Therapist For Avoidant Attachment in Dallas, TX
Attachment Therapy for Women in Austin, TX
Austin, Texas, is a vibrant city known for its distinct cultural influences, dynamic music scene, and plenty of outdoor adventures. From the scenic lake trails to the iconic Austin City Limits, there are endless opportunities to explore and connect with others. However, if you carry attachment wounds, those connections can bring unique challenges. Maybe you’re struggling to end a romantic relationship that has run its course because you hate the idea of being alone. Maybe you find yourself abandoning your boundaries to keep loved ones close. Maybe you’re hypervigilant, constantly scanning for signs of conflict or fearing you’ve been misunderstood.
If this resonates with you, you’re in the right place. My goal is to offer you a space to slow down, talk openly, and better understand the attachment issues you are experiencing. My work draws on attachment-based and psychodynamic therapy, along with elements of CBT. That means we don’t just focus on quick fixes; we explore the deeper patterns keeping you stuck while also giving you practical tools to use in all your relationships.
You are tired of the same exhausting cycle showing up in your relationships.
You worry about being rejected and constantly ask for reassurance, while your partner tends to withdraw when things get intense. The more you reach out for safety and connection, the more they pull away, leaving you feeling confused and anxious.
Or perhaps you find yourself over-explaining to pacify your significant other and avoid conflict. And you instinctively scan for signs that something is wrong so you can anticipate their needs and keep them close.
Over time, these situations leave you feeling exhausted, drained, and even ashamed. You ask yourself if you're just too much. You tend to blame yourself rather than looking at the bigger picture.
Attachment therapy can help you understand what’s actually going on. You will learn where these behaviors come from and how you and your partner play off one another, escalating conflict or pulling away. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to create a more secure, connected way of relating.
What Are Attachment Wounds?
Attachment wounds develop early in life when your primary caregivers weren’t able to give you the safety, connection, understanding, or emotional support you needed.
And if you were a child with undiagnosed ADHD, your parents likely didn’t know why you struggled with things like emotional regulation, attention, or behavior. Without realizing that you needed additional support, their response left you feeling misunderstood, criticized, or like something was wrong with you.
Those foundational experiences shape how you see yourself and relate to others as an adult. You may anticipate rejection, struggle to trust others, or have difficulty asking for what you need.
This isn't about blaming your parents or believing you're stuck with these patterns. It’s about understanding where these patterns came from, how they show up in your relationships, and how to develop new tools and strategies for relating to yourself and others.
At Shannon Strong Counseling, I specialize in supporting women with attachment wounds and ADHD. Together, we can make sense of the patterns keeping you stuck, work through the shame and self-criticism you may have internalized, and build more secure ways of relating.
Anxious Attachment and the Need for Reassurance
Women who are anxiously attached spend a lot of time wondering where they stand in the relationship. Any slight gesture or comment feels like something is wrong and that things are about to go sideways, especially when you've been diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and haven’t received the support you need to feel secure.
Therapy for anxious attachment helps you understand where this need for reassurance comes from, work with the fear underneath it, and build a greater sense of security in your relationships.
Avoidant Attachment and the Need for Distance
Avoidant attachment, on the other hand, is almost the exact opposite pattern. People with an avoidant attachment style value hyper-independence and feel uncomfortable when someone wants more closeness or when emotions become intense.
Pulling away feels like the safest option for avoidant types. Their core struggle is vulnerability. So they’ve learned to create distance to protect themselves from feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed, criticized, or rejected.
If this sounds like you, a counselor specializing in attachment therapy can help you understand what's going on inside and deepen your relationship with your partner without feeling the need to pull away.
The Anxious-Avoidant Relationship Cycle
When anxious and avoidant attachment styles come together, they create a cycle that leaves both people feeling lost and disconnected. The more the anxious type pursues, the more the avoidant withdraws, and vice versa.
Understanding this cycle can help you stop seeing yourself or your partner as the problem. Attachment style therapy lets you examine the fears and protective patterns that fuel conflict or distance, so you can break the cycle, feel more secure, and stop hiding who you are in your relationships.
Ready to get Started?
Online Therapy for Attachment Wounds in Dallas, TX
Attachment therapy helps pinpoint the experiences that shape how you show up in intimate relationships.
It also helps you relearn intimacy so you can be yourself with the people you love. You can be vulnerable without feeling like you're losing yourself, and you can have space without feeling like you're pushing someone away.
I use an attachment-based, psychodynamic approach to help you learn practical tools for emotional regulation, communication, and healthier relationships. Whether you identify with an anxious attachment style, avoidant attachment, or a combination of both, therapy gives you space to understand what’s happening and break the cycle.
Learn More about My Specialties
Affirming ADHD Therapy
Therapy for Anxiety
Therapy for Burnout
Attachment Based Therapy
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer in-person or virtual sessions?
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All sessions are currently held virtually, allowing you to access therapy from the comfort and privacy of your own space.
Do you accept insurance?
I am a private-pay practice and do not accept insurance. This allows me to provide more personalized, high-quality care without the limitations of insurance requirements.
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How do I know if therapy with you is the right fit?
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If you look like you’re holding it together on the outside but feel overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck on the inside, you’re in the right place. I specialize in helping high-achieving women who are tired of pushing through and want to understand themselves on a deeper level.