Phoenix Mandel, AMFT

~ Therapy for the relationally brave. ~ I am an experienced relational and sex therapist dedicated to helping individuals, couples/ partners, and polycules explore identity and form more satisfying relationships.

Hello! I am an AMFT (MFT #156522) & AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator providing relational & sex therapy, education, & consulting. I am currently supervised by Nicole (Niki) Khanna, LMFT # 122099, and working under the auspices of Resonant Source Therapy, Training & Consulting.

I work with couples/ partners, polycules, caregivers, and solo seekers navigating the sacred terrain of connection — repairing ruptures, deepening trust, renegotiating agreements, increasing access to pleasure, and returning to resonance.

Many of my clients are LGBTQIA+, nonmonogamous, neurodivergent, kinky, or otherwise living outside the cultural script; often they’re looking for a therapist with lived experience, who doesn’t need a glossary to understand where they’re coming from. Some of these clients are unpacking gender stories written by other people. Some are preparing for or adjusting to medical transition. Others are grappling with the complex intersections of identity, fertility, and family-making — exploring paths to parenting, navigating caregiver burnout, or facing questions about what legacy, lineage, and chosen family mean in queer life.

I support people in asking the hard, beautiful questions: Who am I now? Who do I want to become? What feels most at home in my body? In my relationships? Whether we’re reworking attachment patterns, integrating trauma, or practicing new ways of relating, I bring curiosity, clarity, and care to the process.

My approach is warm, direct, collaborative, and adaptive. I use a blend of structural family therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), somatic and mindfulness practices, harm reduction, narrative therapy, nature therapy, and psychoeducation. I attend closely to the body’s signals and the nervous system’s needs, especially in relational healing.

I bring nearly two decades of experience as a sexuality educator, intimacy coach, and group facilitator — so conversations about desire, power, grief, pleasure, embodiment, and boundaries aren’t just welcome, they’re central to the work.

Specialties:
- Gender exploration and transition support
- Queer and trans/ gender expansive couples therapy
- Fertility, family-building, and parenting/ caregiving stress
- Ethical nonmonogamy and polyamory
- BDSM, kink, and sex-positive therapy
- Conflict, communication, and rupture/repair
- Rebuilding trust after harm or infidelity
- Sexuality, desire discrepancies, and intimacy
- LGBTQIA+ identity and family-of-origin issues
- Trauma-informed, body-aware relational healing
- Neurodivergence in relationships (ADHD, autism)