Relational Therapy

As a Marriage and Family Therapist I am always steering couples and individuals towards relational health. Moving towards relational health can be challenging. Often it requires stronger boundaries which upsets the dynamics families and couples are used to. However, the rewards of relational health are living a more purpose, authenticity, and joy.

I'm well trained in psychodynamic and systems-oriented relational therapy. This means that we'll work together to improve your relationships and overall wellbeing, through both exploring the past, and looking with curiosity at your current connections and patterns of communication. We'll be able to learn from the way you and I work and communicate together, trying new behaviors along the way. We'll discover what "old roles" worked in the past, that no longer serve you in the present.

I value the relationship I build with my clients. Research shows this to be one of the most important factors in therapy. I believe that our hurts happen in relationships, but so does our healing. Therapy with me is a non-judgemental, unconditionally compassionate, and curious space. With these qualities, we build trust and a safer space where you can explore deeply without fear of shame or re-traumatization.

The number one predictor of satisfaction with the therapeutic experience is the strength of the bond between the client and the therapist. Creating a foundation of trust and comfort for the client is of the utmost importance to me, as it allows us to explore problematic relationships with family, friends, and partners. Through this collaborative journey, you will learn to handle conflict in a variety of social settings and develop relationship skills such as patience, self-confidence, and trust.

Embracing what happens between us as valuable information needed in our understanding of you and your opportunities for growth and healing.

The relationship you have with your psychotherapist is often indicative of how you relate outside of the therapy office. Similar patterns and projections arise -- we use the therapeutic relationship as a way of exploring your core needs and past traumas, and ultimately as a form of healing.

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.

I make use of myself and share my thoughts and impressions in treatment, in an effort to make my own mind more plain and accessible. I invite clients to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences of me and our work together and consider these interactions to often be the most potent and meaningful route to making progress towards interpersonal goals.

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.

All my clients bring to therapy the desire to improve relationship functioning. I address issues such as gaining the courage to set stronger boundaries with a difficult person, resolving anxiety from relational trauma, or taking ownership for resolving marital conflict. I serve clients who want to understand and grow in the context of important relationships. I create authentic, trusting therapeutic experiences with clients that they can build on in their everyday lives.

Relational therapy, sometimes referred to as relational-cultural therapy, is a therapeutic approach based on the idea that mutually satisfying relationships with others are necessary for one’s emotional well-being. I believe that building authentic connection creates a space for vulnerability and ultimately change.

Relational Therapy (RT) is an approach rooted in Psychodynamic Therapy. Psychodynamic therapy puts emphases on the psychological cause of emotional pain. Self-reflection and self-examination are its major focus. RT asserts the relationship is in fact what is needed for true reflection, examination, and ultimately change. Major tenants of RT are the therapist's stance, authenticity, presence, reflection, and engagement.

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.

As a marriage and family therapy, Alyson believes that healing is a relational process. The therapeutic relationship is crucial in supporting the process of change. In therapy, Alyson strives to create a safe that clients can show up fully as themselves and explore the areas of their life that they are struggling. The therapeutic relationship is a genuine relationship that provides for opportunities to work through the tensions and discomforts that come up in other relationships.

Trained to focus on therapeutic relationship, transference, and countertransference.