Therapy for High-Stress Professionals & Their Families
You’re Trained to Handle Emergencies—But What About Emotional Ones?
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Professionals Under Pressure
Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist (EFT)
When your job is to run toward crisis, stay composed under pressure, and protect others at all costs, there’s rarely space to process what it’s doing to you—or to your relationships.
Whether you’re a first responder, ER professional, member of the military, frontline worker, or the loved one of someone in a high-stress field, the emotional toll is real. Over time, the pressure to “keep it together” can turn into emotional shutdown, burnout, and disconnection from the people you care most about.
At Creating Healthy Connections, we help service professionals and their families find their way back to each other—with therapy that honors your lived experience and helps you feel again without falling apart.
📍 Serving individuals, couples, and families in MD, AZ, CA, NV, CO, and VA
What You’re Carrying Isn’t Just Stress—It’s Survival Mode
“I’m exhausted, but I can’t slow down.”
“I feel detached—at work, at home, even with my kids.”
“I can handle trauma on the job, but at home, I shut down.”
“I want to talk, but I don’t even know where to start.”
“My family says I’ve changed, and they’re right—but I don’t know how to change back.”
You’ve spent so long staying strong that vulnerability might feel unsafe—even impossible. But emotional connection isn’t weakness. It’s what heals us, grounds us, and keeps relationships intact through the hardest moments.
“Carol is the best at what she does. She saved our marriage, made it stronger and we learned more about our emotional selves, deep-rooted fears, and why they effected our relationship. A true and deeper connection was made. Emotionally Focused Therapy with Carol, by far has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. Possibly the most transformative. I was in pain, scared, fearful and an emotional mess. When I researched marriage counselors, her website contents (especially), her credentials and my first phone contact with Carol, I instinctively new she was the one. That instinct manifested itself, bloomed and became true. Love took on a new meaning for me. Initially thought she was a marriage mechanic or engineer, a fixer. No, Carol is a marriage whisperer. Thank you Carol for the love you have given, and my deeper love for my wife you nurtured. You are the best. ”
Who Is EFFT For?
As a Certified Emotionally Focused Family Therapist, Carol works with high-stress professionals and their families to repair disconnection, strengthen bonds, and restore emotional safety. EFT is especially helpful for:
Professionals whose demanding careers are straining their relationships at home
Couples navigating emotional distance, communication breakdowns, or unspoken resentment
Parents who want to be present but feel stretched thin and emotionally unavailable
Adult children and parents looking to reconnect after years of silence or tension
Siblings or close family members experiencing unresolved conflict or estrangement
No matter how much pressure you’re under, Emotionally Focused Therapy offers a structured and compassionate path toward healing, helping you show up more fully—for your family and for yourself.
Three Core Pain Points We Address in Therapy
1. PTSD & Trauma Reactions
Years of exposure to life-threatening situations, critical incidents, or workplace trauma can leave your nervous system in overdrive.
- Hypervigilance, emotional numbness, flashbacks, or irritability aren’t personality flaws—they’re trauma symptoms.
- We help you understand how trauma lives in your body and relationships, and work with you to process it gently, without retraumatization.
2. Anxiety, Depression & Emotional Exhaustion
You’re functioning on the outside, but inside it’s a different story. Maybe you feel detached, numb, agitated, or just worn down from carrying too much for too long.
- We provide a safe space to explore emotional fatigue and the internal cost of constant vigilance.
- Our goal isn’t to “fix” you—but to help you reconnect with yourself and the people who matter to you.
3. Grief, Loss & Cumulative Stress
In your line of work, loss becomes routine. But that doesn’t make it easier.
- Whether you’re grieving patients, fallen colleagues, personal losses, or what you’ve had to sacrifice emotionally, grief needs space.
- We help you process layered grief while protecting your capacity to show up for others—and yourself.
How Therapy Helps High-Stress Professionals and Their Families
We use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and trauma-informed care to help individuals and families heal emotional disconnection and build secure relationships. Our work together may include:
Reconnecting Emotionally
Learn how to express what you’re feeling, even when you’ve been taught to stay silent.
Repairing Family Strain
Support for partners and children who may feel like they’re losing access to the person they love.
Building Internal Safety
Gain tools for grounding, regulation, and self-compassion in high-pressure environments.
Reducing Isolation
Work through shame, guilt, or fear of being a burden—so you don’t have to carry it all alone.
Whether you come alone, with a partner, or as a family, therapy can help you find your footing again—emotionally, relationally, and personally.
“Carol is nothing less than brilliant when working with couples who are in crisis mode. Her ability to patiently listen to both parties without judgement, and gracefully guide them towards a better understanding of how their pain, fears, and self-doubts affect their relationship is remarkable. She is passionate about her work and it is obvious from the start that she cares deeply about outcomes of her couples. My husband and I had hit a point of ‘no return’ in our relationship a few years ago; after years of not addressing the ‘big white elephant’ in the room, we thought our next step would be a divorce. Carol taught us to listen to ourselves and each other, and to reach out in times of pain for comfort and understanding. With her patience, kindness, and through her guidance, we were able to find each other again. We are stronger and more in love than we ever thought possible. Thank you, Carol, for helping us find each other once again..”
Emotional Focused Therapy
Not Just Coping—Real Repair for Families Under Pressure
Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) isn’t about surface-level strategies. It’s about deep emotional repair—so your family can experience more peace, connection, and meaning, even when life feels overwhelming.
Carol brings nearly 30 years of experience supporting families through complex emotional terrain. As a Certified Emotionally Focused Family Therapist—and a former military service member herself—she understands firsthand the impact that high-stress careers, constant demands, and unspoken emotional weight can have on family life. Alongside her husband, a fellow veteran, she’s lived the reality of holding both duty and love in the same space.
Her approach is:
Collaborative – Every voice is valued. Every perspective is heard.
Structured Yet Flexible – Grounded in research, personalized to your family’s unique needs.
Trauma-Informed – Sensitive to the past while focused on healing in the present.
Non-Judgmental – Creates a safe space for honesty, growth, and emotional connection.
Whether your family is navigating grief, behavioral struggles, emotional disconnection, or the long-term effects of military or high-pressure professional life, Carol offers a steady, compassionate space where change becomes possible—and connection can take root again.
📍 Licensed in Maryland, Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, and Virginia