Couples therapy that transforms your relationship – and your life.
When they first get together, most couples feel free and easy in each other’s company. They inspire and challenge each other, trusting that the love they feel will see them through almost anything.
This deep sense of trust and caring can fall away under the weight of everyday life. Careers, family pressures, money struggles and so much more can tear at the fabric of relationships, leaving gaps that couples don’t always know how to mend.
As a longtime marriage and family therapist, I can help you address these issues. Together, we will uncover the individual strengths each of you brings to the challenges of marriage – strengths that confirm what you already know and what you can learn and become together.
I am not the right therapist for you if …
- You expect me to wave a magic wand over you both, instantly fixing what’s broken.
You hope I will confirm that you are right and your partner is wrong.
- You love to argue for your limitations, focusing on the reasons you can’t change.
However, I am the right therapist for you if …
- You are willing to work hard to transform your relationship, working as a team.
- You are prepared to learn new things about yourself and your partner.
- You are motivated to learn new skills.
- You believe that, by working together, you can create a rich, fulfilling life.
If you choose to work with me, I will not let you get stuck telling the same story, session after session. We will focus on understanding and progress. Working as partners in a safe, respectful space, we will pinpoint the issues that have eroded your marriage over time. We will agree on real solutions that you will practice together outside our sessions, bringing back suggestions that fuel ongoing progress.
More about my education, experience and qualifications as a marriage therapist
Since 2004, I’ve had the privilege of serving clients in the Portland area. Recently I’ve expanded my practice to reach couples in California as well. I hold a master’s degree in counseling from the University of San Francisco as well as a business degree from the Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California.
As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT), I use many tools, including the Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Relational Life Therapy and the Developmental Model advanced by The Couples Institute. I embrace more than one method because experience has shown me that each couple’s needs are unique.
Throughout my career, I have worked closely with couples who are dealing with a wide range of issues, including:
- Infidelity and betrayal
- Communication struggles
- Financial and career conflicts
- Trauma and loss
- Coping with illness or injuries
- Children and family issues
I also have specialized education in digital wellness, which can involve compulsive online shopping or gambling, addiction to pornography, social media and more.
Whatever pain, confusion or doubt you are feeling right now, I am prepared to help you find your way back to one another.