RELATIONSHIPS & BOUNDARIES

Relationships can be a source of connection, meaning, and growth — but they can also bring up anxiety, avoidance, conflict, self-doubt, loneliness, or old emotional patterns.

Patients often seek care when they notice that the same dynamics keep repeating, or when closeness feels more complicated than they expected.

What this can feel like

Relationship and intimacy concerns may include:

• Difficulty trusting or feeling secure with others

• Fear of rejection, abandonment, or being too much

• Avoiding vulnerability or emotional closeness

• Repeating familiar but frustrating relationship patterns

• Conflict around communication, boundaries, or needs

• Feeling disconnected, lonely, or misunderstood

• Anxiety, mood changes, or sleep disruption related to relationships

How I approach care

I approach relationship concerns with attention to your emotional patterns, attachment style, identity, family history, cultural context, and current stressors. The focus is not on blame, but on understanding how you connect, protect yourself, communicate, and respond under stress.

As a psychiatrist, I also consider whether anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, substance use, or medication effects may be contributing to relationship difficulties.

What treatment may include

Treatment may include therapy-informed psychiatric care, medication management when clinically appropriate, and coordination with an individual or couples therapist if you are already working with one.

We may explore patterns around closeness, conflict, avoidance, boundaries, emotional regulation, sexuality, and self-worth — with the goal of helping you relate to yourself and others with greater clarity and choice.

What to expect

Care is collaborative and reflective. Over time, the goal is to help you better understand your patterns, reduce emotional reactivity, and build relationships that feel more grounded, honest, and aligned with your values.