You probably already know something is getting in the way. You've read the books, done the reflection, maybe even gone to therapy before. And still — the same patterns, the same moments where you go quiet or go sideways or end up somewhere you didn't mean to be.
That's not a failure of insight. It's an invitation to go deeper.
I work with people who are ready to get genuinely curious about the parts of themselves they usually avoid — not to dismantle them, but to understand what they were built to protect. That's where real change starts.
About Me
I've always been more interested in the question underneath the question — what someone is really asking when they say they want to stop fighting with their partner, or can't figure out why they keep ending up in the same situation. The surface patterns are rarely the whole story.
What I keep coming back to, after thinking about this for years, is how much our earliest relationships quietly run the show. The way we learned to get close — or stay safe by not getting too close — doesn't disappear in adulthood. It shows up in who we're drawn to, how we fight, what we can't quite say out loud, and what we protect ourselves from feeling. Understanding those early blueprints is, in my experience, what actually changes things.
I'm also a queer therapist, and I built this practice with a specific kind of person in mind — someone who wants a space where their full self is assumed to be welcome, not just accommodated. Where we can talk about identity, desire, shame, and power without it being a detour from the "real" work. It is the real work.
Before I became a clinician, I spent years as a performer and teaching artist. That experience taught me something I bring into every session: how much gets communicated in what isn't said. The pause. The shift in register. The thing that almost came out. I pay attention to all of it.
I practice at The Sexuality, Attachment, and Trauma Project in New York City, and I'm licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
My Approach
My approach is built on a belief that most people don't need to be fixed — they need to understand themselves more honestly. The defenses we develop to protect ourselves from being hurt are genuinely brilliant. They worked. The problem is that they keep working, long after we've outgrown the circumstances that made them necessary. Sometimes the very thing that once kept us safe is now keeping us from the closeness, or the change, we actually want.
In our work together, I'm not trying to talk you out of those defenses. I'm curious about them. What were they built to protect? Where did they come from? And — when you're ready — do they still need to be running the show?
Sessions with me tend to feel intellectually alive. We make meaning together. I'll notice things out loud, offer observations, and occasionally ask the question you weren't quite expecting. The goal isn't catharsis for its own sake — it's genuine understanding that creates room for something different.
Specialties
I work to help clients understand the deeper threads that shape their identity, relationships, and sense of self. Below, you’ll find areas where I have additional training, clinical focus, or lived experience—and how I approach them in our work together.
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You might be in the middle of a life shift or quietly sensing that something needs to change. Whether you're grieving, rethinking your career, moving through a breakup, or feeling disconnected from who you’ve been, I support clients in exploring who they are and how they want to move through the world now. Our work may include reclaiming agency, rewriting internal narratives, and grounding into your own sense of truth.
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Grief can emerge from breakups, betrayal, identity shifts, aging, unmet expectations, or the loss of a dream. I help clients make space for grief in its many forms and rhythms. Using a relational, psychodynamic lens, we explore the meanings of your loss while tending to the parts of you that are still growing, changing, and reaching for connection.
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If you find yourself repeating the same arguments, shutting down when things get too close, or struggling to voice your needs, we’ll explore the relational patterns shaped by early experiences. This includes understanding attachment injuries, boundary challenges, and how your nervous system responds to closeness, conflict, or vulnerability.
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As a former performer and teaching artist, I understand the complexity of creative lives. Whether you’re navigating visibility, vulnerability, or shifts in your artistic identity, I offer support that honors the emotional, personal, and artistic layers of your experience. We’ll work together to reconnect with your voice and creative process in ways that feel authentic, flexible, and sustaining especially if trauma has shaped your relationship with expression or visibility.
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I provide affirming, sex-positive support for LGBTQIA+ clients and anyone exploring sexuality, gender, and belonging. Our work may include untangling internalized shame, exploring desire, understanding relationship patterns, navigating identity transitions, or making space for joy, resilience, and authenticity.
I hold room for the full spectrum of queer and trans experience and approach this work with warmth, curiosity, and respect for your lived story. -
Sex and intimacy are shaped by early experiences, cultural messages, and often by trauma or shame. I support clients navigating desire differences, sexual shame, communication challenges, or patterns that feel misaligned with their values. This includes exploring pleasure, understanding desire, rebuilding trust after rupture, and navigating kink, non-monogamy, queer relationships, or other relationship structures.
This is a sex-positive, LGBTQIA+ affirming, nonjudgmental space to talk openly about what you need and what you long for.
Who I Work With
Most of the people I work with are thoughtful, self-reflective, and working to understand why knowing something about themselves isn't enough to change it. They've done the work. They understand their patterns, at least intellectually.
That gap between knowing and changing is exactly where I work.
You might be someone who:
keeps ending up in the same relationship dynamic, no matter how different the person seems at first
goes quiet or goes cold at exactly the wrong moment, and isn't sure why
wants real intimacy but finds yourself pulling back when it gets close
is queer, trans, or navigating a non-traditional relationship and wants a therapist who doesn't need things explained
is a performer, artist, or creative who lives close to your emotional edge — and needs a space that can hold that
is rebuilding after a betrayal, loss, or rupture that changed how you see yourself
simply feels like the version of yourself you're living doesn't quite fit anymore
You love each other and can't stop hurting each other. Or one of you did something that broke the foundation, and you're not sure yet whether it's fixable. Or things haven't been terrible — just distant, for longer than either of you wants to admit.
If any of that lands, I'd love to hear from you.
My Values in Therapy
I strive to create a therapy space where:
your full identity is welcome
your lived experiences are taken seriously
conversations about power, privilege, race, gender, sexuality, and culture are invited
feedback is encouraged, and repair is possible
LGBTQIA+ identities and relationships are affirmed without hesitation
access, safety, and collaboration guide the work
the impact of systemic and collective stress is acknowledged and can be explored
your autonomy, boundaries, and pace are respected
If you have accessibility needs, whether sensory, communication-related, or logistical, I’m happy to collaborate to make sessions work well for you.
My commitment is to ongoing learning, feedback, and accountability so clients feel understood and supported.
Fees and Insurance
I am an out-of-network provider, which means I don’t accept insurance directly. However, I’m happy to provide you with the paperwork (a “superbill”) you can submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement.
Individual Therapy – $200 per 50-minute session
Relationship Therapy (Couples or Partners) – $250 per 60-minute session
I hold a limited number of sliding-scale spots for clients who need reduced rates.
If cost is a barrier, please reach out — I approach these conversations with openness and care.
Current Group Offering
I’m currently leading a group for partners navigating the emotional impact of betrayal trauma. This group is designed to support people who are feeling overwhelmed, self-blaming, or unsure what comes next—and who want a space that centers their experience without pressure to forgive, decide, or “move on.”
The group moves at a steady, compassionate pace and will draw on short videos, podcasts, readings, and music to support reflection and connection. Inspired in part by Lily Allen’s West End Girl, the group is intentionally shaped to reduce shame and help partners rebuild trust in themselves.
Contact Me
Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if we might be a good fit or feel free to reach out with any questions you might have.
✉️ Mackenzie@satproject.com
📞 908-280-5114