Family of Origin Therapy in Denver, CO
When your past keeps showing up in your present
If you're here, there's a good chance you're noticing patterns that feel all too familiar.
Maybe you see yourself repeating things you swore you'd never do, or recreating dynamics you promised yourself you'd leave behind. Maybe you don't use the phrase "family of origin," but you recognize:
Repeating the same conflicts in different relationships
Difficulty setting boundaries or saying no, especially with family
Feeling responsible for others' emotions or playing a role you never chose
Strong reactions to certain behaviors that remind you of how you grew up
A sense that something from your childhood is still running the show
Patterns can be obvious or invisible.
What is "family of origin” therapy?
Family of origin therapy focuses on understanding how the family you grew up in—its roles, rules, and relational patterns—shaped who you are and how you relate to others today.
This can include exploring:
Family roles you inherited (caretaker, peacemaker, scapegoat, invisible child)
Unspoken family rules about emotions, conflict, needs, or success
Intergenerational patterns passed down through parents and grandparents
Communication styles and attachment patterns learned in childhood
Messages you received about your worth, your place, and what was allowed
Cultural and systemic influences on your family system
The emotional legacy of what was present—and what was missing
Whether your family patterns feel obvious or invisible, if they're still shaping your choices, relationships, and sense of self, they matter.
How I approach the topic of family of origin therapy
My work is family systems–informed and psychodynamic, which means we pay attention to both:
The here and now: how family patterns show up in your current relationships, your parenting, your work, and how you treat yourself.
The there and then: the family system you grew up in, the roles you played, and the meanings you made about yourself and relationships.
I also draw from IFS-informed (Internal Family Systems) and attachment-based approaches. That might look like:
Exploring the "parts" of you that developed in response to family dynamics
Noticing which family member's voice you've internalized
Understanding how your attachment style was shaped by early caregiving
Making room for grief about what you needed but didn't receive
Distinguishing between who you are and who your family needed you to be
We move at your pace. You have full permission to feel however you feel about your family—ambivalent, angry, protective, confused, or all of the above.
Is family of origin therapy right for you?
Family of origin counseling may be a good fit if:
You keep recreating the same relationship patterns and don't know why
You struggle to know what you want or need outside of what others expect
You're becoming a parent and noticing your own childhood surfacing
You feel confused about who you are apart from your family role
You want to understand how your family shaped you without blaming or idealizing them
You don't have to have your family figured out or decide whether they were "good" or "bad." We can hold the complexity together.
Getting started with family of origin therapy
I offer family of origin therapy for adults in Denver, CO and online for residents of Colorado.
If this resonates, I invite you to reach out for a brief consultation. We'll talk about what's bringing you in, answer your questions, and see whether working together feels like a good fit.
What family of origin therapy sessions with me are like
In our work together, you can expect:
A warm, grounded presence that honors the full complexity of family
Curiosity about the roles you played and how they made sense at the time
Room for all your feelings—loyalty, anger, longing, relief, ambivalence
Attention to both insight and relational patterns (not just understanding, but experiencing things differently)
Over time, many people notice:
More clarity about which patterns are theirs and which they inherited
Greater freedom to choose how they respond rather than react automatically
Less guilt about setting boundaries or living differently than their family
More compassion for their younger self and the family they came from
A stronger sense of who they are outside of their family role
Healthier patterns in their own relationships and parenting