If you would have told me ten years ago that I’d be working almost exclusively as a marriage/relationship therapist, there’s no way I would have believed you.
Couple’s work seemed so complicated and scary (which might be how you’re imagining it now).
Fate has a way of stepping in though; leading you where you need to go, even if it’s not where you want to go. Just like most couples, we hit a painful and scary time and had no idea where to turn.
Enter - Lara and Imago Relationship Therapy.
Megan & Lara with their daughter, Annie.
When we met, we were both in the middle of incredible chaos.
We were on unsteady ground and neither of us were in a place to start a relationship. We were set up by a friend, who incidentally happened to be an Imago therapist. (maybe she knew something that we didn’t!)
It was a hot summer night, we were at the beach, and we both felt an instant physical attraction and emotional connection to each other. I knew a week after we met that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Lara. When we were together there was such a feeling of coming home for me. Lara instantly felt a security and stability that she had never experienced in her previous relationship and knew this wasn’t just typical set up, this was her life partner.
This perfect romance lasted about 6 months, those first few months were amazing. We were exquisitely aware of each other’s needs and the importance of meeting those needs, however foreign they might have seemed.
And then, slowly, repeated patterns of our past relationships began to start. Lara had the same complaints about me my previous partner had. (Couldn't possibly have had anything to do with me, right?) I started to complain about Lara and within a year we were deep in a power struggle (a term used in Imago, the relationship stage after the honeymoon stage is over).
The next 6 years were wonderful and horrible and beautiful and ugly.
There were so many lessons right there below the surface, but we didn’t have the tools to recognize or implement them to help our conflicts. Everything we had once been attracted to, and loved about the other started to become things we both resented. We could’ve saved ourselves so much pain if we could have seen the conflict for what it was...our relationship trying desperately to grow.
But behold, enter the power of IMAGO!
We both committed to putting in the work and sought help from an Imago therapist. In one session we discovered those feelings we had in the first few months of romantic love weren’t just a hormone-induced fluke, they were a tiny glimpse of the wholeness, connection, and joy we experience when our needs are met. This realization altered the course of our lives.
The decision we made to seek help would send our relationship down a new path and change the course of my professional journey. Realizing the immense benefits of doing the work, I became certified as an Imago Therapist and as a Getting The Love You Want couple’s workshop presenter. Lara and I continue to incorporate the core Imago principles into our daily lives and have never hesitated to credit the approach with saving our marriage.
Stay tuned for updates and progress !
"Relationship issues are tough. Talking to a counselor shouldn’t be."
As an Imago Therapist, I provide a relaxed manner and my gentle sense of humor puts couples at ease. My warm and open approach makes the process much less scary and creates a safe space to grow your connection to each other.
With over 20 years of diverse clinical experience, I’m able to help you assess your relationship goals and confidently guide you to a place of deeper understanding and insight.
Megan graduated from Missouri Western University and University of Missouri-KC with both a Bachelor's & Master's Degree in Social Work. She is licensed in FL, VA, MD, DC, and NC.
Her specialties include:
Advanced Imago Relationship Therapist (c-IRT)
Clinical Hypnotherapy
Trauma Focused CBT
DBT
Qualified Supervisor in Florida
Megan and I first met 16 years ago. Back then I would have never dreamt that I’d end up going to couple’s therapy-let alone being a couple’s therapist myself!
I was born and raised in a very, very, very small town in Arkansas. I studied art and graduated with a Master’s degree in painting and printmaking. Because there weren’t many career opportunities for a painter and printmaker in my small town (and because I’ve always loved the ocean), I moved to Florida where I’d eventually meet and fall in love with Megan, and her daughter Annie.
So how did I go from artist to couples’ counselor? Imago, of course! After a pretty difficult stretch in our relationship, Megan dragged me to a Getting The Love You Want Workshop. Ok, so she didn’t drag me, but she did bribed me with tickets to a Broadway show. I didn’t necessarily fall in love with the theory that weekend, but after watching it transform our relationship, I was hooked! Witnessing that transformation started my Imago journey. I graduated with a master’s degree in social work from Florida State University and am now working toward full certification in Imago Relationship Therapy.
Megan and I use the powerful tools of imago therapy in our own relationship, as well as with our 21 year old daughter Annie. I was lucky enough to adopt Annie early in the second parent adoption movement and I’m forever honored to be her mom.
"I can truly say that Imago has changed my life and has gifted me in more ways than I can imagine."
We can't wait to meet you!
We can show you how to get back on track, back to the feelings when you first met. Book a free 15-minute consultation to learn more.
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