Couples Therapy

Therapy for Communication, Intimacy & Relationship Repair

Many couples come to therapy feeling emotionally disconnected, caught in recurring conflict, or longing to feel close again after months or years of emotional distance.

At Mindful Desire, I provide trauma-informed couples and sex therapy for partners navigating communication challenges, intimacy struggles, mismatched desire, betrayal, emotional reactivity, and the painful patterns that can leave both partners feeling unseen, disconnected, or alone.

Together, we explore the deeper emotional and nervous-system dynamics shaping your connection, helping you rebuild trust, strengthen emotional safety, communicate more openly, and reconnect with intimacy, desire, and emotional closeness.

Common Relationship & Intimacy Challenges I Help With

I support couples and partners navigating challenges related to conflict, intimacy, trust, emotional disconnection, and relationship repair, including:

Communication breakdowns and recurring conflict
Emotional disconnection, loneliness in the relationship, or loss of intimacy
Mismatched desire, low libido, or differences in sexual intimacy
Rebuilding trust after infidelity or betrayal
Polyamory, ethical non-monogamy, and open relationship dynamics
Fear of vulnerability, emotional withdrawal, or difficulty staying connected during conflict
Repeating painful relationship patterns shaped by attachment wounds or relational trauma
Sexual shame, avoidance, or anxiety

Parenting stress, burnout, major life transitions, and family-related stress

Couples therapy offers a space to slow down recurring patterns, better understand one another’s emotional needs and nervous-system responses, and learn healthier ways of communicating, repairing conflict, and reconnecting emotionally and physically.

LGBTQIA+ affirming and inclusive relationship therapy for queer couples and diverse relationship str

LGBTQIA+ Affirming & Inclusive Relationship Therapy

Relationships take many forms, and therapy should offer a space where your identity, relationship structure, values, and lived experience are genuinely respected and understood.

My practice is LGBTQIA+ affirming and welcoming of nontraditional relationships, ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, kink, and diverse expressions of intimacy and sexuality.

You’re welcome here, exactly as you are.

Together, we’ll explore how to build relationships rooted in emotional safety, honest communication, intimacy, authenticity, and connection that aligns with your values and relationship structure.

My Approach to Couples & Sex Therapy

My approach to couples and sex therapy is attachment-based, trauma-informed, and grounded in somatic and nervous-system awareness.

I help couples better understand the emotional dynamics that shape conflict, intimacy, communication, and the ways they reach for or protect themselves in relationships.

Together, we explore the patterns that keep couples feeling disconnected, reactive, or misunderstood, helping couples respond to one another with greater awareness, empathy, and care.

Evidence-Based Approaches I Integrate:

PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy) t to support secure functioning, emotional regulation, and relationship repair
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to deepen emotional connection and reduce cycles of conflict and disconnection

Mindfulness and somatic therapy to support nervous-system awareness, emotional regulation, and embodied connection

IFS-informed therapy to better understand protective patterns, emotional reactivity, and vulnerability

Polyvagal-informed approaches to help couples create greater emotional safety, co-regulation, and connection

Through this work, you’ll learn how to:

De-escalate conflict and communicate more openly and effectively

Rebuild trust, emotional safety, and secure connection

Better understand each other’s emotional and nervous-system responses

Cultivate empathy and curiosity during moments of tension

Reconnect with intimacy, desire, playfulness, and emotional closeness

What to Expect in Couples Therapy

Through therapy, couples often begin to recognize the patterns happening between them in real time rather than only after conflict has already escalated.

Many partners discover that beneath criticism, withdrawal, defensiveness, or emotional shutdown are deeper longings for reassurance, closeness, safety, understanding, and connection.

Together, we work toward helping partners become more attuned and responsive to one another, especially during moments of stress, conflict, or disconnection.

Over time, this work can help couples:

• Interrupt reactive cycles before they intensify

• Communicate with greater honesty, care, and emotional responsiveness

• Navigate conflict without losing connection to one another

• Deepen trust, intimacy, and mutual understanding

• Rebuild physical and emotional closeness after periods of distance or hurt

• Create relationships that feel more collaborative, secure, playful, and resilient

Couples therapy is not about achieving perfection or eliminating conflict altogether. It’s about creating a relationship where both partners feel more supported, understood, emotionally connected, and able to move through challenges together rather than alone.

Sex Therapy & Intimacy Support

As an AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, I support couples navigating the complex relationship between emotional connection, sexuality, desire, and intimacy.

Together, we may explore challenges related to mismatched desire, low libido, arousal difficulties, sexual shame, performance anxiety, differences in erotic expression, or the ways stress, trauma, resentment, and disconnection can impact physical intimacy.

This work isn’t about “fixing” sex or assigning blame. It’s about co-creating greater safety, openness, curiosity, and responsiveness within the relationship so intimacy can feel more authentic, connected, and mutually fulfilling.

Areas of Focus

Sexual Health & Intimacy

Relationship Diversity & Identity-Affirming Therapy

Sexual Functioning & Pleasure Difficulties
Support for erectile dysfunction, vaginismus, pelvic pain, premature or delayed ejaculation, arousal difficulties, orgasm concerns, and challenges related to pleasure and sexual confidence.

Desire Discrepancy & Intimacy Blocks
Therapy for mismatched desire, low libido, sexual anxiety, emotional disconnection, and difficulties sustaining intimacy in relationships.

Healing from Sexual Shame
Compassionate support for releasing shame, rebuilding self-trust, and developing a healthier relationship with sexuality and pleasure.

Compulsive & Out of Control Sexual Behavior
Non-shaming, trauma-informed support for individuals seeking greater awareness, balance, and choice around sexual behaviors.

Relationship Diversity & Identity-Affirming Therapy

Ethical Non-Monogamy & Polyamory
Support for open relationships, polyamory, and nontraditional relationship structures, including communication, boundaries, jealousy, and trust.

Kink & BDSM Affirming Therapy
A nonjudgmental space to explore sexuality, power dynamics, consent, intimacy, and authentic sexual expression.

LGBTQIA+ & Identity-Affirming Therapy
Affirming support for diverse experiences of gender, sexuality, identity, and relationships. authenticity, and connection.

Trauma, Healing & Emotional Well-Being

Couples Therapy for Healing After Betrayal

Trauma & Somatic Healing
Attachment-based and somatic therapy focused on nervous-system regulation, emotional healing, and rebuilding a sense of safety and connection.

Anxiety, Depression & Mood-Related Concerns
Support for anxiety, burnout, depression, emotional overwhelm, and the ways stress can impact relationships, intimacy, and self-worth.

Couples Therapy for Healing After Betrayal

Relationship Repair & Communication Challenges
Support for couples navigating betrayal trauma, trust ruptures, communication struggles, emotional disconnection, and the process of rebuilding intimacy after hurt.

Couples & Relationship Therapy in California, Colorado, Florida & Maine

Therapy for Communication, Intimacy & Relationship Repair

Common Relationship & Intimacy Challenges I Help With

LGBTQIA+ Affirming & Inclusive Relationship Therapy

My Approach to Couples & Sex Therapy

Through this work, you’ll learn how to:

What to Expect in Couples Therapy

Sex Therapy & Intimacy Support

Areas of Focus

Sexual Health & Intimacy

Relationship Diversity & Identity-Affirming Therapy

Relationship Diversity & Identity-Affirming Therapy

Relationship Diversity & Identity-Affirming Therapy

Relationship Diversity & Identity-Affirming Therapy

Relationship Diversity & Identity-Affirming Therapy

Trauma, Healing & Emotional Well-Being

Couples Therapy for Healing After Betrayal

Couples Therapy for Healing After Betrayal

Couples Therapy for Healing After Betrayal

Couples Therapy for Healing After Betrayal

Couples Therapy for Healing After Betrayal

Ready to take the next step?