The Weight of Everything Unsaid 💔 Austynn sat across from me, stirring coffee that had gone cold an hour ago, eyes fixed on the table. This was the third session. Outside, rain fell with indifference. Inside, a young person was […]
Authenticity - codependency - In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: The Invisible Structures of Toxic Relationships
The Setup 🍸 The bar was nearly empty when he walked in, rain still wet on his shoulders. He ordered a drink he didn’t want and sat where the light wouldn’t hit his face directly. That’s how I knew it […]
Divorce - Families - In the Therapy Room - Lucian Blackwood
In the Therapy Room: Custody, Fatherhood, and the Math of Emotional Presence
The Emotional Architecture Behind Custody Disputes 🏛️ Custody disputes rarely concern custody at all. They’re about control—who decides the shape of a child’s week, the geography of belonging, the mathematics of presence. Tristan sat in my office on a Tuesday […]
codependency - Heartbreak - Identity - In the Therapy Room - Lola Adams - Relationships - Substance Abuse
In the Therapy Room: The Exquisite Prison.
The Familiar Ache of Codependency 💔 It’s 4:47 p.m. on a Thursday, and Sasha arrives seventeen minutes early for our session—not because she’s punctual, but because she’s been circling the block in a cab, unable to commit to the five-minute […]
Anxiety - In the Therapy Room - Intimacy - Marriage - Relationships - Sex and Intimacy - Sophia Rivera
In the Therapy Room: Asymmetrical Desire
The Intimacy Paradox 💔 Trevor sat across from me, hands fidgeting with the edge of his jacket. The weight of two decades of marriage seemed to hang from his shoulders. “It’s not that I don’t love her,” he said, his […]
Authenticity - In the Therapy Room - Monica Dean - Relationships
In the Therapy Room: The Complexity of Cutting Ties and Preserving Emotional Authenticity
🚪 When “Peace of Mind” Becomes the Priority “I just can’t do fake anymore, Monica,” Bryson told me during our third session, hands clasped tightly as though holding onto his conviction. “When relationships start feeling forced, I’d rather walk away […]
Breakups - In the Therapy Room - Melanie Doss - Relationships
In the Therapy Room: When Staying in a Relationship Feels Like Drowning
Bridget came to me with the kind of problem that doesn’t announce itself loudly but instead seeps into every corner of your life like water damage you don’t notice until the ceiling caves in. She was twenty-something, engaged to a […]
Breakups - Relationships - Sophia Rivera
Therapy Confessions: The Client Who Couldn’t Stop Breaking Up
🧠 Alex J: The Serial Break-Taker Alex J came to me after cycling through their eighth “break” with the same partner in three years. Smart, articulate, and painfully self-aware, Alex had a peculiar habit of chewing exactly three sticks of […]
Families - Melanie Doss
Therapy Confessions: Emotional Labor and the Holiday Dilemma
Family Thanksgiving: The Most Expensive Emotional Labor You’ll Ever Pay For 💸 Ashley came to me after three canceled appointments, sliding into my office with the energy of someone who’d rather be literally anywhere else. Hoodie pulled low, iced coffee […]
Identity - Sophia Rivera
Therapy Confessions: The Self-Acceptance Paradox
Last Tuesday, a woman stormed into my office, slammed her designer tote bag onto my couch, and announced, “Everyone keeps telling me I’m ‘perfect just the way I am,’ and honestly, I want to scream. If I’m so damn perfect, […]