About Barbara
Welcome to my website! I’d like to tell you a little about who I am and what I do. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Relationship Coach. I received my Master’s of Science Degree in Educational Psychology and Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. I have also been trained at the Institute for Life Coach Training. I have 13 years experience working in private practice with individuals, couples and families. Over those years I have come to find that my passion is working with couples and helping partners build strong, healthy and loving relationships.
As you know, all too many marriages end in heartbreaking divorce. There seem to be plenty of examples in our culture about the first stages of a relationship or marriage when the feelings are intense, chemistry and passion predominate and almost everything feels good. Plenty of movies and tv shows show us this phase of a relationship. What we almost never see are examples of relationships that have endured, where those initial intense "in love" feelings have grown into a deep, strong bond, where love and, yes, passion still do live. Having little or no models to look to to see "how" a relationship evolves to this, many of us have trouble getting there. Not because we are incapable of getting there but because we have never learned the tools.
I am saddened to see so many couples suffer silently or decide to divorce, especially when I know there are often ways to avoid both. That is the knowledge that has lead me down the path of working with couples and relationships. We are social animals and we are designed and wired to connect. It is satisfying relationships, both intimate and otherwise, that often provide the most sense of satisfaction in life. So, helping people with their relalationships, all of their relationships, has become my mission.