What if we could see the broken pieces of ourselves and view them with compassion? What if we saw our scars as marks of courage and resiliency? The journey towards wholeness includes accepting each part of ourselves--the part that is joyful, the part that laughs, the part that hurts, the part that feels empty.
Emotional abuse can be one of the most detrimental things to endure and can cause significant conflict within individuals, couples, and families. However, this is also an area of abuse that often does not get addressed. It is often rationalized away. I am here to validate the hurtful impacts of emotional abuse, help victims to find their voice, process feelings of guilt and shame, and to help make repairs.
We have expertise in working with interpersonal violence. We are here to help you manage the significant challenges in a relationship with IPV and assist you on issues of safety and restructuring your boundaries as you move through the process.
Emotional abuse at the hands of a loved one leaves a scar that no one can see. When you’ve been manipulated, gaslit, and covertly insulted for months or years you can start to lose your sense of self. Even when you have found the strength to end a relationship where you were treated this way, it haunts you. You have difficulty trusting or joyfully engaging with new people. Or maybe this is a relationship that it is not so simple to end. Perhaps it’s a relationship with a parent or sibling. You’re exhausted. You’re tired of walking on eggshells. Whether it’s time to heal from a former relationship, set some boundaries in an existing one, or bring a relationship to an end, therapy can provide you a safe place to process your experiences. Once you get to know yourself again, you can set some much-needed boundaries or say goodbye, whatever is right for you.
Victims of emotional abuse may feel like they have completely lost themselves. When we experience psychological abuse, there are severe ramifications that impact our ability to function holistically in our lives. To make matters worse, emotional abuse is often invisible to others. Our partner may behave differently in front our friends and family, but behind closed doors they are bullies and tyrants. This leads to feelings of isolation, hopelessness, and shame. As the confusion and disorientation of this experience sets in, victims start to distrust their own healthy instincts and may even blame themselves for their partners abusive behaviors. The cycle of psychological beatings is a soul killing process. Whether you experienced emotional abuse as a child or are currently living with this traumatic experience, there is hope, joy, and empowerment to be found beyond the pain and suffering. Call or email me today to schedule a free 20-minute consultation.
Psychologist, Ph.D., Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor-II (CADC-II), Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Specialist in Anger Management
By providing compassionate and confidential support, I aim to help you reclaim your life from the effects of emotional abuse. Whether you are currently experiencing abuse or working on recovery, I am here to support you every step of the way with understanding, respect, and professional care.
Marriage and Family Therapist, JD, MA, LMFT, CCTP, CAGCS
Emotional abuse is sometimes overlooked as the pain and damage is on the inside. But, the effect on the psyche can be overwhelming. The loss of self esteem, self confidence can be life altering. I have studied the effects of toxic relationships and narcissism in relationships and the tools used to control the abused partner (i.e. gaslighting, isolation, and lies) I hols certificates in Codependency, Narcissism and Trauma Bonding. The goal of therapy is to free you from the toxic relationship; allow you to understand how you became captive in an emotional abusive cycle and never allow the pattern to repeat.
With clients having suffered from emotional abuse, I incorporate not only psychodynamic techniques but also as an informed internal family systems therapist, I help clients to better identify their different "parts" in efforts to allow their true self to help heal the more exiled (vulnerable) parts that can become greatly activated when there has been history of emotional abuse, for example.
Emotional abuse can often hide from the outside world, yourself and even your partner. The visciousness of persistently being made to feel unworthy, less-than and self-shame accrues over time, often slowly, beyond obvious awareness. This can make it even more difficult to understand what is going on while adding shame to the idea of admitting and bringing the abuse to light. In therapy, we find where you are and learn about your current level of comfort - moving at your pace to begin to better understand the dynamics and how to build your core in order to shield yourself and shift into a more empowering stance.
22 Years Experience
