Identity & Relationship Stress Therapy
In Identity and Relationship Stress Therapy, you realize you’ve spent so long trying to be the version of yourself everyone else needed—partner, friend, daughter, colleague—that you’ve lost touch with what you actually feel or want.
Maybe you find yourself overthinking every interaction, replaying conversations in your head, or wondering if you’re “too much” or “not enough.”
Or maybe your relationships—romantic, family, or friendships—feel tense, distant, or confusing.
You’re not broken. You’re just tired of carrying everyone else’s expectations while trying to find yourself in the middle of it all.
Reconnect With Who You Are—And Feel Grounded in Your Relationships Again
The Hidden Weight of Identity & Relationship Stress
When your sense of self feels shaky, everything does.
You might notice yourself:
Feeling anxious or misunderstood in relationships
Questioning who you are outside of the roles you play
Struggling to ask for what you need (or even know what that is)
Feeling like you’ve outgrown certain people but unsure what comes next
Repeating the same painful patterns, even when you know they hurt
This kind of stress often stems from years of adapting—trying to be easy to love, easy to work with, or easy to rely on.
But at some point, that constant shape-shifting starts to feel like losing yourself.
If you’re always the one who keeps it together, prioritizes everyone else’s comfort, or avoids conflict at your own expense… it makes sense that you’re exhausted.
How Therapy Helps You Heal Identity & Relationship Stress
In our sessions, we’ll explore what’s underneath the anxiety, guilt, or overthinking that keeps you feeling stuck.
For many of my clients—especially high-achieving women and LGBTQ+ folks—this means:
Relearning how to listen to themselves after years of people-pleasing
Naming and expressing their needs without guilt
Untangling old stories about who they “should” be
Creating relationships that feel safe, balanced, and real
You won’t get a blank stare or a worksheet here.
I show up authentically so you can too—offering gentle truth-telling, practical tools, and the kind of compassion that helps you start trusting yourself again.
Sometimes that means using traditional talk therapy.
Other times, it means using art therapy to express what words can’t yet reach.
Self-Discovery Therapy: Coming Home to Yourself
Identity work isn’t about reinventing yourself—it’s about remembering who you’ve always been underneath the expectations, roles, and pressure.
Through therapy, you’ll begin to:
- Understand your emotional patterns and where they come from
- Reconnect with your values, needs, and boundaries
- Build relationships that feel mutual—not one-sided
- Feel grounded and confident in your identity—even when others don’t understand it
This work is about finding your center again, so you can show up in relationships without disappearing in them.
Next Steps:
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Therapy can help you reconnect with who you are—so your relationships can start feeling like a reflection of that truth.
💬 Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if we’re a good fit.
Let’s help you come home to yourself—without guilt, pressure, or pretending.
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It’s therapy that helps you untangle the parts of yourself that feel pulled in different directions—who you are, who you think you’re supposed to be, and how those identities show up in your relationships. Whether you’re questioning your identity, struggling to feel like “enough” in relationships, or trying to rebuild trust with yourself, this kind of therapy helps you reconnect with who you are underneath the pressure to please or perform.
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You might notice constant second-guessing, guilt when you set boundaries, or feeling responsible for everyone else’s emotions. Maybe you’ve lost touch with what you want, or you’re stuck in a cycle of overthinking every conversation or decision. These are signs that you’re over-adapting to keep the peace—and therapy can help you step back into your own truth.
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You can expect a space where you don’t have to perform or hold it all together. Together, we’ll explore the patterns that keep you stuck—people-pleasing, fear of conflict, self-doubt—and begin replacing them with self-trust, clarity, and confidence. You’ll learn to recognize your needs, communicate more honestly, and show up in relationships without losing yourself in them.
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Absolutely. As an LGBTQ+ affirming therapist, I offer a space where you don’t have to explain or defend your identity. We can explore questions around coming out, family acceptance, queer relationship dynamics, and what authenticity looks like for you—without judgment or assumptions.
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Many people repeat familiar dynamics not because they want to—but because they’ve learned that love, safety, or belonging depend on being needed, agreeable, or perfect. In therapy, we’ll unpack where those patterns began and practice new ways of connecting that feel more balanced, honest, and fulfilling.
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Relationship stress doesn’t only happen with partners—it can show up with friends, family, coworkers, or even your relationship with yourself. Therapy helps you understand the deeper emotional patterns driving those dynamics so you can feel more grounded and less reactive in all areas of your life.
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There’s no set timeline—it depends on your goals, how long you’ve been carrying these patterns, and how much space you have to do the work. Many clients start to feel a sense of relief within the first few sessions as they realize they’re not “crazy” or broken—they’ve just been trying to survive in relationships that haven’t made space for their needs.
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Individual therapy focuses on your experiences, boundaries, and self-trust, while couples therapy focuses on the dynamic between partners. Many people will do individual therapy while also in couples therapy to gain clarity about their own needs before bringing that insight into their relationships.
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Yes. One of the main goals of identity and relationship stress therapy is to help you trust yourself again—to know what you feel, want, and need without guilt or apology. You’re allowed to take up space, change your mind, and define who you are on your own terms.
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Anxiety
Anxiety often shows up as this constant buzzing that wont go away. It’s the tightness in your chest or the racing thoughts that take you out of the present moment and into the fear of the unknown.
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Trauma
Healing from trauma is like piecing together a shattered mirror, reflecting not just the scars but the strength that's emerged from the journey. Together, we can create a space to look at those pieces, find a clarity on how they continue to impact us, and rediscover the beauty that's always been within.