Mike Rothschild

I’m not going to lie, therapy is hard. You might ugly cry, we’ll laugh, we’ll both make mistakes, and I’ll give you that therapist nod that you only hate a little bit. You might tell me something painful and then make a joke, or realize halfway through a story that you’re angrier than you thought you were. I love those moments. They’re often where we start understanding something about you that was easy to miss before.

My job is to make it a little easier, less shameful, and less scary to look at the pieces of your life you don’t like to look at. I can help you sit in the discomfort just long enough to find out what those parts might be trying to protect you from.

With older teens, I try to get curious about their experience rather than starting with everyone else’s concerns about them. They’re being asked to make increasingly adult decisions while still not having all the freedom of being an adult. I try to be someone they can trust with the things they’re still figuring out for themselves. When the work includes parents, I can help slow down arguments, reduce defensiveness, and get curious about what’s driving each person so everyone has a better chance of feeling heard.

With couples, I’m often paying attention to what happens when two people need something from each other but have a hard time saying it or hearing it. I want couples to be able to disagree and tell each other how they really feel without becoming overwhelmed, bulldozed, or defensive. I try to slow these moments down and get curious about what each person is scared of and what they need from the other.

I’m professionally trained in working with trauma and eating disorders, and I specialize in religious trauma and cult recovery.

We’re all shaped by our families, communities, cultures, and the larger systems we live within. I’ll do my best to understand how those things shape your experience and our work together, while recognizing that I’m not an expert on your culture just because I’m your therapist. I want there to be room for you to tell me when I’m missing something or getting something wrong.

I also offer limited sliding-scale spots for people with marginalized identities or in the lowest income bracket. Please feel comfortable asking me about financial options.