Relationship Counseling Denver
Are Unhealthy Relationship Dynamics Negatively Impacting Your Life?
Do you experience frequent conflict, tension, or withdrawal in your relationships?
Is it difficult to feel trusting and worthy of others’ intentions?
And are you concerned that you’ve adopted some of the same unhealthy relationship behaviors that were modeled to you as a child?
Relationships have a significant influence—whether positive or negative—on our quality of life as humans. When we feel close, connected, and supported by others, we are more likely to enjoy life in general. Healthy relationships energize us and make us feel safe, paving the way for us to become our healthiest, most attuned selves.
Alternatively, if relationships are emotionally harmful, taxing, or abusive, our ability to cope and function is compromised. No matter when or how a relationship becomes wounding, it can have consequences well into adulthood. Without realizing it, we may bring conflict, anxiety, or avoidance into our relationships despite wanting to break the cycle of unhealthy intergenerational patterns that were modeled to us.
What Is Your Experience? What Kinds Of Models For Love And Intimacy Have You Been Given?
If you struggle with interpersonal conflict, low self-esteem, or a lack of trust in yourself and others, know you are not broken. More critically, if you’ve developed post-traumatic stress following an abusive relationship dynamic, know that it is not your fault or because of any shortcoming on your part. So much of our wounding happens in the context of our relationships—but so does our healing.
The therapists at Empowered Living Collective view mental health through the lens of relationships. Using relationship counseling Denver, we support you in feeling safe, exploring your emotions and experiences, and fostering a deeper sense of healthy, loving connection in your life. This can allow you to become more intentional about how you interact with yourself and the world around you.
Relational Wounds Lead To Emotional Scars
No matter who we are or where we come from, we will experience hurt or conflict in our relationships. Each of us brings different personalities, patterns, and narratives into our relationships, often in ways that aren’t always compatible with one another. Unfortunately, however, our hyper-individualistic culture doesn’t value connection and thus lacks proper guidance on healthy, collaborative, and empowering conflict-resolution.
There are also certain systems at play affecting the power dynamic between individuals. For instance, in our patriarchal society, it’s expected that one partner (the man) has control and power over the other (the woman). We see this demonstrated through the statistic that one in four women (and one in seven men) “have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime.” [1] Intimate partner violence affects people (particularly women and gender non-conforming individuals) across the spectrum, often resulting in symptoms of PTSD and fears around becoming vulnerable and intimate.
Unhealthy relationship dynamics—including abuse—usually occur because those dynamics were normalized for us in some way. Many of us never experienced true safety in our most formative relationships and therefore aren’t equipped to identify triggers and unhealthy coping mechanisms. That’s why a skilled, objective therapist is necessary to provide outside perspective and transformative insight into our deepest, most profound relationships. This is where relationship counseling Denver can help.
Relationship Counseling Denver Through Empowered Living Collective
Whether you’re seeking relationship counseling Denver because you just ended a difficult relationship or because you’ve recognized that early experiences have had a role in how you engage with others, we want to guide you in sorting through your emotions and strengthening your connections.
Our goal in therapy is to help you learn more about what is causing discomfort and “stuck” patterns in your life and how to establish meaningful boundaries that will protect you. While couples and family therapy can be useful in resolving relational issues, individual relationship counseling Denver doesn’t require anyone’s commitment to the process besides your own.
It’s also important to note that in instances of intimate partner abuse, couples therapy is not recommended due to its objective, “level playing field” approach. In these cases, individual relationship counseling is recommended, and we have a therapist on staff who specializes in intimate partner violence and abuse.
What To Expect
Individual counseling allows you to dig deeper into the interactions and situations that have shaped your understanding of relationships. Using behavioral approaches, emotional awareness skills, and trauma-processing models, our therapists will assist you in identifying the source of your distress and discomfort. You will also learn coping and boundary-setting strategies to help you feel safe and intentional in your interactions.
Our relationship counseling Denver approach is tailored to the needs of each client, but we will likely draw from Somatic therapy, incorporating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and other relational approaches depending on your needs.
With help and support, you can feel prepared to navigate all of your relationships with confidence. By protecting yourself from the dynamics that cause you harm—and opening yourself up to the connections that will affirm you—you can make relationship choices that feel safe, empowering, and satisfying.
We Specialize In Counseling For Survivors Of Domestic Abuse And Intimate Partner Violence
Our co-founder, June Branon, has extensive experience working with survivors of domestic violence and early trauma. As a therapist specially trained in abusive relationship dynamics, she recognizes abuse tactics and is familiar with local resources that can bolster support (more information below). Using EMDR, June guides survivors in safely acknowledging their trauma and reprocessing their experiences to be less triggering. New, adaptable pathways translate to increased resilience, heightened awareness, and healthier relationships
Still Have Questions About Individual Therapy For Relationship Counseling Denver?
When should I seek relationship counseling Denver?
Relationship counseling Denver is beneficial if you:
· Experience difficulty managing your emotions and/or behaviors during intense or difficult conversations
· Find yourself thinking about your relationships all the time to the point that it gets in the way of your priorities, values, and daily obligations
· Are or were in an abusive relationship and concerned about how abuse dynamics are affecting/will affect other connections
Why should I go to individual therapy and not couples/family counseling?
Family/couples counseling is not feasible or appropriate for all situations. Treatment with multiple people requires everyone involved to be willing to change and commit to the process, which is often not the case when unhealthy or abusive dynamics are present.
Individual therapy offers specific, deeply personal insight into the relationship patterns impacting our past, present, and future. Working with our counselors, you can learn to get what you need out of your relationships without having to rely on anyone else to see results.
How do I know if I’m in an abusive relationship?
Abusive relationships are generally characterized by elements of domestic violence (also known as intimate partner violence), which happens when one person in the relationship tries to leverage absolute power and control over the other. When the trauma of abuse isn’t processed, there is a stronger likelihood of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and perpetuating the abuse cycle.
Abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological and often involves controlling, manipulative behaviors including:
Endangering a partner’s sense of safety and security
Unpredictable angry outbursts
Assault
Yelling, name-calling, or using harmful language
Gaslighting
Keeping a partner away from their support systems
An inability to be or stay accountable to harmful actions
These elements can be present in any relationship—not just romantic partnerships. Many of our clients recognize, as adults, that abuse was present in their early formative relationships with caregivers and other attachments.
If you are in an abusive relationship and in need of emergency support to get safe, please reach out to the following resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233
SafeHouse Denver (24/7 local Domestic Violence Hotline): (303) 318-9989
Rose Andom Resource Center: 1330 Fox St, Denver, CO 80204
You are not alone - Help is available
If you are having relationship difficulties, you may feel isolated and alone. We want to help you feel supported, heard, and empowered in your journey towards healthier relationships. Everyone deserves to feel supported and cared for and would be happy to support you in your healing journey. Relationship counseling Denver can help, contact us to find out more.
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_executive_summary-a.pdf
Last updated July 2025
Our Denver Relationship Therapists
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![Faith Hall Denver Therapist Intern]()
Faith Hall, Therapist Intern
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![Kelsey Rellas, Denver Therapist]()
Kelsey Rellas, LPCC
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![Samantha Betz, LPC]()
Samantha Betz, LPC, NCC, OTD, OTR/L
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![Mahri Relin Denver Therapist Intern]()
Mahri Relin, LPCC, EMDR trained, CPT
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![Shannon Browning, LPCC, Denver Therapist]()
Shannon Browning, LPCC
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Scott Stricker, PsyD, NCSP, LP, EMDR trained
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![June Branon, LPC, LAC]()
June Branon, LPC, LAC, EMDR Trained
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