Couples, Partners, polycules, and all relationship structures welcome
Relationship Therapy for Everyone
online in ca • in-person & online in va
Relationship struggles are painful, and it hurts When we can't reach the people we love most. But there's hope.
Most couples don't wake up one day and decide they need therapy — instead, it's often a gradual realization that the disconnection has become too painful to ignore.
You might find yourselves having the same fight over and over, or worse, you've stopped fighting altogether because it feels like you're both running dry. The person who once felt like home now feels like a stranger, and neither of you knows how to bridge the gap.
People in relationships come to this therapy when:
Partners don’t feel heard or understood—and it’s not changing
Intimacy—emotional or physical— feels like a memory
Trust was lost through broken agreements or infidelity
Navigating consensual non-monogamy or polyamory
A really big issue has come to an impasse
There’s a sexual problem, and no one can talk about it (would it even help?)
Past trauma that keeps showing up in your relationship
How Relationship Therapy Can Help
Imagine being able to share your deepest fears with your partner and feeling truly heard.
Relationship therapy isn't about determining who's right or wrong — it's about understanding the dance you're doing together and learning new steps. You'll discover how your patterns developed and why they made sense at the time, even if they're not serving you now.
As a couple, you can learn to create safety with each other, which allows vulnerability and authentic connection to flow freely again.
Many couples are surprised to discover that what felt like not caring from their partner was really vulnerability because they matter so much to each other! When we create safety, the connection that flows between you can be deeper and stronger than ever.
› Turn Conflict into Connection
› Feel truly seen and heard
› Create safety for vulnerability
Love is love, and it comes in many forms.
Whether you're monogamous or polyamorous, vanilla or kinky, same-sex or different-sex, married or not, your relationship is valid and deserving of support. My practice is a judgment-free zone where all consensual adult relationships are honored and supported.
Dr. Anne Karcher
My Approach
Your relationship isn’t a problem to be solved—it’s a connection to be strengthened.
Whether you're caught in the same fight for the hundredth time, feeling like roommates instead of partners, or wondering if your unconventional relationship structure is "broken," I get it. Every relationship will have challenges, and you deserve someone who sees your love as worth fighting for.
With over 15 years of clinical experience and advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), I focus on the emotional bond between you rather than surface-level behaviors. We'll identify the negative cycles that keep you stuck and understand how these patterns developed. Using Internal Family Systems (IFS), we discover young, vulnerable parts, and recognize how together we can keep them safe. I'm also trained in sex therapy and experienced with non-traditional relationship configurations, and we can talk about what matters.
What looks like not caring can reveal itself as love so vulnerable it had to hide behind protective walls.
As we work together and slow down those lightning-fast cycles that leave you both hurt and confused, you'll start to see each other's actions differently. You'll learn to create safety with each other, to find the authentic connection and intimacy you've been craving. You'll rediscover yourselves as allies in building the relationship you want.
This is how therapy works!
My clients often come to me feeling stuck, misunderstood, and disconnected from themselves and others. After our work together, they feel seen, empowered, and confident in creating authentic relationships.
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"We fight about everything--and even about nothing! We're both bitter about 'the affair' and can't get past it. It's so bad, we're talking about divorce: we don't even know each other anymore!"
In therapy, we created a safe space to understand the pain each partner was feeling -- to help them to hear each other and feel truly heard. Understanding the cycle they were falling into became a roadmap to learn to interrupt it and stop the escalating conflicts. They discovered a new vulnerability with each other, and it brought them close again. They were able to heal their sexual relationship to a deeper connection than ever before, and they are excited to keep on growing together.
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"Our relationship is great, but when it comes to sex, we are so different that we fight every time we try to talk about it. Now we don't have sex at all! Help!"
Together, we built on their trust and ease with each other to create safety with vulnerable issues--disappointment, performance anxiety, lack of desire--and explore solutions as a team. With a deeper understanding of each other, they felt they now "were on each other's side" and "found their sexual groove" again--this time with deeper intimacy and a confidence that they could meet any issues together.
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"Sex was good, then we agreed to explore more things. But now my partner wants to try more and more things...and I don't. I get resentful when I feel 'pushed'--But I hate disappointing him! Now he doesn't even want to ask me...and I'm afraid I'll lose him!"
In relationships, we get stuck when we believe important things can't be talked about. When we believe what we have to say would hurt our partner, it's a dilemma, and it feels vulnerable and risky. In therapy, we practiced how to "keep the guardrails on" so they could be honest and share what was real. They discovered that when they really understood each other, neither felt alone or defensive. And that's when they could find a new path together. Learning to have these conversations takes work (it really does!), but these are the skills to keep your relationship for a lifetime!
let your love flow again.
Common Question
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Yes I do. I have extensive experience working with polyamory, consensual non-monogamy, kink dynamics, and other alternative relationship configurations. Love doesn't come in a one-size-fits-all package, and neither does my approach to therapy.
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While couples therapy works best when both partners participate, I can still help you individually understand relationship patterns and develop new ways of responding. Sometimes when one partner changes how they show up, it creates positive shifts in the dynamic that can motivate the other partner to join later.
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For all things fee & insurance related, please see the fee & insurance page.
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For California clients, I offer online sessions through a HIPAA-compliant video platform. Virginia clients can choose between in-person sessions at my Virginia Beach office or online sessions using the same secure platform.
Ready to see and hear each other?
together we can break the cycle.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation to see if we'd be a good fit.
No pressure, just a chance to connect and see if my approach resonates with you.
Virginia Beach, VA (in-person & online)
California (online only)