Caroline Rucker

I became a therapist for multiple reasons, but mainly because of my own family of origin experiences. I wanted to become a relational therapist specifically because I wanted to help families and couples become stronger, and be a safe haven for all members.  What motivates me to continue is seeing individuals, couples, and families thrive in therapy. I love the "aha!" moments that are experienced in therapy. One of my favorite parts of therapy is getting to see people overcome what they thought was impossible to survive, and living a more fulfilling life because of that. 

I love to bring my own personality into the work I do with clients. It's important for me to make sure that my clients see who I am as a person, not just as a therapist. Plus, I think it encourages my clients to do the same!

At the beginning of the session (after intake), I love to talk about my client's week. I want to know what was amazing or horrible. Even if their wasn't anything exciting or good, I want to hear about it. We'll check in on homework if it was assigned, and how you feel about therapy is going. If you're wanting something more or less of me, I want to hear it. I balance directness with empathy, because I want to help my client's meet their goals. We can go off on tangents, talk about the episode from your favorite show, and anything that's causing you distress. I'm here for all of it.

During relationship counseling, I want to know a lot of things. I want to know how you met, how long you've been together, goals you have as a couple, and what brings you to therapy. Based on those answers and time in therapy, I am flexible to changing my approach for whatever works best for the clients. This could be teaching communication skills, how to disagree well, and even going into family of origin. I believe that all couple relationships are systems, and there are many moving parts to all of them. I unpack those moving parts, and highlight the emotional experience of both partners. Ultimately, I want each partner to heal in their own way, in order for the relationship to heal.

I went to school specifically for Family and Marital Therapy, and it is such a joy of mine to be able to provide services for all types of families and couple relationships. Relationships are something we thrive with, but can also be a source of distress and isolation. Whether it be a life transition, troubles with communication, or to become a better version of yourself, I am here to help you through it all.