“Distressed partners may use different words but they are always asking the same basic questions, ‘Are you there for me? Do I matter to you? Will you come when I need you, when I call?’ Love is the best survival mechanism there is, and to feel suddenly emotionally cut off from a partner, disconnected, is terrifying.”
Sue Johnson
About
Cameron Groen
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Greenville, SC with a passion for helping couples and individuals find deeper closeness. I am most passionate about marriage and couples counseling. Couples who enter my office are frequently feeling alone and hurt, wondering how things became so distant with the person they care so much about.
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If you had asked me about my outlook at the start of marriage, I would have told you, sure marriage is hard, but we really love each other. Deep down, I believed this relationship was different and would never feel stuck or that hard. Unfortunately, In close relationships where we hope and even expect to feel accepted and safe, many of us find ourselves feeling sad, afraid and/or alone. Given our brains natural movement towards protecting ourselves, we can easily become guarded/protected and in the process show less and less of our true self to the person we care about. For most relationships, it is these very places of increased protective actions (pulling away, increased anger, critical/demanding responses) that really activate the cycle.
Thankfully, Emotionally Focused Therapy offers a map to helping you make sense of these stuck places and start to find connection with your partner. I offer a compassionate and nonjudgmental experience, that further opens the door to increased safety and acceptance. I find it a privilege to walk along side others in their journey to experiencing greater peace and joy in their individual lives and relationships.
Therapy is a significant investment, which is why I have invested in developing my knowledge and skills in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). EFT is an empirically tested method that has been proven effective to deepen relationship bonds, improve communication, and ultimately build greater trust and intimacy. Through the use of Emotionally Focused Therapy, I specialize in helping couples build deeper bonds of intimacy by starting to have the deeper conversations that the cycle keeps interrupting. EFT is also proven to successfully help individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, and relationship struggles. EFT is based in adult attachment science, which views everyone as having a built in desire for deep closeness with others.
Whether you are seeking support through a difficult situation or struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or loss, individual therapy is a powerful tool in moving you to healing and growth. In the context of a safe therapeutic relationship, we can be freed to explore the areas we feel stuck.
See more under the Services section.
For many couples, attempting to change unhealthy communication patterns, or healing from past wounds can feel like an impossible task. Especially when they are locked in protective actions of defensiveness, blaming, or withdrawal. Studies show that Emotionally Focused Therapy moves couples toward connection, healing, and security.