Mental Health Specialties

Relational Stress

Relationships are deeply meaningful—yet complex.

man and woman holding hands in the woods while looking at the sunset

Relational stress happens when relationships with partners, family, friends, co-workers or self, become sources of conflict, disconnection, or emotional strain.

If you’re feeling misunderstood, unwanted, stuck, overwhelmed or unsure — you are not alone.

Our individual therapy offers a supportive space for adults to explore these challenges with compassion, clarity, and healing.

Common types of relationship dynamics that may cause relational stress include —

  • Man and woman silhouettes holding hands looking at the sunset of blue, yellow, pink and purple.

    Romantic Relationships

    Romantic Partners, Significant Others or Spouses — Including conflict, emotional disconnection, intimacy issues, infidelity, rebuilding trust with a partner

    Ex-partners and Divorce Dynamics — Navigating shared parenting, emotional healing, co-parenting, and maintaining healthy boundaries

  • Person carrying 2 young girls while walking in a field of red-orange flowers. Young boy runs ahead to the trees.

    Family Relationships

    Family Members — Tension with parents, siblings, adult children, or in-laws

    Parent-Child Relationships — Including discipline struggles, generational conflict, or emotional disconnect

    Blended Family or Step-Family Dynamics — adjusting to changing family roles and navigating complex emotional dynamics

  • 3 adult women laughing. One wearing a black hat and black top. Another wearing a black and gray oversized sweater.

    Friendships and Social Connections

    Friendship Difficulties — Including growing apart, betrayal, imbalance in effort or support, or lack of friendships

    Spiritual or Community Disconnection — Such as exclusion, identity conflict, or relational pain tied to faith-based or cultural communities

  • A male wearing a tie and sitting at a desk with a Macbook while talking to a standing female in an office setting.

    Workplace Relationships

    Workplace Relationship Issues — Including toxic dynamics, communication struggles, employee burnout, or boundary-setting with difficult co-workers, supervisors, or customers

  • A elderly woman's folded hands on her lap while she wears a green checkered dress and matching sweater.

    Caregiving Relationships

    Caregiving Stress — Supporting aging parents or loved ones with chronic illnesses while managing your own needs.

  • A collection of colorful china plates, glasses and silverware with scraps of food, sitting on a table after a meal.

    Shared Living Relationships

    Roommates or Shared Living Conflicts— Addressing concerns about respect, boundaries, and lifestyle differences

  • A woman sitting in the windowsill while looking outside at the trees.

    Relationship With Self

    Struggles with self-worth and identity — Healing your relationship with yourself, managing self-criticism, and exploring personal values

Whether it’s one relationship or several that feel challenging, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Support is available.
Let’s talk and find a way forward together.

Common root causes of relational stress include-

  • Early Foundations

    Early attachment patterns and how we learned to connect (or disconnect) with caregivers

    Unresolved childhood experiences that shape current expectations and reactions

  • Communication & Conflict

    Difficulty managing conflict due to past modeling or fear of emotional rupture

    Poor or mismatched communication styles

    Challenges with setting or respecting boundaries

  • Self & Identity

    Low self-esteem or lack of self-trust, impacting how we show up in relationships

    Fear of vulnerability or emotional intimacy

    People-pleasing or conflict-avoidant tendencies

  • Past Pain & Trauma

    Grief, trauma, or past relational hurt that hasn’t been fully processed

  • Stress & Life Circumstances

    High stress, life transitions, or mental health issues affecting how we relate

  • Relational Dynamics

    Power imbalances or unmet emotional needs within the relationship

    Cultural or generational differences in expectations or communication

Support Services - How We Help with Relational Stress —

Using a relational and psychodynamic approach, we’ll explore both your current relationship dynamics and the deeper layers beneath them. Jen’s role isn’t to assign blame or shame, but to help you make sense of your experiences, better understand yourself, and feel more grounded in your needs, values, and boundaries. Together, we’ll work toward building relationships that feel more authentic, connected, and emotionally healthy.

Jen is here not only to support you, but also to gently guide you in exploring all aspects of a situation—including the parts that live within. As cliché as it may sound, it's true: we can’t change others, but we can learn to better understand and shift ourselves. Through compassionate curiosity and thoughtful challenge, I’ll help you grow more confident in your choices and more connected to your inner truth.

No topic is off-limits in therapy. Whether it’s sex, sexuality, identity, or something you’ve never said out loud before, this space is here for all of you.

While Jen won’t tell you what to do, Jen will support and empower you to look within, trust yourself, and find the answers that are right for you.

Collaborative Care — Referrals: 

When needed and/or deemed appropriate, Jen can help facilitate referrals for couples therapy or family therapy.

Schedule a Free Consultation