Going to therapy for your relationship does not mean that your relationship is broken or that something is wrong with any one of you! People in relationships come to therapy for a host of reasons, which include premarital counseling, parenting concerns, to resolve problems in the relationship, healing after infidelity, polyamorous issues, and just-plain better communication. I believe that coming to relationship therapy and putting in the work shows a strength in each person and a significant commitment to the relationship. As a the Program Director of Denver Family Institute (as well as a graduate) and a licensed marriage and family therapist, intimate-partner relationship therapy is very dear to my heart.
A common fear that keeps those in relationships from counseling is that I, as the therapist, will “take sides.” People worry that I will believe one person over another and will not be unbiased. It’s important to know that my client is not any one person in a relationship. My client in the relationship itself, and I work to help meet everyone’s goals for their relationship. I bring competence to IRPT with training in models and theories like Emotions-Focused Therapy (EFT), Gottman techniques, and Esther Perel’s work.
I’m also familiar and comfortable working with types of relationships that have been historically misunderstood by other therapists, like polyamorous relationships and those with ethical non-monogamy (ENM) agreements. It’s important to me that I affirm your relationship structure and help you meet your goals however your relationship looks.
The reason therapy works is largely due to clients feeling safe in my therapy room. I will never ask you to do something that makes you feel unsafe. For this reason, I do not see intimate-partner relationships with power and control issues actively occurring. Individuals involved in these relationships often feel unsafe in the therapy room and may not be open and honest as a result. Victims of domestic violence may fear retaliation as well, and I never want to put a client in a situation where being open in the therapy room may cause harm at home. Contact me if you have questions about this or think you may be in this type of relationship.
Use the form on the right to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation!
