Family Dynamics

I do not look at a struggling household and try to teach you how to manage, fix, or politely avoid one another.

Substance use comes up a lot in relationships and families. Bring it on. This hedges directly into care and labor. Who performs the labor? Who performs the care? Who holds the power? Who holds the burden? Is one of you better than the other? Power dynamics are incredibly important to distinguish within relationships, and I am very comfortable doing so. Power dynamics, relational safety, and intimacy have to come before gratification.

Dominant culture trains households to police one another. It tells parents their commitment is to make themselves comfortable by managing their kids, and it tells partners to fix their spouses. The work I do is rooted in relationship and clinical values; it is not a transaction where you pay me to make your family comfortable. Authentic connection occurs through navigating rupture, not through polite avoidance. If you pull the plug the second relational discomfort appears, you teach your household that discomfort means you run away. I am here to help you sit in the process.