Working with couples was never my thing … until I was introduced to relationship therapy.

Imago Relationship Therapy quietly arrived at the doorstep of my life in 2005, just as I had begun to contemplate my next steps as a clinician.

I was introduced to her at a monthly networking meeting for therapists in Washington, DC. When the meeting began, I informed the group that working with couples was “not my thing.” As the meeting progressed, I heard the presenter utter phrases that reminded me of my beliefs as a young social worker—themes of love, compassion, and healing broken hearts.

My own heart began to race, and my mind went into “overdrive.” As my palms began to sweat, it became evident that I was suffering from the same condition as the subjects in my study—I had fallen in love with Imago.

Since that fateful morning, my love for Imago has intensified. On a personal level, she has invited me to stretch as I’ve never stretched before. With a slight swing of her magical arm, she has unearthed tears over long “forgotten” issues, and showed me that blocking those tears was blocking me from achieving true spiritual growth.

She constantly teaches me to re-frame all human beings as wounded children, allowing me to grow in my ability to express compassion and empathy. She has gently guided me to remove judgments and fear, and to love abusers as much as I have always been able to love the abused.

She slowly crept into the darkest neighborhoods of my marriage, inviting me to look at myself, and shift from blame to personal self-reflection.

Although my relationship with her is fairly new, we both know that I am “lifer.”