Because You Want More Than a Therapist Who Nods Politely
Let’s be honest:
Nobody is Googling therapists at 2:47am because life is going great. People reach out when the wheels have come off, the spark has dimmed, or the same argument has been microwaved so many times it’s basically emotional leftovers.
You don’t need a cardigan-clad mirror asking, “And how does that make you feel?”
You want someone who actually gets relationships — the messy, human, frustrating, hopeful, beautiful parts — and can help you change the one you’re in.
That’s where I come in.
I Specialize in Relationships — Not Just “Couples Work”
My entire practice focuses on rebuilding connection, trust, and emotional safety.
Sometimes we work together as a couple. Sometimes individually.
Sometimes we zoom out and look at the entire family system to understand what’s fueling the stress.
When it’s just the grown-ups, I rely heavily on Gottman-informed tools — practical, grounded strategies for connection, conflict, and repair.
When kids are in the mix, I bring in parenting tools (I’m a Triple P–certified provider). Not because children are the star of your relationship show — but because they try to be. For some couples, these tools bring immediate relief. For others, they stay in the back pocket.
Bottom line:
“Communication problems” are usually just symptoms — and you can’t actually fix the communication problems unless you’re also working on the unseen parts underneath them.
I Offer Warmth, Humor, and Direction You Can Actually Use
I’m not the therapist who stares at you blankly and murmurs, “Mm-hmm,” for 50 minutes.
(Unless it’s truly the right moment — and even then, I’ll do it with better timing.)
With me, you get:
- empathy without passivity
- clarity without harshness
- direction without taking over
My style is collaborative — meaning we’ll agree on what the issues actually are and what to do about them. You leave sessions knowing what to practice this week, what to shift, and how to talk without accidentally setting off emotional fireworks.
More importantly, it’ll be easier for you to use these tools because you were part of the process that chose them, and we worked together to adapt them to your situation.
Clients tell me:
“I feel like you’re very intuitive on who I am, the kind of person I am, and what kind of approach and support I might need.”
That’s the goal.
I’m Here for Your Trauma — and Its Impact on Your Relationship
Whether we use the word or not, many relationships are shaped by trauma histories. Trauma changes:
- what feels threatening
- what feels safe
- how we handle conflict
- how close we allow ourselves to be
- how quickly we shut down or escalate
My trauma training gives us:
- a structured way to work with trauma inside relationship therapy
- a clearer understanding of emotional reactivity
- insight into why betrayal mimics trauma neurologically
- a roadmap for returning to internal safety when things spike
I can’t promise a session will never include overwhelm, flooding, or emotional freefall — healing is dynamic. Emotions move. Sometimes they sprint.
What I can promise:
I’ll be there when it happens.
We’ll repair.
And the repair is the therapy.
Learning to repair with me helps you repair with the person you love.
I Work Comfortably With Complexity — All of It
Relationships are rarely simple.
And the complicated ones? Those are my favorites.
I work with:
- betrayal and broken trust
- compulsive sexual behaviors & porn addiction
- emotional shutdown
- sexual avoidance and intimacy rebuilding
- high-conflict patterns
- intercultural and interracial dynamics
- military, veteran, and first-responder families
- polyamory, ENM, kink, BDSM
I won’t pretend I never have reactions — I’m human.
But I stay present through the intensity, the stress, and the mess.
This is the beauty and challenge of the work.
Men Often Find It Easier to Work With Me
If you’re a man who’s reluctant about therapy — or if your partner is gently (or not so gently) encouraging you through the door — this may be exactly the right place.
Men tell me they feel:
- respected
- understood
- not talked down to
- safe enough to be honest
- challenged without being shamed
We talk about masculinity, purpose, identity, fear, shutdown, and partnership in ways that feel useful and human — not abstract or clinical.
Many men expect therapy to be a place where they’ll be criticized, misunderstood, or treated as an imperfect woman.
Instead, this becomes a place where they can finally exhale and learn to show up in ways that don’t feel threatening or overwhelming to their partners.
As one man put it:
“It feels easier to open up. I can talk to you about more things than I could with my other therapist.”
That matters.
I Have Decades of Leadership and Service Behind Me
I’ve served in leadership roles and on nonprofit boards for decades. Even though I’ve stepped back from formal board work, the commitment to service remains.
I continue supporting people and communities through:
- leading a national peer case consultation group for licensed clinicians
- the Q&A Hub
- my blog
- the Relationship Workout for Men
- the psychoeducational tools I curate
- and an emerging creative project, Sentients of Mars, which uses fiction and humor to explore fear, connection, and community
Put simply: I’ve spent my adult life creating, sustaining, and improving relationships — personally, professionally, and creatively.
I Make Therapy Human, Clear, and Sometimes Even Enjoyable
I use plain language.
I use metaphors that illuminate what’s happening — and what to do about it.
And yes, I use dad jokes. You’ve been warned.
Does humor make therapy easy?
No.
But it makes it human.
A client once told me:
“It’s a good balance of positive insight and reflective pain… It’s fun a lot of the time. It’s helpful.”
I’ll take that.
I Provide the Framework — You Create the Change
Therapy works because you work.
My job is to make the path visible, steady, and possible.
Together, we figure out how to:
- repair ruptures without spiraling
- communicate honestly without causing unintended damage
- understand patterns without collapsing into blame
- shift from reactivity to responsiveness
- rebuild intimacy once safety is restored
This isn’t a list of tricks — it’s a process.
And over time, it becomes part of your daily life.
Nothing Human Is Alien to Me
Whatever you bring —
betrayal, boredom, kink, shutdown, resentment, grief, desire differences, or the quiet loneliness that creeps in when partners become roommates —
I stay steady, curious, and present.
No panic.
No judgment.
No shame.
Just humans doing meaningful work together.
If You’re Ready for This Kind of Work… Then You’re the Reason I’m a Therapist
You don’t need to show up perfect.
You don’t need to have the right words.
You just need to care enough to try.
If you’re ready, I’m with you.
