Serving MD, NY & NJ
Relational & Attachment Trauma
Virtual psychoanalytic therapy for relational and attachment trauma in Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. Support for healing early relationship wounds and building safer connections.
When relationships have been painful, confusing, or unsafe.
You may have learned early on that your needs were too much, your feelings were not welcome, or that closeness came with fear, criticism, instability, or disappointment.
Maybe you grew up feeling unseen, unheard, or responsible for the emotions of the people around you. Maybe you were cared for in some ways, but still did not feel emotionally safe or understood. You may even think, “It wasn’t that bad,” while also knowing that something from those relationships continues to affect you.
Relational and attachment trauma can shape how you experience yourself, your emotions, and your relationships long after the original experiences have passed.
What is Relational and Attachment Trauma?
Trauma does not always come from one clearly defined event. Sometimes, it develops through repeated experiences in relationships: emotional neglect, inconsistency, criticism, control, abandonment, abuse, or the feeling that you had to take care of everyone else before you could take care of yourself.
When the people we depend on are unavailable, unpredictable, or unsafe, we learn ways to protect ourselves. You may become overly independent, people-pleasing, guarded, fearful of being left, or uncomfortable with closeness. You may feel intensely connected to someone one moment and suddenly want to pull away the next.
These patterns are not character flaws. They are often understandable responses to what you have lived through.
How Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy can help
Understand how early relationships may be affecting your present life
Notice patterns of closeness, distance, trust, fear, or conflict in relationships
Make sense of people-pleasing, over-functioning, shutting down, or fear of abandonment
Understand why certain interactions feel especially painful or overwhelming
Develop a stronger sense of safety within yourself
Build healthier boundaries without losing connection
Create more choice in how you relate to yourself and others
We will not simply focus on what happened to you. We will also think together about how those experiences may be living on in your inner world, your relationships, and the ways you see yourself.
Is This the Right Fit for You?
This may be for you if
This work tends to be a good fit if closeness feels anxious, unsafe, or overwhelming rather than steady — if you find yourself repeatedly drawn into painful or unstable relationships, or fear being left, rejected, or misunderstood before it even happens. Maybe you carry shame, self-doubt, or a sense of being "too much" or "not enough," or you're more used to tracking everyone else's feelings than your own. You're ready to understand how your early relationships may still be shaping your life now.
You do not need a perfect memory of your childhood, or a clear explanation for why you feel the way you do. You only need to be willing to get curious about your experience.
This may not be the fit right now if
This approach may not be the best fit if you're looking for brief, highly structured treatment focused only on immediate symptom relief. It may also not provide the level of support you need if your immediate safety is at risk, or you require more intensive care than outpatient therapy can offer.
That doesn't mean you're beyond help — it simply means we may need to think carefully about what kind of support is most appropriate for you right now.
What Sessions Are Like?
Trauma work does not mean forcing yourself to relive every painful moment or tell your story before you are ready. We will move at a pace that feels manageable.
The therapeutic relationship can become an important part of this work. Together, we may begin to notice how you experience trust, closeness, conflict, disappointment, anger, vulnerability, and care.
This can feel unfamiliar, messy, and sometimes scary—but it can also become a place to build a different kind of experience.
I will help you make room for the feelings that come up without becoming overwhelmed by them. Over time, you may begin to feel more grounded, more connected to yourself, and more able to create relationships that feel safer and more fulfilling.
Virtual Relational and Attachment Trauma Therapy
CURRENTLY OFFERING
Virtual psychoanalytic psychotherapy to adults located in Maryland, New York, and New Jersey.
COMING SOON
In-person psychoanalytic psychotherapy in Rockville and Montgomery County, Maryland
COMING SOON
Virtual psychoanalytic psychotherapy in Washington, DC.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is relational and attachment trauma?
Relational and attachment trauma develops through repeated relationship experiences — emotional neglect, inconsistency, criticism, or feeling responsible for someone else's emotions — rather than one clearly defined event. It shapes how you experience yourself and your relationships long after those experiences have passed.
Do I need to remember specific events for trauma therapy to help?
No. This work doesn't require reliving or retelling every painful moment before you're ready. We move at a pace that feels manageable, focusing more on the patterns trauma left behind — in trust, closeness, and safety — than on recounting specific incidents in detail.
How do I know if what I experienced counts as trauma?
You don't need a dramatic or clearly defined event for an experience to count as trauma. Repeated emotional neglect, inconsistency, or feeling responsible for a caregiver's emotions can shape you just as deeply — even if part of you still thinks "it wasn't that bad."
Do I need a diagnosis to start therapy for relational trauma?
No — you don't need a diagnosis or a clear explanation for why you feel the way you do to begin. You only need to be willing to get curious about your experience and how your early relationships may still be shaping your life now.
GET IN TOUCH
Take back your power today by scheduling a free 15 minute consultation phone call.
