Individual Therapy for Relationships & Attachment

in Brentwood & throughout TN

Do You Feel Alone—Even in Your Closest Relationships?

No matter what you do, it feels like something is missing in your relationships. You try to be a good friend, partner, or family member, but deep down, you feel isolated, uncared for, unseen.

Maybe you’ve learned that the best way to keep people close is to make them happy.

    • Always say ‘yes’ to every request, even when you’re exhausted—because if you don’t, they might stop asking.

    • Go along with whatever others want, smiling through it—even when it’s not what you want—because disappointing people feels unbearable.

    • Feel responsible for managing others’ emotions, believing it’s your job to keep the peace.

    • Apologize constantly, as if taking up space is a mistake.

    • Downplay your struggles, answering “I’m fine” even when you’re drowning—because you don’t want to be a burden.

    • Pull away when overwhelmed, convinced no one will truly understand.

Maybe you’ve learned that the best way to keep people close is to make them happy.

    • Hesitate to ask for help—or don’t ask at all— because if they say no, the rejection will hurt too much.

    • Make every decision alone, even when you’re paralyzed with anxiety—because letting people see your uncertainty feels like failure.

    • Overextend yourself, believing you have to handle everything on your own.

    • Hold yourself (and others) to impossibly high standards, taking on everything yourself to make sure it’s done “right.”

    • Struggle to trust that anyone can truly be there for you, so you keep your real thoughts and feelings hidden.

    • Keep people at a distance, never letting them see the real you.

Maybe these patterns started long ago—when a parent dismissed your feelings, a friend betrayed your trust, or a partner made you feel like you were too much.

And now, no matter how hard you try, it feels like something is missing in your relationships. You want to feel connected, safe, and valued—but you don’t know how.

You realize now—you’ve been people-pleasing or distancing (maybe both) for as long as you can remember. You learned that to be the best friend, partner, or family member, you had to always take care of others. There was never room for your own needs. If you wanted support, you had to handle it alone.

And if you ever forgot your role, your inner critic was there to remind you:

  • “You’re a terrible kid if you don’t visit your parents.”

  • “Your partner is struggling—pick up the slack, or what good are you?”

  • “Don’t burden your friends with your problems. That’s how you lose them.”

  • “Why would anyone help you? Asking for support just makes you weak.”

You learned that your needs weren’t as important. That good relationships meant making yourself small, keeping people happy, and giving to others—but rarely to yourself.

You’ve done all of this in search of fulfilling, meaningful, close relationships.

So why do you feel burned out, drained…lonely?

Relationships we focus on:

Childhood parent relationships

  • inattentive parents

  • overly critical parents

  • guilt-tripping parents

  • overly controlling parents

  • parents who struggled with substance use

Romantic partner relationships

  • inattentive partners

  • overly critical partners

  • guilt-tripping partners

  • overly controlling partners

  • non-helping partners

Imagine Your Relationships Felt Like This…

“You say yes only to the invitations that excite you or feel meaningful—without guilt.

You give others the freedom to ask for support while allowing yourself the same permission—to set boundaries, to be heard, to receive.

You express how you feel honestly and reach out when you need space, help, or even just to share a win—without fear of being a burden.

You show up for the people you love with compassion and acceptance—and they show up for you.

Your inner voice becomes soothing and encouraging:
— "It’s okay to take time for yourself."
— "Let’s check in on your partner instead of carrying everything alone."
— " Your friends care—they want to be there for you, too."

Instead of feeling drained and unseen, your relationships become fulfilling, meaningful, and reciprocal. You feel close, connected, and loved—just as you are.

How Counseling Can Help!

  • You’ll explore the earliest relationships that shaped how you connect with others today. What messages did you receive about emotions, closeness, and independence? What patterns are you still following—without realizing it?

  • Maybe you learned that love had to be earned through people-pleasing. Or that relying on others was unsafe. Therapy helps you challenge these beliefs and replace them with ones that serve you.

  • You’ll develop the skills to say what you need, set boundaries, and listen deeply—without guilt or fear. No more hiding your feelings or guessing what others expect from you.

  • Trust doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll learn how to discern safe, supportive relationships and build confidence that others can show up for you—without needing to control everything.

  • Not every relationship will look the same, and that’s okay. You’ll stop chasing perfection and allow yourself (and others) to show up authentically, even when things aren’t perfect.

  • Your worth isn’t based on what you do for others. You’ll practice allowing your needs to take up space, knowing you are deserving of care, love, and connection—just as you are.

  • As you develop these skills, relationships will stop feeling like a constant test of your worth. You’ll find yourself surrounded by people who see you, hear you, and love you—not for what you do, but for who you are.

By building these skills, you create space to engage with yourself and others compassionately, understanding that you deserve to take up space in your relationships—to set boundaries, express needs, and be heard.

You begin to see how people-pleasing and hyper-independence have been keeping you at a distance from the deep connections you truly crave. Instead of protecting yourself through avoidance or over-giving, you start to trust the right people with your vulnerabilities—allowing them to trust you in return.

By showing up authentically and honestly, your relationships become more fulfilling, more reciprocal, and more real—not built on obligation or performance, but on mutual care, trust, and joy.

Therapy for Individual Relationships Can Help You:

  • Understand and communicate your needs—without over-explaining, feeling guilty, or worrying that asking for something will push people away.

  • Set and respect boundaries—so you don’t always have to be the one who compromises just to keep the peace.

  • Trust that relationships can handle honesty and repair—instead of assuming any conflict means you’ve ruined everything.

  • Accept that different relationships—and different people—can be close and meaningful, even if they don’t look the same.

  • Feel safer being vulnerable—so you can let people see the real you without fear of disappointing them.

  • Redefine or let go of relationships that drain you—without feeling like you’ve failed.

Courageously choose to be vulnerable…

Cultivate the meaningful relationships you desire! 

 Frequently Asked Questions:

  • A: Great question! We work on any relationships that you feel are important to you.

    • Parents

    • Siblings

    • Romantic Partners

    • Extended family (including the in-laws)

    • Friends

    • Colleagues, Co-workers, bosses; peers, teachers

    • People you interact with on a daily basis

    In exploring and developing relationship skills with others, you and your relationship with yourself remains the focus. We focus on recognizing your patterns and roles in relationships, how your inner voice shows up, and how to actively make changes to how you show up and take up space.

  • A: Great question! Maybe you're coming to counseling for a specific relationship. We focus on this relationship and discuss specific tools and techniques you can use to improve this relationship. In this work, we may even find that some of the things that are coming up in this one relationship, may actually be coming up in multiple relationships. Through individual counseling, you are able to identify and address your own internal and external relationship patterns to have better and more fulfilling relationships in all areas.

  • A: I am fully supportive (and may even recommend) of that journey for you! Although I do not provide those services myself, I am happy to help make referrals to other clinicians in the area that do work with couples or families. I also remain available to support you individually, if you choose, which can be complementary to the work you do in couples or family counseling. This gives you your own safe space to more fully yourself: your needs, your role in relationships, your own personal stressors and coping skills-which can bring in valuable insight into your additional counseling spaces that allows their focus to be on the couple and family as a unit.