If you are feeling lost or stuck in your relationship, I can help you reconnect with your partner and feel more secure as a couple.
My name is Dr. Akeisha Rivera, and I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the founder of Creating Stronger Bonds Psychology PLLC. I work primarily with couples, and I use the Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) approach to relationship counseling.
Those are some of my professional credentials, but I also have a deep personal commitment to creating a thriving partnership. I am married myself, and my husband and I are the proud parents of a toddler. I have both a personal and professional understanding of the hard work, patience, and empathy required to maintain closeness and recreate a sense of safety in a relationship.
This work is a lifelong passion for me. Growing up, I was always told that I was a good listener and became a confidante to many friends and family members. More importantly, I have always been interested in love relationships and what makes them successful. Looking at my parents’ marriage (32 years and still going strong), I have learned that love does not have to be perfect and you certainly don’t have to get it right all the time—but a strong relationship does require both partners to be willing to attune to each other’s needs and reconnect often.
Along the same lines, I believe that effective therapy requires therapists to be truly invested in the well-being of their clients. Couples counseling is not just a job for me. I do this work because of my genuine desire to help couples connect and thrive together. I feel the most passionate and alive when I am in the therapy room with a couple, witnessing their struggles and helping them to feel seen and heard. I strive to be very present in the room with my clients. I have learned that in order for clients to take the risk of being vulnerable and showing emotion, they need for me as their therapist to be fully engaged and know that I feel along with them. You can trust me to show up emotionally and be your companion in this journey of healing.
I am also committed to helping individuals first fully understand their own truth and see how their behavior works, so that we can then observe how that individual behavior may not be working in the interest of the couple. As your couples therapist, I will gently challenge your patterns and assumptions within the container of a supportive and nonjudgmental therapy environment. My ultimate goal is to make it possible for you to strengthen your relationship so that, as a couple, you will be able to weather any tide.
“Love is more powerful than any hurt or injury.” —Unknown