Shakira Barnes (she/her)

Anxiety can make even simple moments feel heavy, like your mind won’t stop searching for what could go wrong. Here, we’ll slow things down and help your body feel safe again. Together, we’ll untangle the worries, quiet the noise, and rebuild trust in your calm. You don’t have to live in constant alert; there’s space here to breathe and begin again.

Attachment shapes the way we love, trust, and connect. When those early bonds were inconsistent or painful, relationships can feel like walking a tightrope, wanting closeness but fearing rejection or losing yourself in the process. In our work, we’ll gently uncover the roots of those patterns so they no longer run the show. Together, we’ll build safety from the inside out, helping you create the kind of connection that feels steady, mutual, and secure.

Every relationship moves through seasons: some bright, some heavy. But if yours feels more distant than connected, it may be time to pause and gently look closer. You don’t have to wait until it’s falling apart to seek help. Together, we can explore new ways to communicate, repair, and reconnect, so you can feel close again, even when life feels complicated.

I’m trained in evidence-based approaches for couples counseling that help partners communicate with honesty, repair trust, and feel emotionally safe again. My focus is on helping you understand each other’s needs beneath the conflict so you can reconnect with empathy, intention, and care.

I’m informed in Internal Family Systems (IFS), a gentle yet powerful approach that helps you understand the different parts within you, like the ones that protect, hide, or carry pain. IFS allows us to bring compassion to these parts instead of fighting them, helping you feel more balanced, whole, and in control of your inner world.

I specialize in attachment-focused therapy, which explores how early relationships shape the way you connect, love, and trust today. Understanding your attachment patterns helps us create safer, more secure connections, with others and within yourself.