationship rules—which may have gone unspoken and need to be renegotiated! Sometimes one partner is not so sure about therapy—if this is the case in your relationship, you can call me to talk about it to decide what is right for your relationship before committing to therapy.

Teens need therapy too!

The changes that happen during the teenage years are often deeply personal and super confusing (for both parent and teen!). When teens have a safe space to talk about what’s going on for them, with a professional who can teach them actionable skills, this can ease the transition to adulthood for both the teen and their parents. My approach to working with teens is validating, fun, and skill-based, with a strong emphasis on transparency about confidentiality (privacy) between parents and teens. Not everything can be kept confidential (like if your safety is at risk), but I find with strong communication, we can strike a balance that parents and teens can agree on. Parents are often concerned with teenage experimentation with sex or drug and alcohol use, and it’s not always clear what should be done about this. Perhaps suicidal thinking or cutting has been a concern in your family. I have the experience to guide your family towards health, safety, and improved communication, while monitoring for anything that could affect normal development. If your teen is not tooooootally convinced about therapy, give them a chance to talk to me before committing —I’m always willing to talk on the phone before meeting!

For Me

Do you wonder whether you should cut back on or stop drinking or your use of other drugs? Has someone you care about expressed concern or set an ultimatum? Do you think drugs or alcohol might be harming your or holding you back in life, but you’re not ready to stop altogether? Are you unsure whether it’s necessary to stop drinking or using drugs altogether? Counseling can really help you to determine what the right plan of action is for you. I use an evidence-based approach called Motivational Interviewing that puts you at the center of your discovery and decision making. I can help you to reduce any harm that substance may have on your life, or determine the best course of action to meet your goals.

For my partner or loved one

Being connected to someone who is using drugs or alcohol in a harmful way can be extremely painful. Often, people have difficulty talking to their loved ones about the problems without support. I am able to counsel family members of people with addiction to help you to get your needs met in the relationship. Additionally, I am a therapist who is willing to meet with people who are not ready to stop using, which may set your loved one at ease when you recommend therapy. They do not need to promise to stop to start getting help. Therapy can benefit many people, regardless of where they are at with their decisions and beliefs about substance use or misuse.

We all get down on ourselves sometimes, but when it becomes a way of living, you can feel totally unmoored, like you’re floating around with no purpose and end up feeling disconnected from everyone, most of all yourself. My approach to self esteem work is to take structured and mindful inventory of your values together, and start to use your daily activities to progress towards alignment with your values. Each week, we will identify steps you can take to feel more fulfilled, connected to who you are, and brave enough to be your true and best self. As you create your identity roadmap, I will also supply handy tools for the bumps in the road that will smooth out the ride as you become more and more effective in building a life worth living.

People choose therapy when they feel stuck in life. You do not have to have a mental illness in order to come to therapy! Therapists can help with lots of life’s problems by teaching skills, providing guidance, or simply to help improve self-awareness and increase happiness. Some people may be wondering if they are experiencing a diagnosable depression or anxiety (among other issues), and that is definitely a good time to come to therapy. As a licensed therapist, I am qualified to help identify mental illness in yourself or a loved one, and I am happy to help you understand what might be going on. However, I also believe that good therapy can be done without a mental health diagnosis, and we can talk more about that, too. I very much enjoy working with people concerned about their career, and helping people to navigate the complex political systems that many places of employment engender. Employment counseling can also be helpful for a company wanting to improve a strained relationship with a valuable employee they want to retain.