GOTTMAN METHOD COUPLES THERAPY | INDIVIDUAL THERAPY FOR WOMEN & MEN

Move from hurt to healing. Restore confidence. Rediscover your connection to your self & to your partner.

Conveniently online in California, Oregon, & Nevada

 Whether you are in crisis, or just need a guide through your current life stage…

I can help.

It is never too early or too late, to commit to creating a lasting and loving relationship, with your partner and yourself.

Are you feeling lonely and distant in your relationship? Perhaps feeling more like roommates than lovers. It feels like you have lost the spark that brought you together. Maybe you are unsure if you can have a happy life together.

Many couples come to me because they are having the same fights over and over. Every conversation seems to turn into an argument, leaving both partners feeling angry and hurt.

Have you experienced betrayal and wonder if the trust can ever be rebuilt? Or maybe you or your partner are struggling with unhealthy habits or an addiction that is destroying your trust and commitment.

Perhaps you are struggling to feel good enough, fighting perfectionism, or not sure how to show up in relationships as your true self. Or maybe you are feeling burned out, unsupported, or overwhelmed with too many demands on your time and energy.

I’m Melissa.

I’m here to help you strengthen your relationship & build confidence in yourself - by giving you the tools you need to create the life you deserve.

I am passionate about helping both couples and individuals. My approach is direct and action oriented, and I provide a safe space for both understanding your past and applying concrete skills in the present to create change, healing, and growth.

I use data driven, research based Gottman Method Couples Therapy that has proven effectiveness to help couples reconnect, heal, and build an emotionally and physically intimate and satisfying relationship. Attachment theory, Internal Family Systems theory, and the shame resilience work of Dr. Brene Brown informs my work with individuals.

You don’t have to go it alone - I can help.

We don’t hesitate to hire personal trainers to kick start our physical health. We don’t hesitate to pay a professional to cut our hair or fix our car. We hire doctors to keep our bodies healthy and to cure them when they are sick.

Gottman Method Couples Therapy can help you understand the problems, find the skills to address them, and heal the hurt between you. Your conflict can lead to greater understanding and intimacy. Your emotional injuries can be healed. You can learn to truly love and be loved more deeply.

If you need individual counseling, I can help you reconnect to your own authenticity and sense of worthiness. I can help you find relief from anxiety, build coping skills for the challenges life is giving you, and gain insight and clarity.

MY SPECIALTIES

Couples

The Gottman Method offers practical and easily learned tools to strengthen relationships and develop healthy communication patterns, gain insight into ourselves and our partners, and re-kindle the friendship and passion we long to feel again.

As a relationship therapist I function as a guide and coach who teaches skills, creates opportunity for healing, and facilitates insight and understanding.

I am Level 3 trained in Gottman Method therapy and am in the certification track.

Women

My training with Dr. Brene Brown informs how I support women who are struggling with feelings of overwhelm, perfectionism and people pleasing, maintaining boundaries, and the mental load of balancing home and work responsibilities.

I work with women to understand their “attachment” history, and how their attachment style, especially “anxious” attachment, may be contributing to relationship difficulties.

I have experience supporting women and their partners who have experienced infertility and IVF, miscarriage and complicated/traumatic birth, and post partum depression.

And my training in the Gottman Method as well as lived experience informs my work with people going through divorce and other major life transitions.

Men

Working with couples has given me unique insight into the competing role demands and stigma men face at work, home, and in their relationships.

I can help you learn how to recognize the shame talk that makes you feel inadequate, and replace it with confidence and clarity.

I work with men to understand the concept of “attachment”, especially “avoidant” attachment, and how it may be negatively impacting their intimate relationships.

Issues of job stress, parenting or partnering demands, and sexual issues are just a few areas that require awareness and sensitivity to stigma and gender norms that create conflicting messages and competing roles for men. I can help you define how you want to show up and live out your values.

Ready to create the change you want?

Reach out: Complete the form below to schedule a free 20-minute consultation, so we can decide if we are a good fit to work together. You will have the opportunity to get a feel for how I work, and ask questions about my process and approach.

Invest in your relationship and move forward with confidence: If we’re a good fit, I will send you a link to sign consent forms and we will schedule our first appt. All sessions take place via a HIPAA-protected, secure video link.

I will be in touch within 2 business days, but I try to respond within 24 hours. (Please check spam folder for my response.)