Relationship Issues Therapists in Nashville, TN

Life, especially relational life, can be confusing and overwhelmingly painful.. These difficult conditions often have a purpose, which is healing and positive change. My speciality is relationships, and with an extensive background in crisis intervention, I help couples unpack conflict, reduce anxiety by finding the path forward, learning the tools to achieve desired change, especially connection. As deeply painful and uncertain as difficulties may be, it is also a time of opportunity, growth, healing and wisdom.

Welcome to New Story Therapy! My hope is to provide you with a safe, supportive space to navigate your relationship with yourself and with others. I currently work primarily with adults who are seeking healing from trauma, anxiety, and depression that may stem from family of origin issues, physical, sexual, & emotional abuse, relationship conflict, and other difficult life experiences. Many of my clients are entrepreneurs, creatives, students, Asian Americans & people of color, and people within the helping profession. You have taken the first step of courage in being here, and it is my honor to connect with you.

My goal as a therapist is to create a safe, trusting, and collaborative environment for clients to work through difficult experiences and achieve growth. I honor the uniqueness of each client and provide a space in which they can explore how their past experiences may be impacting their current relationships, thought patterns, and view of themselves. Whether you are dealing with a traumatic experience, anxiety, disordered eating, or are just feeling “stuck,” together we will work to enhance your ability to cope, so that you can achieve a more balanced and fulfilled life.

I work with adults, adolescents, and couples on various issues. Some of the specific areas I excel at are with clients looking to conquer life's obstacles caused by trauma, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. During our time together, I will create a supportive environment and assist you in establishing goals and skills needed to achieve your desired lifestyle.

I work with clients wanting to heal from all kinds of painful experiences and challenges in their lives. Often what brings someone into therapy, their current struggles, are symptoms of an underlying unresolved experience which has thrown life out of balance. Anxiety and depression, for example, frequently are a pattern of being stuck in a state of imbalance, following a significant loss, heartbreak or trauma. The goal of therapy is to restore the natural integrity and balance within clients, empowering them to lead creative and fulfilling lives.

A𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 & 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗦: Are you desperate for real results and prefer direct therapy over someone just passive listening? Have you struggled with feeling not good enough and that you can't help but to keep failing? Do you feel hopeless and unmotivated trying to meet your goals? Wondering why you keep making the SAME mistakes over and over again? Does all this hurt leave you with feelings of guilt, shame, fear, or pain? Are you in a relationship wondering if you chose the right person because of all the conflict? Do you fear that you might not be compatible but really want to find a way to fix it?

I work with individuals and couples using CBT, interpersonal psychodynamic therapy, and EMDR among other techniques. Interests include trauma, anxiety, relationships issues, family of origin issues, and how coping strategies to manage past situations may be tripping us up currently. I am skillful at helping clients find new solutions when they hit impasses. I strive to provide a collaborative, healing relationship where clients can unlearn, relearn, or learn anew as appropriate to be able to experience their full range of emotions and live without too much of their energy being tied up in the past. Humor is often useful in our journey.

With over 45 years in clinical practice, treating a wide variety of issues, I appreciate that each person has a unique personal story. I believe that remaining current with relevant scientific findings enhances my clinical work. I also believe that training young therapists at four universities has sharpened my thinking about how to understand each individual, as well as improving my skills in conducting therapy. Over a decade of doing psychotherapy research has deepened my understanding about how psychotherapy works. I tailor my therapeutic approach to your personal situation. We will work together to resolve your problems.

I believe we can all use a little help sometimes. We all experience situations where we need some help figuring out how to move forward in life. It can feel like we've hit a wall and the ways we once faced our problems are no longer working for us. Or we've come up against something we never expected and we're not quite sure how to handle it. I think from the time we are little and through our different experiences we learn how to handle our problems and there can come a time when the way we've learned to handle things does not serve us well. Ultimately I believe this can lead to incredible growth and an opportunity to re-evaluate.

My specialty areas include trauma and PTSD (rape, child abuse, domestic violence, neglect, emotional abuse, car accidents and other accidents, combat exposure, and other violent crimes); relationship issues (couples therapy, recovering from affairs, LGBT couples, family conflict); sexuality (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning concerns, sexual performance, diverse sexual expression); gender (women's issues, men's issues, transgender issues); identity exploration (college students, multicultural populations, career changes); mood disorders (depression and anxiety); along with other areas of concern. Please go to www.mcaninchpsychological.com to see more.

One of the most meaningful parts of the human experience is being in relationship. Whether it’s premarital, marital/partnership or divorce adjustment, I love to help couples discern the kindest, safest, most loving way to navigate their world. The relationships we had with our primary caregivers often serve as a template for how we negotiate romantic partnership, and those models don’t always work for us. We carry the stories of all attachment relationships with us, and they impact the way we interact with our partners. When the going gets tough and love itself is not enough, how do we turn toward our chosen ones instead of away?

If you feel you sometimes get in the way of your own happiness, or find yourself repeating relationship patterns that are ineffective, I may be a good fit for you. Whether the difficulty is past trauma or present circumstances, I enjoy working with individuals who long to create a healthier connection with themselves and others. Disconnectedness can result in anxiety, isolation, depression or addiction. I understand the panic and fear that surfaces when my clients have been hurt by themselves or by those they love the most. I create a safe space for them to process difficult experiences, while learning to live a more fulfilled life

Feeling frustrated and confused about being in the same place, again! Life was going along smoothly and then, out of nowhere life feels punishing. Barely sleeping, anxious/depressed, feeling angry, sad, and confused because even the time at home feels miserable. Your relationship is struggling, and you can’t wait to get away for the day but you also know that when you aren’t distracted, the anxious and depressed feelings are still overwhelming no matter where you go. There is still part of you that knows the past is interfering with your ability to find peace. Life can be good but you can’t seem to figure out how to get there.

Each individual person has unique gifts and positive personal attributes to discover within themselves. Therapy can be a place to identify personal strengths or to begin to heal from pain. In my approach to therapy, the client is always the expert on their own lives. The most important part of my job is to partner with clients to discover what might be getting in the way of personal growth or relationship satisfaction.

I work with those who suffer from anxiety, trauma recovery, relational issues, grief and loss, and in exploring self-identity. I also enjoy work with individual clients who seek help in their relationship. My goal as a therapist is to create and manage hope for change with you as a client. To teach you tools and skills that help you exercise agency in your every day life to move away from where you currently are and towards where you dream to be. I see clients from a space of wild curiosity, authenticity, and compassion, and hope that they too can one day be curious, authentic and compassionate towards self and towards others.

Are you troubled by self doubt, questioning your or your partner's level of commitment, or contemplating walking away from a relationship? Perhaps you are feeling disconnected from others or frustrated by an unsatisfying sex life. Is the conflict in your family extreme? Are you struggling to coparent effectively? You may be single and exasperated by the drama that sometimes comes along with dating. Or, a parent who is helplessly watching your child or adolescent struggle educationally or in social relationships. If any of these statements resonate with you, I can help you navigate your journey to contentment, confidence, and bliss.

"The Wound is the Place Where the Light Enters You." ~ Rumi~ In one way or another, our souls have been bruised. Depression, anxiety, divorce/relationship issues, trauma, family crisis, & many other issues can slowly chip away at our self-worth, our sense of belonging, our hope. Do you seek a true, raw connection with yourself & others? Are you tired of fighting the "uphill battle" & seek peace in your life? I have no magic wand. I cannot make troubles disappear. I can, however, walk with you & give you the tools to find inner peace & love in the midst of chaos.

Life feels burdensome. You struggle to keep up with its changes and demands, and often feel overwhelmed. Your relationships feel distressing and distant, and you’re not sure how to make this work anymore. You've experienced loss, and the pain is challenging to manage. It’s an endless cycle leaving you feeling alone and stuck. You want the chaos to quiet, the joy to return, and the darkness to lift. I believe there’s a way through pain and heartache. Let’s uncover hope and healing together.

Are you seeking guidance, honest feedback, effective tools, and nurturing support as you tackle life's challenges and the emotional and mental toll it sometimes takes? We all need this support during challenging personal growth, life transitions, and times of loss. Emotional wounds and traumas from the past surface to be healed and can create anxiety and depression. My holistic approach emphasizes the mind/body and spirit connection. I combine my experience as a psychotherapist, energy worker, and spiritual seeker to assist those looking to live more authentically.