Betty Guilfoile, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Experienced Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Supervisor with a passion for
LGBTQ Youth, Families and Young Adults, as well as Adults in their later years.

As human beings, we are complicated. We have thoughts, feelings, and emotions that guide us through life and relationships. Each one of us is unique, born into families, cultures, and systems that are as varied as fingerprints. Through these systems, we develop expectations—some conscious, some not. These expectations are formed by what we see around us, at home, with family, even by what we see on social media. We expect to have a job, have friends, and experience love. We are assigned identities by others such as our name, gender, and pronouns and often society expects us to live life as assigned even if those assignments impact our wellbeing and livelihoods. Families expect us to find love—often with someone of the opposite gender, who is of similar age and background. Sometimes, when these things don’t go as planned, we find ourselves stuck without a clear way to move forward.

I see therapy with individuals, couples, and families as an opportunity to understand and examine these expectations, learn what needs to be done to achieve them, mourn the loss of what cannot be achieved, and discover new ways of thinking and being. I believe you are the expert on your own life, relationship, and family. My job as a therapist is to listen and help identify the patterns that get you stuck and identify options and ways to try something different.

I use a relational, collaborative approach through a Systems Therapy lens. This helps me support you as you examine roles and rules of the systems you belong to, such as family, relationships and work systems, so that you can recognize daily patterns that are keeping you from reaching your goals. I often combined this with Mindfulness to help you learn techniques to reduce stress and anxiety through body and mind awareness. I also utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which can help change the thinking and behavior patterns that can influence your mood. With these tools, I will be a guide to help you live your life as your most authentic self.