Do tough conversations lead to conflicts and shutting down? 

I can join you, as an ally in these discussions. My goal is to help you slow down, to understand each other better, without getting caught in the same unhelpful spiral. 

I have expertise in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), one of the most well-researched couples and family interventions. The goal of this approach is for you to build deep trust and safety with each other. This can lead you to become much more responsive to one another's needs over time. I also draw from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and the Gottman Method, both of which provide concrete tools for de-escalating arguments. 

Using these approaches, I will help you work towards a relationship that is loving, supportive, comfortable, kind, and fun. 

The best couples therapy can not only improve your relationship, but also help you develop as an individual. It's not uncommon to find you are able to communicate better across several areas of your life after engaging in this work.

Common Topics Include:

• Repairing trust (e.g., after lying or infidelity)

• Building stronger communication and conflict skills

• Increasing emotional closeness to each other

• Big marital transitions (e.g., marriage, parenthood)

• Big family transitions (e.g., adolescence, moving back in)

• Sexual difficulties

• Understanding neurodiverse relationships (e.g., ADHD, autism, OCD)

• LGBTQIA+ couples' and families' concerns

My Approach

I hope our therapy will be a profound (but pragmatic) conversation that helps you get where you want to go.

I will share my honest reactions to things that you say and do, offering live feedback to help you lean into your best self. It can be very challenging to be seen in this way. It can also be a significant opportunity to transform your life in ways you might not have anticipated.

SPECIALTY AREAS:

Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

I have extensive specialized training in exposure and response prevention (ERP), widely understood to be the most effective treatment for OCD. I also help people with other anxiety-related struggles like perfectionism, health anxiety, PTSD, body dysmorphia, etc. Together, we will work to face your fears directly and take back your life. I'll be beside you the entire way, whether we're high-fiving with contaminated hands, tasting snacks you worry are poisoned, writing love notes to a partner you're constantly doubting, or finding unexpected humor in your horrifying thoughts about hurting innocent people. I practice ERP from an ACT perspective. This means our exposures will have a deeper aim than mere anxiety reduction. We will try to radically open up your life, so obsessions and compulsions aren't distracting you from who and what is truly important. This work will be guided by up-to-date scientific evidence, but it will be a collaborative and human process, not a mechanical one. 

Relationship Concerns

Science is clear that the quality of our relationships has a huge impact on our well-being. It is my great honor to help people show up in relationships as their best selves. Whether you're working through attachment traumas, marital struggles, or ROCD, we can draw from Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) to help you develop understanding and change. I help people build communication skills, set boundaries, work through indecision, overcome anxiety, grieve losses, and generally develop new insights and experiences in their close relationships.