As an AACAST-certified Couples and Sex Therapist, I have extensive education and experience. I work with gay, straight, trans, queer and kinky couples who feel stuck and are struggling to maintain intimacy, communicate honestly, and negotiate the emergent changes that relationships face over time.
Most couples come to me in despair – frightened that their relationship is beyond help. Their communication has broken down, they struggle to set and maintain healthy boundaries, with eroded trust leading to fighting or anger problems. They desperately want to be understood by the other, but are missing the skills and empathy necessary for that level of vulnerable closeness. If this sounds familiar, you could benefit from couples counseling. Working as a team, we’ll identify how your current communication may be undermining your relationship, and then teach you new skills and solutions to repair old wounds and re-establish a sense of connectedness and intimacy.
Non-consensual non-monogamy (i.e., cheating) is an issue that can feel insurmountable, especially to the betrayed partner. There are ways to get through this painful trauma and emerge with a stronger, more connected and loving relationship. I’ve helped many couples navigate this complex and challenging issue.
Discernment therapy helps the couple decide whether or not to stay together, which can be due to any number of reasons. Sometimes a couple comes in grappling with this difficult question, and sometimes it emerges organically within the context of treatment. In either case, the approach and skillset needed is unique to this issue.
Early relationship/premarital counseling provides the support needed to create a shared vision for the future, and communication skills that foster connection and attunement. This is the most useful gift a new couple can give one another, because it sets the foundation for a long and healthy relationship.