Relational Therapy

I believe the therapeutic relationship is a key component of healing. It provides a safe, supportive space to explore relational patterns and past experiences. Through this connection, you gain insight into how your relationships have influenced your current behaviors and feelings. Relational therapy helps you develop healthier ways of relating, fosters self-awareness, and promotes personal growth by addressing issues within the context of past and present relationships.

I see the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for the work of therapy. I strive to engage compassionately and authentically, and to enter into a collaborative space with the client that is based on building trust, openness, and curiosity. I invite clients to provide me with feedback about their experiences in our time together, as these reactions can often help us strengthen our relationship as well as build insight into patterns a client may be experiencing in the rest of their life.

For many of us, problems with our partners can be the most frustrating issues we have to face, leaving us feeling “crazy,” overwhelmed, and miserable. We start our relationships feeling hopeful, buoyant, and exhilarated, believing we have found our “soul mate”. All too often, this dream fades within years, and we do one of two things: we jump from one relationship to another, blaming problems on our partners; or we stay in a miserable union, hurting each other and/or stagnating.

Relational therapy delves into the fabric of our interpersonal relationships and how they shape our mental health. This form of psychotherapy recognizes that each person's unique experiences within their relationships profoundly influence emotions and behaviors. I work with clients on all kinds of relationships in their life, friends, family, work relationships, and romantic relationships/partnerships.

We encourage you to view the therapeutic space as your “relational home,” where your experiences will be honored and held by our empathetic team of clinicians. Our goal is to collaborate to help you make meaning of your story, ultimately searching for opportunities for relief and personal growth. By embracing what happens in the therapeutic relationship, valuable information is gained and is helpful in our understanding of you and your opportunities for growth and healing.

Relational therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on the importance of interpersonal relationships and their influence on an individual's emotional well-being. It emphasizes the therapist-client relationship as a primary factor in the healing process, encouraging clients to explore and understand their patterns of relating to others. The goal is to improve the client's relationships by fostering healthier, more supportive connections.

Research tells us that the number one predictor of client success in therapy is the "therapeutic alliance" between therapist and client. That is why before anything else I am determined to think of each person as an individual and built a unique relationship and treatment plan for every person I see. One size fits all doesn't work in clothes and it definitely doesn't work in therapy.

In a new electronic age connecting can be difficult. Connecting with someone long distance can be even more difficult. I work with couples that are trying to navigate more Lon distance relationships feel prioritized, create healthy habits and rituals with one another, and increase overall intimacy and blending of your lives together.

The therapeutic relationship is the most important factor in the success of therapy. We'll build a rapport and examine the relationship patterns in your life that impact your well-being.

Our damage happened through relationships with other people, so it needs to be healed through our relationships with other people. Our earliest experiences starting in the womb shape our bodies and our brains and impact how we are able to interact with the world around us. It takes repeated positive interactions in order to heal the repeated negative interactions that so many experienced as infants and toddlers.

As a marriage and family therapist, my training has been focused in a systemic and relational foundation. I have training in relational therapy with individuals, couples therapy, and family therapy.

Every dynamic I have with my clients is it's own unique relationship. So, it's important to make space for ways that a client and therapist can impact one another, and how our relationship can show up in the healing process. Relational therapy can illuminate aspects of a client's life and experiences that might be played out or show up in the therapeutic context. This technique also makes space for conflict, ruptures, vulnerable ways that client/therapist might affect one another, etc.

Relational therapy focuses on the role of relationships in mental health. It posits that healthy relationships can heal psychological issues while poor relational dynamics can worsen them. The therapy emphasizes genuine connection and communication between therapist and client, using the therapeutic relationship itself as a model for constructive interpersonal interactions, aiming to improve clients' relationships outside of therapy.

My study of Relational Therapy began with some research work with Otto Kernberg and his interactions with an outpatient with borderline personality organization.