Couples Counseling Therapists in Leeds, MA

I believe seeking therapy takes courage. As such, I bring compassion, warmth, respect and openness to the process. I strive to hold a no judgement space for people while working with them to develop new perspectives and tools to cope with challenging experiences and life transitions, thus transforming counter-productive ways of seeing and being. I am a sex positive therapist and enjoy engaging in the work with all different individuals and pairs ranging from intimate partnerships to family dyads.

I specialize in relationships and sexuality. That includes addressing themes such as attachment wounds, conflict/conflict avoidance, differences in communication, infidelity, gaps in desire, low desire, difficulty communicating about sex, ENM, polyamory, etc. And to be explicit: LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC folks are most welcome. I primarily work with couples and occasionally work with individuals. Couples sessions are 75 minutes and cost is out of pocket only. Please email to schedule a short consultation call. Do not leave a voicemail.

My mission is to help my clients better understand who they are, what they want from this life, and how to move towards a more integrated self. My alternative style of therapy blends traditional talk therapy with non-traditional therapeutic methods such as nature therapy, mindfulness-based practices, music, art, movement, and nature-based groups. I have found both personally and professionally that nature, creative expression, and physical activity set the stage for healing and growth, and I enjoy incorporating these elements into my therapeutic approach.

Feeling stuck in a broken relationship and wondering if the two of you can make it work is difficult to manage on your own. I use principles of PACT therapy, developed by Dr. Stan Tatkin, to help move your relationship towards secure functioning and to help you find solutions. However, maybe you have already separated and are finding it daunting to share the responsibilities of parenting your child in two completely different households. If you share children, it's likely going to require special skills to meet the child's best interests. I assist parents to rebuild communication in order to promote the child's well-being.

I have been a psychotherapist for over 30 years. Early in my career I co-authored a book called Relationships, which explored how marriages either succeeded or failed. My work on the book helped me formulate a way of working with couples, one that was supportive of struggle in the interest of strengthening the relationship bond. I attempt to help couples not only survive but also to thrive. In addition, I do long- term psychodynamic work with individuals . I have worked with many people struggling with depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress.

I believe that therapy unfolds differently for everyone. Where for some, the process is about acknowledging painful aspects of life, for others it is about developing coping skills so that the painful aspects of life cease to be so overwhelming. Because of this variation, I offer a therapy relationship that is open and attentive. I balance being empathic and challenging, because ultimately good therapy is about feeling supported in making positive life changes.

I work with individuals across the adult life span, couples/folks in relationships, and families who are looking to feel more connected to themselves and others, navigate distress and conflict, and build more meaningful relationships and lives. My clients encompass the spectrum of gender and sexuality identities and live within a variety of relationship structures - monogamous, polyamorous, and non-monogamous. I collaborate with my clients to explore your strengths, needs, goals, history, and where you want to be in your life and relationships.

My name is Elizabeth Bristow and I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with over twenty years of experience providing psychotherapy for adults and adolescents. I see individuals, couples and families in my private practice. My office is centrally located, I have day and evening hours and I accept most insurances.

During our lives, we can find ourselves in painful, often repetitive situations without understanding why. I provide a safe, thoughtful space in order to help expand both your understanding of problems, and your potential for change. I believe that we all have the talents, strengths and skills necessary to make meaningful changes in our lives, and I employ extensive therapeutic experience, professional knowledge, empathic curiosity, and playfulness in the treatment of individuals ages 11 and older, couples, and families. I look forward to helping you identify and achieve your life goals.

Clients often come in seeking more of, and for, themselves. It may be loss, transition, or relationship that brings them in, as well as, stress, overwhelm and/or a clear desire to grow. Regardless of the catalyst, all are wanting something more from life. Together, we can support finding more energy, ease and fulfillment in your experience. What makes you feel alive? What gets in the way? These are questions to ask when feeling stuck. There can be complex feelings of fear, disconnect and confusion, blocking the way to motivation, clarity and desire. With openness, compassion and even humor, we can find the way, to more wholeness.

I offer individual, relationship and family therapy. My areas of interest include: nonbinary and trans identities, alternative family structures, issues concerning sexuality or sexual practices, queer family planning, fertility issues, trauma, grief and loss. I was clinically trained at Smith and have recently worked at a nonprofit primarily with adults with extreme mind states and major life disruptions. Additionally, I am the co-director of Translate Gender Inc, we offer trainings and education around gender identity and expression as well as run psychotherapy groups for trans and nonbinary individuals, relationships and families.

Good therapy helps us shift from feeling blocked by internal conflicts and fears to having a transformative relationship with ourselves and others. Mindfulness and IFS are two highly effective approaches to help access beneficial qualities of mind, even in difficult circumstances. I have successfully helped clients with a wide range of issues for 15 years, and have taught and supervised students in these techniques.

We can all become stuck, overwhelmed, hopeless, or just feel we’re not living our best lives for many different reasons. Additionally, the current unrest in society around us can shake a sense of security or predictability we may have held about what our futures hold. These may cause disruptions in sleep and appetite and encourage negative thoughts and moods to grow and persist. Whatever your struggles, I ensure professional care that is collaborative, respectful, and that has your best interests at heart.

I have been a practicing psychotherapist for 27 years. I tailor the way I work to what an individual client needs. This might involve understanding how one's past affects current mental health, exploring relationship issues, identifying feelings, or becoming more assertive. In all cases I try to provide a safe and supportive atmosphere.

We are all born into life with a story. Sometimes we're the sad kiddo, sometimes the quiet one, the perfect one, the silly one, the list goes on and on. Often these stories stick with us and become our paths but they don't have to define us. Sometimes life just takes its toll. The stress of work, loss, parenthood, health, loneliness, relationships, identity or even making day to day choices can add up and leave us feeling stuck. I've worked with individuals and couples to help amplify what's working and change patterns that are no longer serving them. Let me help get you unstuck. I'm also available for clinical supervision.

*I am not able to accept new clients at this time.* By listening deeply, providing insight, coaching and support we collaborate to move past self-defeating patterns that interfere with your living well. As a seasoned psychotherapist and life coach with 30 years experience I believe in each person's singular life path and inherent capacity to heal and grow. Drawing on mindfulness and body-based wisdom we focus your strengths to transform fear into hope, confusion into direction. I work well with people who are stuck emotionally in themselves or in their relationships; people who have experienced trauma; people desiring change.