Resources for the Journey
This resource library includes some of my favorite videos, books, and websites to help you better understand yourself and your relationships. I reference many of these in counseling, so you'll also get a little glimpse into how I show up in the therapy room.
Disclaimer:These resources are for general education and aren’t a substitute for therapy or individualized mental health care.
Understanding Yourself
Emotional awareness, attachment history, inner critics, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and protective patterns.
Core Sensitivities: Circle of Security
We all have tender places shaped by our experiences and relationships. This video explores how those sensitivities influence the ways we protect ourselves, respond to others, and seek connection—often without even realizing it.
The Hand Model of the Brain with Dr. Dan Siegel
Ever wonder why it's so hard to think clearly or respond calmly when emotions run high? This simple illustration helps us understand what happens in our brains when we become overwhelmed and why recognizing these moments can help us respond with greater awareness, compassion, and intention.
Knowing Yourself Emotionally
Sometimes we can understand our experiences intellectually without fully connecting to what we're feeling underneath. This video explores the difference between knowing about ourselves and understanding ourselves emotionally, inviting greater curiosity and compassion toward our inner world.
Window of Tolerance
Ever wonder why some moments feel manageable while others leave you overwhelmed or shut down? This video introduces the window of tolerance and explores how our nervous system responds to stress, helping us recognize when we're feeling regulated and when we might need a little extra support to find our balance.
Connecting In Relationship
Exploring the patterns that shape our relationships, the emotions beneath our reactions, and the small moments that help us build stronger, more meaningful connections.
Brene Brown: On Empathy
Sometimes the most meaningful thing we can offer someone isn't a solution, advice, or a different perspective. It's the experience of feeling understood. This short video offers a beautiful reminder of what empathy can look like in our relationships.
Taming the Cycle
Ever feel like you and your partner get stuck having the same argument over and over? This lighthearted video introduces the negative cycle that can keep couples feeling disconnected and explores how recognizing the pattern can be the first step toward greater understanding, connection, and closeness.
The Gottman Institute: The Easiest Way to Improve Your Relationship
Connection isn't always built through big gestures. Often, it's the small, everyday moments that matter most. This video explores how noticing and responding to your partner's bids for connection can strengthen your relationship and build a greater sense of closeness over time.
The Challenge of Being Close
We often long for closeness, yet letting someone truly know us can feel vulnerable. This video explores why emotional intimacy isn't always easy and how our fears and protective patterns can sometimes get in the way of the very connection we're seeking.
Good Reads
Why do couples get stuck in the same painful patterns, even when they deeply love each other? This book explores the science of attachment and offers a roadmap for understanding negative cycles, strengthening emotional connection, and creating a more secure bond.
When disagreements quickly turn into arguments, shutdowns, or hurt feelings, it can be difficult to find your way back to each other. This practical guide offers tools for slowing down conflict, understanding emotional reactions, and building healthier ways of communicating.
Setting boundaries isn't always easy, especially when you're used to putting everyone else's needs first. This book offers practical guidance for identifying your limits, communicating your needs, and creating healthier relationships without losing yourself in the process.
Family relationships can be complicated, especially when old patterns continue to shape our present experiences. This book explores how to recognize unhealthy family dynamics, establish meaningful boundaries, and move toward healthier ways of relating.
Does great sex always fade over time? Good news: Research says otherwise! Securely attached couples have the most frequent sex—in the greatest variety, with the least inhibition. But as most couples know, this level of intimacy requires communication, vulnerability, and trust.
Understanding ourselves can open the door to greater compassion for both ourselves and others. Through the lens of the Enneagram, this book invites readers to explore their motivations, recognize familiar patterns, and grow in self-awareness and connection.
What might change if we stopped measuring our worth by how much we accomplish or how well we meet others' expectations? This book explores the courage to embrace our imperfections, release unrealistic expectations, and cultivate a greater sense of authenticity and belonging.
Betrayal can shake our sense of safety, trust, and connection in profound ways. This compassionate resource explores the emotional impact of betrayal, the complicated attachment responses that often follow, and the journey toward healing and reclaiming a sense of self.
Practical Tools
-
Practical, skills-based resources for managing intense emotions, distress, and suicidal thoughts, including videos and DBT-informed coping strategies.
-
Education, support groups, provider directories, and resources for individuals and families navigating perinatal mental health challenges.
-
Building a stronger relationship begins with understanding the patterns that keep us disconnected. Based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), this interactive online program guides couples through meaningful conversations and practical exercises to better understand one another, navigate conflict, and strengthen their emotional bond—all at their own pace.