Couples Therapy in Oakland, CA
Trauma-informed relationship therapy with optional ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to help couples move through stuck patterns and build deeper connection.
You’re invested.
You love them and are committed to making this relationship work, but lately, it’s been like trudging through mud.
You don’t really feel that same “spark” in your connection that you felt when you first got together. Now there are so many responsibilities- the mortgage, the kids, and the fragments of time left for yourself and your partner.
You crave emotional connection, but it sometimes feels like there’s a wall between the two of you and you can’t seem to settle in.
Your partner is frustrated and you are overwhelmed and you find yourself in familiar patterns of bickering. It’s like you take a step towards them and they shut down, so you shut down any romantic feelings and boil in frustration.
You’ve tried on your own to make it work, but there’s so much distance between the two of you and with the million other things on your plate, it’s hard to figure out where to start….
Relationships are hard.
Roadblocks in relationships happen. Couples choose to start therapy for an assortment of reasons.
Many couples start therapy at a point where they believe their relationship is beyond saving. Communication has fallen apart, trust does not exist, and intimacy is a distant memory. If you both are willing to put in some hard work, couples therapy can give your relationship a chance to mend.
Couples therapy can help you understand the patterns keeping you stuck, and create a different way of relating to one another.
Hi, I’m Mary (she/her)
I’m a licensed therapist specializing in trauma-informed couples therapy and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. I help couples understand the deeper patterns beneath recurring conflict, including attachment wounds, protective responses, and old experiences that can show up in the relationship. Together, we work to slow down those cycles, communicate differently, and build a stronger sense of emotional connection.
After we’ve had time to build a foundation in couples therapy, we may consider incorporating ketamine-assisted couples therapy to deepen and support the work.
For some couples, ketamine may create a different therapeutic experience, one where it feels easier to slow down, become curious about familiar patterns, and stay connected to emotions that can be difficult to access in traditional couples therapy. This can create space to explore conflict, attachment wounds, and protective responses from a different perspective.
Ketamine-assisted therapy is completely optional and is never required. If you're interested, we'll explore together whether it feels like a safe and appropriate fit for both of you.
How does Couples Therapy work?
My approach to couples therapy is trauma-informed and integrates Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and mind-body awareness. Together, we’ll look beneath recurring conflicts to understand the emotions, attachment needs, and patterns driving them, so you can respond to each other differently and build a stronger sense of connection.
Couples Therapy can help you:
Learn how to communicate with your partner from a place of compassion and understanding
Discover and mend the root causes of your conflicts
Resolve difficult decisions together around important life transitions
Increase emotional intimacy and strengthen feelings of connectedness with one another
I welcome all races, sexual orientations, gender expressions, physical abilities, cultures, and spiritual orientations in my practice.
If you’re wondering whether couples therapy could help you move through recurring conflict, rebuild connection, or better understand the patterns between you, we can talk about what’s been happening and whether working together feels like a good fit. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation for couples therapy in Oakland, CA.
Build a stronger, more connected relationship without repeating the same cycles.
Ready to see if couples therapy could help you feel more connected and less stuck?