Our Relationship Therapy Program, based on Family Systems theory and Family Systems training, recognizes the enormous impact of close relationships (or should be close) on our psychology, behavior, and overall functioning as humans. We are social animals at our core, so our interconnectedness cannot be ignored when we consider how we actualize as humans, through therapy and life.
Our relationship therapists are trained to work directly with relationship systems, from dyads to whole households and beyond. We are not afraid of a crowded therapy room we love it when we can get lots of people involved in healing. We are also trained to work with individuals who would benefit from processing through their families alone. Sometimes individual relationship system work is the first step we needed to heal the system.
We collaborate closely with the other specialty programs: Early Childhood, Addiction and Substance Abuse Treatment, LGBTQ+ Mental Health, and the Maternal Mental Health program, in addition to the general mental health program. In many cases, it is appropriate and even recommended to engage in relationship therapy along with another therapeutic modality.
Listen to two of our Mental Health Therapists discuss relationship therapy in a recent podcast:
What to Expect When Engaging in Relationship Therapy:
As a family system (2 or more people)...
Relationship therapy with another person or people may feel very different from individual therapy. For one, you are sharing the therapeutic time and space with other people – often the people you care the most about, and who can trigger you the most! Some say relationship therapy is the hardest therapy modality to be in. So, if you are feeling nervous about this type of work, you are not alone! Our therapists are trained to skillfully support productive communication and connection and to help reframe and redirect any reactivity in the room. Most of the time, we are successful in helping people come away from sessions with positive outcomes such as deeper understanding, deeper empathy, and some practical ways to navigate conflict when it comes up.
There are cases, however, when one or more parties are beyond the reach of the relationship therapist and are not ready to make the changes needed to have productive relationship therapy. For this reason, we begin every relationship therapy case as an assessment to discern whether or not we will be able to help at this time. An assessment period lasts between 1 – 6 sessions. During this time the therapist will explore the experiences, needs, hopes, and reservations of everyone involved. It is having our practice during this assessment time to meet with clients in session together and also has some 1:1 sessions. Your relationship therapist will guide you with a plan for this assessment period. Once a thorough relationship assessment is conducted, your therapist will make recommendations about how to move forward.
As an individual...
Individuals can often benefit significantly from working with a therapist trained in the family systems approach. No matter your diagnosis, we can help you work through your family system. Through this individual work, we will likely engage in a Genogram exploration which is like going through your family tree several generations back. Through this intervention, we will explore interactional patterns, traits, and positive and negative coping patterns that were passed down through the generations of your family. Individuals who engage in working through family issues often find their relationships improve even if they are not able to attend therapy with the people in these relationships.
Key Topics We Can Help You Address:
(And yes, if it’s on here we have seen it a lot):
General Relationship Issues
- “Communication Issues” – This is the most common phrase people use when stating their reason for seeking couple or family therapy; it can mean a lot of things and we are here to help with whatever it means for you.
- Emotional reactivity
- Attachment issues
- Dealing with substance abuse in a relationship
- Dealing with other major mental health issues in a relationship
- Healing from trauma together
Romantic Relationship Issues
- Dating issues
- Getting over a significant breakup
- Pre-marital support
- Discernment counseling (deciding whether or not to stay together)
- Closure for the end of a relationship
- Open relationships/exploring and supporting non-monogamous relationships
- Healing from infidelity and other major betrayals
- Issues with in-laws
- Intimacy issues (both sexual and emotional)
- Adjustment to becoming new parents
- Improving your sex life
- Other issues related to sexuality in your relationship(s)
- Domestic abuse and violence – note that we will conduct thorough safety checks when exploring these issues
Family Relationship Issues
- Parent-child conflict – at whatever age
- Sibling conflict – at whatever age
- Blending families
- Reunification after parent/child separation within the domestic US
- Reunification after international parent/child separation
- Co-parenting issues
Insurance:
We accept most insurance plans including Medicaid and Medicare. If you don’t have health insurance, we’ll help you apply for public benefits or provide care at a discount. Note that due to the mission of our organization, we prioritize clients with Medicaid, Medicare, and DC Alliance.
Contact Us:
Mary’s Center is ready to partner with you on your health journey. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us using the information below:
- If you are a new behavioral health participant, please attend an intake screening.
- To contact our intake team, please call (202) 869-2532 and leave a voicemail or email bhintake@maryscenter.org.
- If you currently receive behavioral health services at Mary’s Center and you are interested in relationship therapy, please discuss this with your behavioral health provider who can help connect you.
Relationship Therapy Internship Program:
Since the systems approach, training, and licensure reflecting this expertise are relatively new in the field of psychology and behavioral health, Mary’s Center Mental Health invests in training the next generation of clinicians who can serve our community with this approach.
We are led by an AAMFT Approved Supervisor and organized to meet requirements for COAMFTE-accredited graduate programs. Additionally, we are open to taking on students from Counseling and Social Work programs who are interested in specializing in this area of mental health counseling and therapy. In most cases, we can support these requirements for offsite internships as well.
We especially look for bilingual clinicians who can support the diverse clientele we serve.
Internship Program Enrollment
We review applications for the upcoming semester on a rolling basis. We are set up to take on up to 4 students a semester who can see a minimum of 6-10 clients a week. Please send any questions about this program to snorthey@maryscenter.org
Application coming soon!
If you are a client working with a relationship therapy intern, benefits include your case being supervised by an expert clinician in the field, consults, and guidance to help your case with our full team of family therapy experts (with your consent, of course), extended session times and flexible weekend and evening hours, and support based on the latest research and training coming from the relationship therapy and MH programs these students attend.
