Relational Therapy for One
You may wonder how it works - relationship therapy for one...
Relationships are my specialty because they shape so many layers of our lives.
You are capable, thoughtful, and highly self-aware and still become anxious, guarded, overwhelmed, or disconnected in the relationships that matter most.
You understand the pattern. You may even know where it came from. But insight alone hasn’t changed what happens when someone withdraws, criticizes you, disappoints you, or needs more than you can give.
Perhaps you find yourself wondering:
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Why does criticism affect me so deeply?
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Why do I become so anxious when they pull away?
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Why do I keep choosing people who cannot fully see me?
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Why can’t I let go of what happened?
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Why do I shut down when someone is upset with me?
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Why can’t I trust myself to make a decision about this relationship?
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Why do I feel lonely even when I’m not alone?
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Why am I so capable everywhere else, but relationships just undo me?
When you know the pattern but still get stuck
Perhaps you silence yourself and your needs to prevent conflict, take responsibility for everyone else’s feelings, or become consumed by the internal storm when someone pulls away.
You may replay conversations while waiting in line, wondering what happened, what you should have said, or whether you are asking for too much.
Maybe you understand these patterns intellectually. You can explain why you react the way you do and recognize how your history shaped you. Yet when the familiar feeling takes hold, you respond the same way.
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy helps us work beneath the pattern, not only with what you do, but with what drives what you do.
We will look at what shaped how you handle conflict, distance, closeness, and uncertainty. We'll take a look at how what you do has been trying to protect you and help you develop new ways of relating to yourself and the people who matter to you.
Whether you come with a partner or on your own, I am here to help.
Individual Therapy for Relationship Uncertainty
Sometimes the pain runs so deep that starting therapy together feels like too much. Or your partner isn't willing to participate.
You may love each other and still feel profoundly alone. You may wonder whether the relationship can change, whether you can find your way back to each other, or whether it's time to let go.
After years of hurt, you may no longer trust yourself to decide what comes next.
Individual therapy is a place to slow down and listen closely to your own experience.
I will not decide whether you should stay or leave. I will help you understand what's fueling the pain, what's keeping you caught in uncertainty, and which possibilities are realistically available to you.
The decision remains yours. You don't have to find your way through it alone.
Working Through Betrayal, On Your Own
Whether you're processing a betrayal alone, without a relationship to return to, or your partner isn't in a place to do this work together, that process still has a shape.
We slow down and make sense of what the injury did to your sense of yourself, your ability to trust, and how safe closeness feels now. From there, we work out what you need next, regardless of what happens with the relationship.
Support While You Are in Couples Therapy
You may already be working with a couples therapist and want a separate space to understand your own triggers and relationship history, one that supports that work rather than competing with it.
With your consent, I collaborate with your couples therapist so both processes move in the same direction.
Your reactions aren't random — they developed as ways to protect yourself. Together, we'll look at what shaped your responses and what you need in order to feel safer, so you can show up in the couples work with more clarity and less reactivity.