Nic Sutherland

Associate Marriage and Family Therapist|Clinically Supervised

My choice to become a therapist is a result of my early life experiences. I am a child of divorce, raised in a high-conflict, multicultural, and blended family. In the homes I grew up in, the hurts left behind from divorce left open wounds, that made new wounds for the next generation. I learned firsthand how systemic factors like class, race, gender, culture, etc, are intertwined with our relationships, creating conflict, disconnection, and hurting the most vulnerable. I see the end of relationships (whether through death, divorce, or any other means) as inevitable, normal, and highly impactful, and in my practice I work to minimize the harm caused by such loss as much as possible.

No matter what difficulty or un-expected turn in your life and relationships has brought you to therapy, my goal is to build an authentic, trusting relationship that facilitates connection to yourself and others, owning your capacity for choice in the face of limiting circumstances, and finding meaning. I believe the deepest heartbreaks in our lives open us up to the deepest connections and sense of being human. I utilize emotionally-focused therapy to foster secure attachment, vulnerability, and understanding. With an existential-humanistic lens, I work experientially to face with is true for you, and to support you in making meaningful, authentic choices in the face of uncertainty. I draw on Internal Family Systems in order to access the parts of yourself who have been hurt and made to protect, creating cohesion and self-trust.