Perhaps you’ve recognized recurring patterns in communication with a partner, close friend, family member, or colleague that are leading you to feel unheard or misunderstood. Maybe you’ve noticed that some of your relationships have evolved in ways that make you question your ongoing investment in them and you’re looking for clarity on which steps to take next to prioritize your needs and values. Or maybe you’ve been working to enhance effective communication in a long-standing, strained relationship and in need of on-going support in the process.

I focus on both the current relationship stressors mis-alignments, while also exploring the roots of problematic or ineffective patterns of behavior through family of origin work. I believe it’s essential to understand the drivers of specific behaviors or reactions and to understand why, at some point in time, they were adaptive or perhaps the best option available. We’ll also build interpersonal effectiveness skills and create a more concrete plan of action to make a change in the affective relationship(s). I draw extensively from Attachment Theory, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) when examining challenges in romantic or other close relationships.  

While confrontation may sound intimidating, I see it as means of gathering information and inviting the other party to get closer to one’s inner experience. By giving feedback and clarifying perspectives, we open up more space to look at the points of challenge and identify objective, incremental steps toward shifting the dynamic. I’ll help you identify the appropriate tools and build the confidence you need to engage effectively and broach difficult topics.