SUPPORT FOR POLYAMORY + OPEN RELATIONSHIPS
Couples Therapy for Ethical Non-Monogamy in Grand Rapids
and across Michigan
Opening your relationship has brought up conversations you never learned how to have.
Maybe you’re curious about how to ethically open your relationship and want support as you take the first steps. Maybe you’ve already opened up and while it brought freedom and excitement in some ways, it also brought out jealousy, tension, distance, or hurt feelings you weren’t prepared for.
Or maybe you have practiced ethical non-monogamy for a while but something has shifted. Trust was broken, emotions got harder to manage, or things moved faster than one of you was ready for. Now it feels like you need to deal with what has been unspoken for a long time. You can see the honesty, autonomy, and connection this lifestyle can offer. But it may also be showing you where trust and communication need more support.
And that can feel hard to sort out together.
AND NOW YOU MAY…
Be jealous when you think about your partner being intimate with someone else
Feel lost in how to reassure your partner or you worry about upsetting them
Argue about dating new people, rules for sexual safety, or the agreements you both share
Want to break the pattern of dreading or avoiding certain conversations
What started as a way to grow your relationship may now be bringing up conversations that needed to be had for a long time. But you don’t have to keep going in circles. It’s possible to rebuild trust, create clear boundaries, and talk through hard conversations in ways that bring you closer.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
There is a different kind of freedom that comes from honesty. When you stop tiptoeing around the hard stuff and face it together, your relationship feels stronger, safer, and more connected than before.
HOW IT WORKS
My Approach to ENM Couples Therapy
From the start, my goal is to understand your relationship, your values, and what ethical non-monogamy means to you. I offer a nonjudgmental space where we can talk openly about the history of ENM in your relationship and how challenges are showing up between you.
My approach is sex-positive, trauma-informed, and practical. I help you slow things down and understand what is driving conflict, insecurity, shutdown, or emotional distance. You’ll also learn how to build healthier ways to respond to each other in real time. Together, we can work on better communication, emotion management, repair after ruptures, clearer agreements, and creating more safety and security with each other.
This work is about helping you practice non-monogamy in a way that feels honest, intentional, fair, and aligned for everyone involved. Whether you are exploring opening your relationship, repairing after broken trust, or strengthening an existing open relationship, I help you move forward with more clarity and connection.
Therapy with me can help you…
understand ethical non-monogamy and polyamory to learn what’s right for you
set clear boundaries and agreements you and your partner(s) agree on
communicate with less blame, defensiveness, or shutdown
work through jealousy, emotional triggers, or stress in your ENM relationship
feel more secure, calm, and connected to your partner(s)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ENM COUPLES THERAPY
FAQs
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Ethical non-monogamy (ENM) is a broad term for having an intimate or sexual relationship with more than one person with the knowledge and consent of all involved. (An example of un-ethical non-monogamy is infidelity.)
One form of ENM is polyamory, or having multiple meaningful relationships at the same time.
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Therapy is a great place for the two of you to talk this through. My focus is less on the decision you make and more on the process of helping you share your perspectives in a way that keeps you connected. When you can have conversations that leave you feeling understood and cared for, a path forward is much easier to find.
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Yes. Jealousy is very common in ethical non-monogamy. In therapy, we look at what is underneath the jealousy, how it shows up between you, and how to talk about it in a way that builds trust instead of conflict.
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Yes. Many couples come to therapy after trust has been shaken in an open relationship. We focus on rebuilding trust, repairing communication, and creating clearer agreements moving forward.
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Common challenges include jealousy, unclear boundaries, broken agreements, communication struggles, mismatched comfort levels, and emotional overwhelm when new partners are involved.
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Therapy can help you slow things down, understand each other better, and talk through hard emotions like resentment, insecurity, or fear. It can also help you create clearer agreements, repair trust after conflict, and feel more secure and connected in your relationship(s).
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Being poly-aware means I support and affirm ethical non-monogamy without judgment and do not assume monogamy is preferred for all couples.
ENM couples deal with many of the same struggles that monogamous couples do: communication challenges, boundary setting and violations, and wanting to feel important and cared for in their relationships. My goal is to strengthen your connection with the person you love, regardless of your relationship dynamic.
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Yes. I offer online therapy for ENM and polyamorous partnerships in Grand Rapids and across Michigan. All sessions are virtual.
Extended sessions are also available.
Things can feel easier than they do right now.
You can deepen your connection together.