DARIO MARTINEZ
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
OTHER RESOURCES
RELATIONSHIP RESOURCES
Restoring Connections
Relationship-Focused Psychotherapy
By Dario Martinez
The collaboration between a client and therapist creates a unique kind of relationship in which clients are able to “use” the therapist to practice fundamental relationship skills. The safety of the therapeutic framework allows clients to explore new ways of interacting with people without the social anxiety or fear of rejection that often prohibits them from taking chances out in the “real world.”
On the surface, therapy looks like a straightforward process in which two or more people sit together and share stories about the past. My work as a therapist is unique because I go under the surface of this process; inviting my clients to shift their attention away from the content of their stories and focus instead on the storytelling experience itself. This may sound like a simple shift in perception, but it provides a powerful opportunity to explore important aspects of what it means to be in relationship.
The act of divulging secrets and sharing personal stories typically creates high levels of intimacy and vulnerability in session. When this happens, I use the safety of the therapeutic framework to help my clients explore what it's like to make themselves vulnerable in this way; while simultaneously teaching them how to manage all the fear, anxiety and other negative emotions that intimacy and vulnerability often bring up for people.
By working with actual experiences of intimacy and vulnerability that naturally emerge in session, clients are given the opportunity to practice other important relationship skills such as:
- Reaching out for connection
- Communication
- Openness to intimacy
- Conflict management
- Boundary setting
In my practice, I offer a wide range of resources to support my clients in the creation of deep, satisfying relationships. I hope you’ll explore some of the resources that I’ve provided on this site—including a description of Attachment Theory, which serves as a foundation for my approach to working with relationships. Please feel free to contact me here if you have questions or if you’d like to schedule a free 30-minute initial consultation.
Copyright © 2020, Dario Martinez. All Rights Reserved.