Individual Therapy: Adults – Together we will first seek to understand the issues that are bothering you and the personal strengths that you already have. Through this process and to guide our efforts, I will help you establish goals for therapy that can be continually revisited, revised, or added to as we progress. I aim to first provide symptom relief and “put out fires.” Then, if you choose, we will dive into deeper work that helps challenge long-held patterns (such as avoidance) that were likely exceptionally helpful at some point but have since continued to cause problems or strife. Throughout the process we will work together to ensure that each session is in service of helping you obtain the life you want to lead. In our therapy I will use a combination of interventions tailored to your specific needs including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy. Couples: Premarital Therapy – Committing to marriage is a wonderful milestone in a loving relationship. Many couples find comfort in engaging in premarital therapy to solidify their alignment on values and readiness for this next step. Some couples do premarital therapy simply to have a set time to enjoy connection and emphasize commitment during the busy wedding-planning season. Other couples may find that there are specific issues that they want to address, such as agreement on finances or time spent with outside family, to ensure that they can begin their marriage with consensus and a strong foundation. The premarital therapy I offer is non-religious, but topics of discussion can easily include religion if that is important to your relationship. During an initial session I will help you establish what you want to obtain from our work together and how many sessions you would like to have. Family and friends, this is an excellent gift to give your favorite soon-to-be newlyweds! Couples: Therapy and Relationship Healing – In our romantic relationships we often feel heightened emotions – both the pleasant and the uncomfortable. Unfortunately, in our very busy lives, these can also be the relationships we forget to prioritize and can be the people we hurt or who hurt us the most. I work with a wide-range of couples issues from those looking to rekindle a flame or deal with intimacy challenges to those who have experienced betrayal traumas. I also have training in working with issues related to aging and illness in our partnerships. Even the strongest of couples can often benefit from finding new ways to connect, hear each other, and become more secure so that their relationship becomes a priority again. I work with all types of couples including dating, married, divorced or co-parenting, monogamous, poly-amorous, and LGBTQ+. In couples therapy I primarily use Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy but also include methods from Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy and Gottman’s Couples Therapy when more behavioral interventions are suggested. Couples: Discernment Therapy – There are times when we are not sure we want to continue our relationship and we need assistance with making such a life-altering decision. In discernment therapy, I see couples for three consecutive blocks. First, I meet with each of you individually and then we spend time at the end all together discussing next steps. I will help you look at all aspects of the relationship, help you imagine what life would look like if you stayed or chose to leave, and then facilitate your decision to stay or leave across one or more sessions. The discernment process continues until either both partners are sure they want to try to stay in the relationship or when one or both partners decides they want to end the relationship. If you decide to continue the relationship, I can begin working with you in couples therapy if that would be helpful. If you decide to end the relationship, I will happily help connect you with supportive referrals for any needs you have from individual therapy to divorce mediation. Couples: Divorce Mediation – When we decide to end our marriage it can feel as if our only choice is to involve lawyers to make sure it’s “done right.” However, this process can quickly become adversarial and result in a judge making decisions about how you will live your life for many years to come. I offer a more peaceful and healthier alternative through my divorce mediation services. I will guide you through making important decisions about childcare/custody and division of assets in a way that works for you and your family. Even if your relationship is already contentious, I will honor each of your autonomy and facilitate mutual respect for each other. Once I have helped you make all necessary decisions, I will provide you with a document that can be used to file an uncontested divorce with the courts. Note, I do not offer divorce mediation services to couples I have seen previously for therapy but I can provide referrals if needed.