My Approach: short-term, relational and mediation-informed

As a licensed therapist and a trained mediator—with modern relationship training, mediation techniques, and a background in personal finance—I’m uniquely equipped to help you talk productively about the most charged topics: money, intimacy, and communication. I also help with creativity, stuck patterns, and reigniting the creative process.

For individuals

In individual work, the focus is on your inner landscape—your patterns, values, and the decisions that shape your life.

Sessions help you clarify what matters most, understand how old roles or reactions show up in the present, and identify practical ways to move forward with more agency and ease. This is short-term, focused therapy that supports personal clarity, resilience, and healthier ways of relating to yourself and others. Is it possible to work on relationships without the other person present? Yes.

Meaning, values, and personal direction

Much of the work involves reconnecting with your own sense of meaning. Using elements of ACT and existential, values-based approaches, we explore the questions underneath the surface: What matters? What pulls you forward? What is asking to change?

Not abstract or theoretical—grounded in helping you make clearer choices, navigate transitions, and build a life that aligns with your values.

Creativity, imagination, and the way you make sense of the world

My background as an international artist shapes the way I see people. Creativity in therapy doesn’t necessarily mean making art—it means tapping into imagination, flexibility, and new ways of seeing your situation. When you’re stuck in a pattern, a more creative lens can help you access options that weren’t visible before, and widen the path forward.

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For couples, partners, or any two people

Here’s how therapy works for couples, pairs, or partners with my unique training: structured, short-term and informed by mediation principles: neutral, practical, and focused on clarity. See FAQ: How Couples Therapy Works

Therapy sessions center on:

• communication patterns
• relational dynamics
• conflict de-escalation
• strengthening connection
• emotional clarity
• navigating transitions or uncertainty
• money stress and recurring financial conflict

Mediation-informed therapy: grounded, neutral, and results-oriented—not long-term or diagnosis-driven. Advanced training in couples and adult relational dynamics (including Gottman Method) supports you in identifying patterns, improving communication, and making meaningful changes without being pulled into years of therapy.

A mediation-informed approach to therapy

Mediation is a neutral, fair process to help adults have difficult conversations, make decisions, and move forward with clarity. I have found that incorporating mediation principles like neutrality, structured conversation, and a focus on shared interests rather than “positions” helps my clients feel heard, understood, and to reach resolution more quickly.

More about what Mediation is and how it relates to Therapy →

Therapeutic techniques

I incorporate these methods and specific couples therapy techniques in my work — Client-Centered Therapy · Solution-Focused Brief Therapy · Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) · Existential and meaning-based work · Polyvagal-informed theory · Conflict Resolution and Mediation · Gottman Method (Level 1) · Creative and values-based approaches

FAQ: How Couples Therapy Works

How long does couples therapy take?

Most couples see meaningful progress in 6–10 sessions. My approach is short-term, structured, and focused on clarity—not many months or years of weekly therapy.

What happens in a couples therapy session?

Each session focuses on communication patterns, conflict de-escalation, and practical steps to improve connection. You leave with insight and next steps. Check out a sample Couples Session →.

How does couples therapy work with a mediation-informed approach?

I combine therapeutic skill with mediation principles—neutrality, structure, and fairness—to help you communicate clearly and make shared decisions.

Is couples therapy different from individual therapy?

Yes. Couples therapy focuses on the relationship, not diagnosing one partner. The work centers on communication, dynamics, and repairing interaction patterns.

Is couples therapy only for couples in crisis?

No. Many couples come to improve communication, reconnect, or navigate transitions before issues become larger or more painful.

What techniques do you use in couples therapy?

I draw from Gottman Method, polyvagal-informed work, conflict resolution, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, ACT, and mediation techniques. Complete list of techniques.

Therapy services are provided to Ohio clients only (in person or online) and under the supervision of M. M. (Missy) Trzeciak-Kerr, PhD, LMHC, License #E.2504984-SUPV.