Hilary Love Psychotherapy

Over the years I've discovered something simple. People come to therapy when something drives them there. Consciously, it may be a problem with a relationship, or some feeling of sadness or confusion. Maybe they even feel like patterns from their past are dogging them today and something about the way they are coping isn't working anymore.

I strongly believe the relationship with the therapist offers a client the sanctuary and space to sort out how they are moving through the world. It allows them to look at how their emotional and psychological coping is or is not working for them. Therapy helps people find out who they are.

It is rewarding to work with clients and help them see how their patterns from a lifetime have shaped them. Together, we see strengths develop through understanding of self and others and ultimately, we watch positive change happen.

In my work with couples, I collaborate with both partners to illuminate and understand the (often) negative cycle in their dynamic. We do this with the goal of getting to more connection. I support building compassion for each other, better communication and ways each partner can express their needs to the other.

I apply techniques of Emotionally Focused Therapy. EFT is based on the idea that emotions are connected to each person's deeper attachment needs. This helps couples trust each other with both their needs and their vulnerabilities.

I work to get couples back to the shared vision that brought them together in the first place. We work to make the partnership satisfying and joyous once again.

Teens are in a unique and difficult spot. Development, maturation and the complications of family and social life can be confusing and frustrating. Sometimes they need a trusted person that is not a parent.

Being a parent to teens often involves stepping in and stepping back. It is hard to know how to manage the give-and-take of that tension in a way that best supports your growing and individuating teen. Parents often wonder if what their teen is going through is normal.

It is so common to feel anxious about whether you're a good enough parent. You're concerned that you're doing enough for your struggling adolescent. It can feel overwhelming and lonely to be a parent in today's world, and the pressure to raise a healthy, happy, resourceful kid can feel intense.

How can we as parents manage our own anxieties while doing the necessary work of letting our children go through their normal development? More intense in the teen years – the drive to hold tight doesn't always synch with the need to let our kids go through their normal developmental process of individuation (autonomy and independence). Often as parents we're left confused and worried. We work through those feelings – to make being a parent more rewarding, for you and your child.