The way we learned to connect — or protect ourselves from connection — often begins long before we are aware of it.
You may find yourself drawn to people who are unavailable, or pushing away those who are genuinely close. You may feel easily hurt or abandoned, yet struggle to ask for what you need. Perhaps you give far more than you receive, lose yourself in relationships, or find that conflict — even small disagreements — feels unbearable or unsafe. These are not signs that something is fundamentally wrong with you. They are often signs of unhealed attachment wounds that have never had the right space to be understood and worked through.
Relationship struggles rarely begin with the relationship in front of you. They are shaped by earlier experiences — how emotional needs were met or missed in childhood, what you learned about closeness and safety, and the beliefs you formed about your own worth and lovability. These early patterns become the invisible blueprint for how you show up in every relationship that follows.
Attachment is the deep emotional bond we form with our earliest caregivers — and the template it creates shapes how safe, seen, and valued we feel in our adult relationships. When early attachment experiences were inconsistent, cold, overwhelming, or painful, we often develop protective patterns — anxiety, avoidance, people-pleasing, or emotional shutdown — that made sense then but create pain now.
Using Schema Therapy and attachment-focused approaches, we work to gently explore the origins of these patterns, understand the unmet needs beneath them, and begin to develop a more secure and grounded sense of self in relationship with others. Healing attachment wounds does not mean rewriting history — it means developing the inner security that was not available to you before.
Healthier relationships begin with a deeper understanding of yourself. You deserve connections that feel safe, mutual, and genuinely nourishing.
In-person and virtual therapy sessions are available. Please call or email to schedule a consultation.
Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor
Advanced ISST Schema Therapist Supervisor & Trainer, Individual
struggle with relationship patterns, attachment wounds, or interpersonal difficulties — not couples therapy. For couples therapy, please see the Couples Counseling page.
