Couples therapists in Kansas City, MO

Partner 1: “I reach for you, but it feels like you’re already gone.” I’m left wondering if I matter to you at all.” Partner 2: “When you come close, I feel the pressure to be perfect, so I pull back to protect us both.” These unspoken messages leave couples lonely and stuck. I help break this anxious–avoidant cycle so partners feel safe, seen, and deeply connected again.

“I don’t understand why I want closeness so badly, yet feel disappointed when I have it. Why do I feel lonelier than others, even when I’m not alone?” Or: “I care deeply, but people say I’m distant or hard to read. When emotions get intense, I shut down—not because I don’t feel, but because it feels like too much.”

These quiet tensions live beneath awareness for many people. Longing and self-protection pull in opposite directions. Needs feel confusing, emotions feel overwhelming or unsafe, and core beliefs quietly form—I’m too much, I’m not enough, connection costs me something.

I help people loosen these patterns, reconcile the Self with more truthful and adaptive beliefs, and move toward self-acceptance and interdependence—where connection no longer threatens safety, but deepens it.

After nine years serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, I realized my deepest fulfillment came not from fixing systems, but from walking with people. Leaving the military was not a departure from service—it was a continuation of it. I pursued social work and theological training to better support people in their most important relationships. Today, my practice is devoted to couples counseling and trauma-informed care. Drawing primarily from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and EMDR, I help couples slow conflict, understand what drives disconnection, and emotional safety. As a veteran and seminary-trained therapist, I bring structure, compassion, and steady hope—meeting clients with respect, grace, and a belief in lasting change.

Your story has made you who you are. I offer a judgement free space for you to share that story.

I am an empathetic, patient, and inclusive therapist with a passion for helping others that are going through difficult transitions in life and experiencing hardships. My foundation is based on establishing trust and providing a safe and accepting space for open communication to build a strong therapeutic alliance. I collaborate with clients to improve their emotional quality of life, develop their capacity to handle life’s stressors and mental health concerns. My counseling style is diversified, integrating person-centered, psychodynamic, emotionally focused, cognitive-behavioral, and existential therapy into counseling sessions.

I am passionate about helping adults of all ages struggling with mood disorders, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, trauma/post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive behaviors. I welcome clients from diverse backgrounds, including neurodivergent and those who identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

I specialize in supporting women navigating complex experiences that often go misunderstood. This includes women who have experienced harm within spiritual or religious communities—whether that's spiritual abuse, religious trauma, or the complicated grief of leaving a faith tradition. I also work with women managing anxiety, depression, and interpersonal trauma.

If you've felt silenced, questioned your own reality, or struggled to trust yourself after difficult experiences, you're not alone. My practice is a place where your story matters, your feelings are valid, and healing is possible.

I began my career in community mental health in 2010. I completed my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Evangel University. Prior to becoming a therapist I worked as a nurse for 13 years. This background leads me to take a holistic, whole-person approach to my practice. I work with children, adolescents, and adults and have specialized in treatment of trauma, ADHD, and child-parent conflicts.

If you've spent much of your life feeling misunderstood, overwhelmed, different, or exhausted from trying to fit into expectations that don't feel right for you, therapy can offer a space to better understand yourself and build a life that works for who you truly are. Many of my clients come to therapy feeling stuck in cycles of anxiety, OCD, trauma responses, burnout, self-doubt, or emotional overwhelm. Others are navigating ADHD, identity exploration, chronic illness, LGBTQIA+ experiences, relationship challenges, or life transitions and are looking for a place where they can show up authentically without judgment.

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I work with adolescents and adults from diverse backgrounds, with a special focus on neurodivergent individuals, LGBTQIA+ clients, and those navigating trauma, chronic health concerns, and identity-related challenges. My goal is to help you better understand your experiences, build on your strengths, develop effective coping tools, and create a life that feels more aligned with your values, needs, and sense of self.

Teryn is a licensed clinical social worker who is experienced with adolescents, families, and parents in community mental health, education, inpatient, intensive outpatient, and traditional outpatient settings. After 7 years in practice, Teryn has focused on helping adolescents and adults, ages 13 to 35, navigate life challenges such as relationships, work/career, school, anxiety, depression, and family dynamics. Teryn strives to provide a safe, accepting, and supportive environment.

Hello, I’m Abby Pease, LCSW, QS! As a therapist, I strive to create a safe and welcoming space where clients feel truly seen and supported. I bring warmth, energy, and a touch of humor into my work, helping clients navigate challenges while also reminding them that healing doesn’t always have to be heavy. My goal is to walk alongside you with compassion and clarity as you move toward growth and resilience.