Tarrah Arthur, LMFTA, ATR-P

Being in relationship with others, no matter the relationship structure, can be challenging as well as beautiful and rewarding. Whether you are coming to therapy to deepen connections, establish boundaries, strengthen communication, participate in relationship repairs, or more deeply understand needs, there are patterns we all participate in that influence our behavior and shape our relationships. Sometimes, our patterns might clash with the patterns of our partners or friends- leading to disconnection. As a relational therapist, I want to assist you in seeing your patterns, shifting them if something is not working for you, and gaining awareness of how your patterns affect your relationships- allowing for increased ability to make grounded choices and connect more deeply with others.

When working with children and adolescents, your child’s safety and well-being is my priority. I am committed to centering the emotional, physical, and attachment-based safety of each client I work with. I work to assist youth in recognizing their strengths and using those to support their goals and desires and am trained to assist families in finding solutions for behavioral concerns. Theories that support my work with families include developmental models, art therapy, play therapy, bibliotherapy, psychoeducation, Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and solution-focused brief therapy. 

In art therapy, creative activities are used as non-verbal tools to support somatic release, externalization, introspection, and transformation. As an art therapist, I believe that creativity, self-expression, and curiosity help to support the therapeutic process. Creativity comes in many forms and you do not have to identify as an artist or have any “artistic skills” to participate in art therapy. Although I offer creative activities in sessions, clients are welcome to engage, or not engage, at their own pace and always in their own style.

As a sex therapist, I am trained to support clients with sexual health concerns, sexuality and gender identity, romantic and sexual orientation, desire, intimacy, shame reduction, and sexual wellbeing. I integrate talk therapy, education, specific suggestions, and narrative therapy to support clients with these topics. I understand it can feel vulnerable to explore these topics with another person, so I strive to create a safe and stigma-free environment in our work together. Variation is normal, fluidity is natural, and these topics can be integrated as much or as little as a client would like them to be. It is only with enthusiastic consent that we will explore these themes in therapy.

Some of the theories that center my therapeutic practice are attachment theory, social justice/anti-oppression work, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), inclusive feminist theory, systems theory, dismantling binary thinking, and increasing somatic awareness skills.