Why do I feel so responsible for everyone else's feelings and struggle to set boundaries without guilt?

Feeling responsible for others' emotions and experiencing guilt when setting boundaries are common signs of caretaking protective parts and relational boundary burnout. Individual therapy integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) helps unburden these parts, regulate anxiety, and set healthy boundaries from a grounded Self.

Why do I overthink conversations, text messages, and worry people are upset with me?

Overthinking interactions and fearing you made a mistake are common manifestations of high-functioning relational anxiety and hypervigilant manager parts. Combining IFS parts work with attachment-based therapy helps quiet the mental chatter and build internal security.

How does Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) help couples stuck in recurring arguments?

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Imago Relationship Therapy help couples slow down recurring conflict loops, identify the underlying pursuer-distancer dynamic, and re-establish emotional safety so arguments can actually be resolved.

How do you help couples rebuild trust after betrayal, lying, or broken promises?

Rebuilding trust after betrayal uses structured frameworks like the Gottman At-Atonement, Attunement, and Attach (AAA) model alongside Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to process deep hurt, establish full transparency, and safely repair emotional safety step-by-step.

Do you offer couples therapy for open relationships, polyamory, or consensual non-monogamy?

Yes, we provide relationship-focused therapy for partners navigating open relationships, polyamory, and consensual non-monogamy. Using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and attachment frameworks, we help partners manage jealousy, establish clear boundaries, and maintain a secure core bond.

Do you offer couples therapy for neurodiverse and neurotypical relationships (ADHD, Autism)?

Yes, we specialize in relationship therapy for neurodiverse couples (including ADHD, Autism, and neurotypical partners). Using neuro-affirming Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and adapted Gottman Method frameworks, we help couples break the parent-child dynamic, navigate executive function gaps, and build mutual emotional attunement.

How does family therapy help with escalating arguments and communication breakdown?

Family therapy uses Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) to slow down reactive argument cycles, reduce defensiveness, and help family members communicate underlying needs without escalating into conflict.

Do you offer family counseling for blended families, stepparenting, and boundary shifts?

Yes, we specialize in family therapy for blended families and step-parenting dynamics, helping family members clarify roles, navigate loyalty conflicts, and establish healthy relational boundaries.

How can family therapy help bridge the distance between parents and teenagers?

Family therapy addresses parent-teen communication gaps by balancing the teenager's need for autonomy with emotional safety, helping parents break the pursuit-withdrawal cycle and rebuild genuine connection.

How does family therapy help when small conversations constantly escalate into fights?

When every little discussion turns into shouting or door slamming, family therapy uses Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) to slow down hot-button interactions. We help families map out the rapid argument cycle, spot escalation early, drop defensiveness, and resolve issues calmly.

How does family therapy help when families feel disconnected or live like roommates with kids?

When managing kids, schedules, and screens leaves family members feeling like roommates passing in the hallway, family therapy helps shift out of auto-pilot survival mode. We rebuild genuine emotional presence, establish simple connection rituals, and restore warmth in the home.

How does family therapy address parenting disconnects and conflicting discipline styles?

When parents disagree on strict versus soft parenting and kids get caught in the middle or play parents off each other, family therapy addresses the full household dynamic. We help parents establish a unified co-parenting alliance while working with children so boundaries become clear and household stress drops.

How does family therapy help when a family member feels misunderstood and shuts down?

When efforts to communicate end in feeling dismissed or flipped around, family members often give up and stop trying. Family therapy introduces active, non-defensive listening tools to break invalidation cycles, ensuring every person feels safe speaking up and genuinely heard.

How does family therapy support blended families, stepparent roles, and shifting household boundaries?

Combining households often leads to stepparent authority confusion, loyalty conflicts for kids, and walking on eggshells. Using structural family therapy principles, we help stepfamilies establish clear roles, explicit household agreements, and cooperative parenting structures so transitions happen smoothly.

How can family therapy bridge communication gaps and distance with a teenager who locks their door and pulls away?

When teenagers retreat to their room, stay on their phone, and answer with one-word responses, family therapy breaks the cycle where parents chase and teens run. We help parents shift their approach so teens feel respected rather than interrogated, giving them room to grow while keeping a warm, genuine connection.

Imago Relationship Therapy | Jordyn Parker, LMFT

A simple line drawing of a flower with a curved stem and leaves.

What is Imago Relationship Therapy?

Two women are standing close together outdoors, both wearing light-colored dresses. The woman on the left has dark hair and is touching the shoulder of the woman on the right, who has tattoos on her arm and shoulder. They are both wearing rings and jewelry, and the woman on the left has dark nail polish. The background is blurred, suggesting a sunny day.

A simple black and white line drawing of a single flower with a stem and two leaves.

Beliefs IRT Therapists hold:

✿We are inherently whole: Therapists believe that we come into this world undamaged and complete.
✿Childhood shapes adult connection: It is mainly in childhood where we experience the relational pain that later affects our ability to connect as adults and form healthy, intimate relationships.
✿Relationships are central to human life: They believe that relationships are what the human experience is all about, and that in order to survive and thrive, we need to form meaningful connections with others.
✿Socialization and deficits hide our true selves: It is through deficits in the nurturing we receive, compounded by the repressive messages of socialization, that we hide or lose the ability to access parts of ourselves.
✿Universal human desires: Everyone ultimately wants the same three things: safety, connection, and passion.
✿Safety unlocks our potential: When we feel truly safe in a relationship, we are able to be our best selves.

Imago Relationship Therapy is a powerful, relational approach designed to help couples transform conflict into an opportunity for deep healing and connection.

Developed by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Imago is built on the idea that many of our adult relationship struggles stem from childhood experiences. Unconsciously, we often choose partners who mirror the unresolved emotional dynamics of our early caretakers, and we replay old hurts in hopes of finally getting them healed.

Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) Offers:

✿A map of your childhood roots: Helps you and your partner understand how your past childhood experiences and unmet developmental needs unconsciously shape your adult triggers and relationship patterns.
✿A shift from blame to understanding: Moves conversations away from pointing fingers at each other's flaws and toward recognizing the deeper, unconscious longings driving your conflicts.
✿De-escalation of reactivity: Calms defensive reactions and transforms everyday arguments into opportunities for empathy, allowing both partners to feel truly heard.
✿Reconnection and relational safety: Guides partners through structured dialogues where they learn to validate each other's pain and build a secure, deeply trusting bond.
✿Lasting structural healing: Reframe conflict not as a sign that the relationship is broken, but as a growth assignment designed to help you co-create mutual healing and lasting intimacy.