AMY CRAWFORD
Licensed Professional Counselor
Infidelity Specialist
Your friends and family are either mad at you or they don’t know what happened.
If you’re in couples therapy, the focus is on the relationship, not you.
You might have tried S.L.A.A. but it didn’t resonate, because you’re not a sex addict.
You deserve a space where you can take an honest look at yourself and what happened, without being labeled, judged, or worrying about upsetting someone.
As a former couples therapist, I know that affairs don’t happen in a vacuum. There’s always context.
This isn’t about excusing what happened. It’s about making sense of it.
The more you understand your own story, the more equipped you'll be to talk with your spouse, take responsibility without collapsing into shame, and avoid cheating again- whether you’re with your spouse or a new partner.
I help women take an honest look at what was happening at the time, and the vulnerabilities that made them susceptible to an affair in the first place, including:
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People pleasing
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Desire for external validation or attention
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Avoiding emotions like loneliness, anger, resentment, or fear
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Needing to escape
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Lack of emotional connection
We look at the relational patterns, unresolved trauma, and longstanding beliefs underlying these vulnerabilities.
I draw on my training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help you understand what was happening at the time of your affair and what has happened in your life that made you vulnerable in the first place. You'll be able to explain to your spouse what happened and learn to get your needs met without betraying your marriage.
Individual therapy that complements couples therapy.
If you want to save your marriage, having an individual therapist who understands how to repair a relationship is key.
I've seen the damage that occurs when individual therapy is not aligned with couples therapy. Individual therapists who aren't systemically trained are at risk of undermining your marriage and couples therapy by overvalidating your affair, blaming the betrayed spouse, or unconsciously (or consciously) encouraging the you to pursue your affair partner.
I bring my couples therapy training and experience to our work. If your goal is to repair your marriage, this will be the top priority in our sessions. If you aren't sure whether to stay in your marriage, but want to make sure you're faithful in future relationships, I'll help you with that.
If you are in couples therapy, you'll have the option to sign a release of information so that I can collaborate with your couples therapist. I'll work closely with them to ensure that individual therapy is aligned with your couples work, to better support you, your spouse, and your marriage.