RELATIONSHIP THERAPY
for INDIVIDUALS
Who’s it for?
Relationship therapy differs from couples therapy in that I will just be meeting with you. Perhaps you could benefit from having a space to reflect on dating patterns, past relationships, heartache, your current relationship or marriage, as well as non-romantic relationships and dynamics with friends, coworkers, and family members. It can be a practice that inspires accountability, exploration, healing, and growth for anyone wanting to work on their relationships.
We can explore:
Root causes of unhealthy repeated patterns across personal and family relationships
How your or your partner’s past may be creating barriers to connection in the present
How to shift negative relationship dynamics and make repairs when disconnections occur
Healthy communication and self-expression
Developing self-awareness and self-love to support your relationships
Releasing shame and building a positive self-image after rejection
Support if you or your partner are in the midst of a significant life transition
Fears and needs related to intimacy
Healing from infidelity
How to set healthy boundaries
The practice of forgiveness
Working with emotions such as fear, jealousy, and loneliness
Letting go of blame, criticism, and efforts to control others
Nourishing deep understanding between you and your partner(s)
Emotion regulation to help you confidently deal with challenging or stressful emotions and relationship conflicts as they arise without compromising your integrity
“We act out what we can't see or understand unless the light of awareness and compassion extinguishes the dark places that keep us wounded and unavailable.”
— Diane Poole Heller
Our triggers let us know where deeper healing needs to happen
You may ask yourself, “Why do I act from this place?” “Is there something wrong with me?” When we look at the scars, whether recent or early emotional wounds, we can understand why we developed the strategies we have chosen to guard against more wounding.
It is certainly not always indicated that we should look to the past for the roots of all present day suffering; however, it is very common in therapy to identify issues from early upbringing as the source of pain in current relationships. These injuries or relational trauma can also come from adult relationships. Many of these events or patterns go unrecognized as there are overt and covert, or less obvious causes, of attachment trauma. So, don’t count your pain out.
Our earliest bonds shape the template for how we approach relationships later in life. However, we can learn to identify and work with our triggers and develop enough awareness to know when they are rising up and not be seized by them.
Your nervous system is constantly learning how to be in relationship with others. It has learned what is and is not safe and formed strategies to protect you (flight, fight, freeze, fawn). The good news is, this system can be updated at any time. This work and self-exploration can support you across all relationships in your life.
(If this resonates with you, visit the Attachment Trauma and Wounds page for more on this type of healing work.)
Learning and gaining ownership over your attachment patterns can help you and your partner feel more attuned.
Are you stuck in a dating cycle that is causing more harm than connection?
Has an experience of pain, betrayal, or rejection caused you to go so far from feeling comfortable as yourself? You are tired of being alone and want to experience intentional connection, intimacy, security, and partnership but are deeply afraid of being hurt again. Dating can be challenging, and struggling with self-worth is human. You are not alone.
It is an incredibly vulnerable thing to put your heart out in this world.
If you feel like giving up trying to put yourself back out there, healing from heartbreak takes time. A balance of slowly bringing fragments together and slowly letting go. Do not let your past convince you that you are not worthy of finding the love you desire.
Therapy can provide a safe space for you to:
Uncover and tend to heartache and wounds from dating relationships
Grieve the loss of an important relationship
Work with stored emotions and pain to disband triggers; you have to feel it to heal it
Practice self-love; learn to pour the unconditional love, encouragement, and acceptance you show others into your own heart
Build resilience in the face of rejection so you don’t spiral into self-doubt
Learn about your attachment histories and how to create secure and fulfilling bonds
Clarify your values and visions of partnership and intimacy, and how to look for alignment with potential partners
Feel empowered to choose forms of connection that serve you best