Whether partners are facing major life decisions, issues around trust, physical intimacy and sex, parenting, family dynamics, or financial stress, therapy provides a space where these difficult topics can be addressed with care and intention.
As human beings, we are hard-wired to connect with others. This need for connection and belonging is embedded deep in our DNA and drives us to form partnerships, teams, and families. But while connection is essential for survival and fulfillment, it also brings to the surface our deepest fears, hurts, and unmet needs. The more emotionally invested we are in a relationship, the more vulnerable we become—and the more likely it is that conflict will arise.
Couple and relationship therapy offers a supportive space to explore and navigate the complexities of deep emotional connection. Whether partners are facing major life decisions, issues around trust, physical intimacy and sex, parenting, family dynamics, or financial stress, therapy provides a space where these difficult topics can be addressed with care and intention.
A skilled therapist helps partners build emotional safety, allowing them to move from reactivity and disconnection toward understanding, healing, and closeness. Many couples find themselves stuck in chronic conflict cycles—repeating the same painful patterns without resolution. Therapy helps decode these patterns, uncovering the deeper needs and fears behind each conflict. With new tools and insights, partners can shift how they communicate, listen, and respond to each other.
In cases where there has been a significant rupture—such as infidelity or other breaches of trust—therapy offers a path toward repair. Healing from betrayal is difficult, but with commitment and guided support, couples can rebuild trust and redefine their connection.
Ultimately, the goal of relationship therapy is to help partners foster a meaningful and resilient bond—one built on mutual respect, emotional intimacy, and shared growth.
Struggles in important relationships
Patterns that get in the way of achieving goals in life
Parenting challenges
Managing stress
Career dissatisfaction
Managing mental or physical health challenges
Grief and loss
Resolving childhood trauma
Midlife adults caring for elders and contending with end-of -life concerns
By Erika Pluhar, PhD, EdS, LMFT, LPC, CST-S
I’ve been practicing couple and relationship therapy for over 20 years. In addition to this work, I specialize in sex therapy and have had the privilege of training and supervising many therapists in both areas. Relationship and sex therapy is, for me, both a science and an art.
I draw on a wide range of evidence-based approaches—Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), grounded in attachment theory; the Gottman Method; systems theory; and the cognitive-behavioral strategies common in sex therapy. These models provide a solid clinical foundation for the work.
But just as important is the art of therapy: the ability to connect deeply with people, to truly listen, and to hold space for multiple perspectives—even when they seem in conflict. Much of the work involves decoding behaviors that, on the surface, appear misaligned with a person’s intentions. This part of therapy is intuitive, improvisational, and deeply creative.
I bring my full self into the room—not only as a clinician, but as a human being with years of experience as a daughter, mother, wife, sister, and friend. I draw on my empathy, my capacity for clear communication, and my commitment to boundaries and structure. I practice staying open and curious, even when things get difficult or messy.
This work is challenging, but also profoundly rewarding. It’s a privilege to witness people lower their defenses, embrace vulnerability, and take the emotional risks required to reconnect with someone they love. The positive energy that emerges in these moments affirms my belief in the power of love and the possibility of healing. It gives me hope—for my clients, and for all of us.
