Liz McClanahan

 

About

I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist having earned my master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University (APU). I am passionate about helping couples to heal emotional wounds, improve communication, reduce conflict, and increase intimacy.

 

General Couples Therapy

Everyone is different, every couple is unique. As a therapist, my goal is to understand you and your distinct relationship. I aim to learn who you are and how you relate to your partner in your own unique way.

 

Couples seek out therapy for a variety of reasons some of which include communication struggles, sexual issues, infidelity, anger, neurodiversity, depression, contemplating divorce, grief, etc. I can provide a safe, non-judgmental, empathetic space for couples to come together on a healing journey and work towards accomplishing their relationship goals.  

 

Building Healthy Relationships Cycle

I guide couples to healing from past emotional wounds and work towards building strong, long-lasting, loving healthy relationships. Defining what makes a relationship work is a good foundation and starting point for couples therapy.

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The Relationship Cycle

Building a relationship with someone, involves relating to them.

Relating to someone, involves empathizing with them.

Empathizing with someone, involves understanding them.

Understanding someone, involves communicating with them.

Communicating with someone, involves sharing with them.

Sharing with someone, involves feeling safe with them.

Feeling safe with someone, involves trusting them.

Trusting someone, involves building the relationship.

 

Neurodiverse Couples

I live every day in a neurodiverse family. My husband is on the Autism Spectrum and received his diagnosis later in life. I am so proud of my 26-year marriage and the fact that we were able to reconcile after a divorce and remarry. My two children are also on the Spectrum. Having a neurodiverse marriage and parenting my preteen son and adult daughter gives me a unique point of view to better understand and empathize with my client’s and their challenges in a way that simply cannot be taught in books. If you are part of a neurodiverse relationship, I would be honored to work with you.

 

Sex Therapy

The sexual dynamics between partners can be a window into how well the couple is functioning as a whole. A sexless marriage, libido differences, lack of passion, mismatched sexual preferences, and physical sexual dysfunction are painful experiences that need special care when working with a therapist. Some clients can find talking about their sexual difficulties quite difficult. I take the time to listen to couples’ pain and honor their vulnerability.
 

Sex therapy is geared toward building intimacy, bonding, and sexual satisfaction. Building a strong healthy relationship precedes intimacy, and intimacy precedes healthy sexual expression between partners. My approach to sex therapy is through focusing on the couples' emotional bond and helping couples identify what is hindering their intimacy.

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Anger Management

The subject of anger comes up often in couple’s therapy. One or both partners may be unaware of why they are angry, how to manage it, and how it relates to other areas of their relationship. Anger can cause so much damage to relationships, but techniques can be learned to understand it and move forward in your relationship in healthy ways. If anger is a present struggle in your relationship, know that I have compassion for the pain it causes you and also to those around you.

 

Parenting

Parenting is not easy! Perhaps you or your spouse feel stuck, frustrated, sad, lost, and don’t know where to turn for help. I have over 24 years of personal experience with raising children, and 4 of those years, I was co-parenting as a single parent.  I work with couples to cope with the complexities of parenting.

 

As parents, we all want our children to be successful, happy, and healthy. Some families have the added stress of co-parenting in a blended family or parallel parenting.

 

I am here to listen, understand, and coach parents to navigate high conflict situations, build their parenting skills, and create a family environment where each family member can thrive. Whether your goals are to reduce conflict, reduce stress, or increase communication; I guide parents through techniques aimed at building a stronger relationship with their children and creating the results they desired.

 

Areas of Focus

• General Couples Therapy

• Communication

• Intimacy, Sex

• Affair Recovery

• Anger Management

• Neurodiversity

• Divorce

• Life Transitions

• Families including Parenting, Co-Parenting, Blended Families

• Depression, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Personality Disorders

 

Clients

Couples, Families, Men, Women

 

Modalities

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Person-Centered Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Family System Therapy, Positive Psychology, Trauma-informed Therapy

 

License

Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist, AMFT #133330

Supervised by Dr. Harry Motro, LMFT #53452

Employed by New Path Couples Therapy Inc.

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