Find more room
for each other.
When the same arguments keep happening or closeness feels out of reach, we can slow things down and understand what is happening within each of you.
Connection begins
with what’s happening inside.
I’m trained in IFIO, a couples therapy approach developed by Toni Herbine-Blank and rooted in Internal Family Systems. It brings attention to each partner’s inner experience as we work on the relationship.
We explore the protective responses that shape your interactions and the vulnerable feelings or needs underneath them. Learning to care for your own inner experience can help you stay more present with your partner.
Learn more about the IFIO model.
When protective parts meet
One partner may push for a conversation while the other pulls away. The first may fear being left alone. The second may fear being overwhelmed or getting it wrong.
As each person reacts, both can feel less understood. We slow the pattern down so there is more room to recognize what each of you is protecting.
From familiar reactions
to more honest connection.
IFIO invites a “U-turn”: noticing your own inner experience before returning to your partner. We practice taking responsibility for your response while staying interested in the other person.
Notice what takes over
We identify the moments when defending, pursuing, criticizing, or withdrawing begins to shape the conversation.
Understand your part
We explore what a protective response is trying to do for you and what you need to feel more grounded.
Speak for your experience
We practice sharing feelings and needs with greater clarity, listening with curiosity, and working toward repair.
The work makes room for each partner’s experience and boundaries. We begin by considering your goals and whether couples sessions are an appropriate fit.
More presence.
More possibility.
I help each partner notice when a protective part is leading and find a little more room for Self. The IFS qualities of Self can become practical resources for being together.
Calm
Pause enough to stay present in a hard conversation.
Curiosity
Ask what is happening for you and your partner.
Compassion
Recognize the pain beneath a protective response.
Clarity
Name your feelings and needs more directly.
Confidence
Stay grounded while hearing something difficult.
Courage
Risk an honest conversation with care.
Creativity
Explore a response beyond the familiar pattern.
Connectedness
Remain in touch with yourself while reaching toward your partner.
Choice
Cece Sykes’s ninth C, Choice, reminds us to look for the space between feeling triggered and responding. You might choose to ask for a pause, name a need, or return to a conversation when you can be more present.
The eight C’s are qualities of Self in IFS. Choice is an additional teaching from Cece Sykes.
Making room for
faith and healing.
I understand Self as the version of us made in God’s image.
When clients want to integrate Christian faith, I connect the IFS understanding of Self with imago Dei, the biblical understanding that we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). In this Christian framing, the compassion, courage, and connection we experience in Self reflect something of our God-given capacity to love and relate.
We can bring prayer, Scripture, or reflection into our work if those practices are meaningful to you. We can also make room for parts that feel angry with God, spiritually weary, ashamed, or uncertain.
All of your parts deserve care. We listen to the ways they have tried to protect you, including the parts that struggle with faith. Your beliefs and preferences guide whether and how faith is included.
You do not need to share my Christian faith to work with me.
Getting started.
Sessions are offered on a private-pay basis at $125 per session. While I don’t bill insurance, I accept all credit cards, cash, checks, and HSA/FSA payments.
In-person counseling: 8650 Minnie Brown Rd, Suite 160, Montgomery, AL 36117.
Telehealth available throughout Alabama.
A free first conversation
A 15-minute phone consultation gives us a chance to talk about what you’re looking for, answer your questions, and consider whether working together feels right.