Services
Relationship and Individual Therapy
Your relationship is the cornerstone of your life, influencing your focus, your well-being, and your future. My practice provides a safe environment where I address the complexities of partnership with clinical expertise and genuine empathy.
As a specialist working exclusively via telehealth, I offer a private sanctuary for you to do the serious work of growth and restoration from the comfort of your own space.
Relationship Therapy
Struggling in your relationship? Join me for relationship therapy to rebuild trust and connection and move forward together.
Sharing a life and a home should feel like a true partnership, not a polite but lonely coexistence. I work with relationships that have reached a point where the status quo is no longer an option. Whether you are navigating the aftermath of a significant betrayal, breaking through years of perpetual conflict, or simply trying to end the roommate phase, our work is focused on active restoration.
Many things get in the way of a fulfilling, deep relationship. Sometimes, life events or personal choices result in heightened conflict; other times, closeness disappears slowly and quietly. You may wake up one day wondering how you grew so far apart, missing the zest and connection you once shared. Whether you are thinking, "We’re great roommates, but there’s no spark," or "We always have the same fight," these challenges drastically impact your daily life.
I bypass surface-level bickering to address the load-bearing issues of trust and intimacy. As your strategic guide, I intervene in destructive cycles and provide you with evidence-based, actionable steps to move from mere coexistence to actually enjoying life with your partner again.
Focus Areas
Together, we will customize our work to navigate your unique challenges, focusing on:
Conflict Management: Breaking the cycle of the same old fight and learning to repair past hurts.
Restoring Friendship: Rebuilding the foundation of your relationship to improve daily connection.
Deepening Intimacy: Moving beyond the roommate phase to rekindle the spark and zest in your marriage.
Creating Shared Purpose: Aligning your values to build a resilient legacy together.
Targeted Support for Tough Challenges
Every relationship faces specific hurdles. I provide expert guidance on the issues that matter most to high-achieving partners, including:
Communication & Fighting Styles
Infidelity & Trust Recovery
Financial Alignment
Parenting & Extended Family Dynamics
Physical and Emotional Intimacy
Is this right for your relationship?
A high-stakes relationship requires a specific level of commitment and a specialized therapeutic environment. Because my practice is focused on active, intensive restoration, it is essential to ensure that our work aligns with your current circumstances and goals.
This approach is designed for you if…
You Feel Stuck: You are tired of the "status quo" and realize that your current methods of resolving conflict or seeking connection are no longer working. You are ready to stop the cycle of frustration and start building a new way forward.
You Are Results-Oriented: Both of you share a genuine desire to restore your bond or end entrenched conflict. You are prepared to invest the necessary emotional energy to achieve a partnership that serves as your greatest source of strength.
You Value Momentum: You recognize that your relationship is your most important legacy. You want to move decisively to address issues and are looking for a focused, immersive experience rather than a passive, open-ended process.
This approach may not be right for you if…
To ensure the safety and clinical integrity of our work, certain situations require specialized intervention before relational or individual therapy can be effective:
Ongoing Infidelity: All partners in the relationship must be all-in for restoration to begin. If there is a current, undisclosed, or ongoing physical or emotional affair that a partner is unwilling to end, the foundation for rebuilding trust does not yet exist.
Safety and Ongoing Abuse: If you are currently in a relationship involving active violence, or if you are living in a state of fear for your physical safety, my telehealth practice is not the appropriate first step. Healing in a relationship, or individually from trauma, requires a level of environmental security that must be established before deeper therapeutic work can begin. If you are experiencing abuse, I strongly encourage you to connect with a specialized domestic violence advocate or a practitioner who specializes in crisis intervention for abused adults. These professionals are equipped to help you prioritize your immediate safety and provide the specific resources needed for your protection.
Unaddressed Addiction: I support individuals who are currently in a stable recovery process, and therapy for relationship growth or trauma cannot substitute for a dedicated addiction treatment program. If you are navigating an active chemical dependency that is not yet being managed by a recovery specialist or a structured program, those clinical needs must be addressed first to ensure you have the stability required for our work together.
Acute Crisis: If you are currently experiencing active suicidal or homicidal thoughts, or if you have a recent history of serious attempts to harm yourself or others, a higher level of intensive psychiatric care or immediate crisis intervention is necessary. My practice is designed for ongoing growth and is not a crisis-response facility. If you are in immediate danger, call or text 988 or contact your local emergency services.
Premarital & Pre Move-In
"I do" & “Where is MY closet?” are big steps. Building a legacy starts with a resilient foundation.
Committing to a lifetime of love or a live-in, let’s see how it goes partnership is an exciting milestone. As you imagine what the future holds, it is the ideal time to intentionally strengthen your connection and learn techniques to stay close for decades. Like anything worthwhile, a marriage needs proactive work; research from The Gottman Institute shows that premarital counseling leads to higher satisfaction and greater resilience to stress in the future.
In our sessions, I provide proven techniques to stay deeply in love while navigating the complexities of a shared life. We cultivate long-term happiness by ensuring you know how to navigate difficult seasons and shape your future together with a shared purpose.
How Premarital & Pre Move-In Therapy Work
Individual Insights: When we first meet, I will ask about you individually and as partners. Afterward, you will each complete a specialized questionnaire from the Gottman Institute. These insights help us start in the right place, pinpointing both your strengths and areas for growth.
Strategic Review: Based on what you shared in session, my observations, and assessments, I will craft a personalized plan. I will share potential trouble spots based on your unique personalities and needs, tackling the topics that matter most to you.
The Professional Toolkit: During our sessions, I will equip you with specific concepts and tools to use throughout your life. You will walk away with activities and approaches to strengthen the pillars of a successful relationship: Friendship, Conflict Management, and Shared Meaning.
Individual Therapy
Individual Therapy for Personal and Relationship Growth
Personal evolution is the catalyst for relational change.
Sometimes, the path to a healthier partnership begins with the individual. Trauma and chronic stress can live in the nervous system long after a difficult experience has ended. You might notice hypervigilance, emotional numbness, difficulty trusting, or feeling easily overwhelmed and shut down. Often, these internal responses feel bigger than the present moment, leaving you feeling isolated, anxious, or on edge.
If you feel stuck in patterns of anxiety or find that your spouse struggles to be close to you when you feel out of control, I can help. I understand the impact that unmanaged emotions can have on your life and your relationship. Feeling chaotic inside can be terrifying, but there are evidence-based ways to regain your sense of stability: EMDR, DBT, TF-CBT, and Narrative Therapy.
Strong relationships improve with intention.
Counseling208, LLC, DBA Susan Barker Therapy, is an inclusive and affirming business. I work with partners and individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Differences include, but are not limited to, internal, external, and worldview diversity.