CODEPENDENCY THERAPY
You know that your relationships feel off balance.
You find yourself giving and giving.
Your care for others is expected and rarely acknowledged.
Your needs are often not considered.
Your life revolves around others, and you feel like a minor supporting actor in your own life.
Codependency & Anxious Attachment
Codependency and anxious attachment are terms used to describe what happens when you set aside your own needs, desires, and wishes in order to maintain relationships.
People who navigate daily life from this place are focused externally and highly attentive to others.
You notice shifts in mood, tone, or tension quickly and believe it is your responsibility to do whatever it takes to keep others calm and happy.
It is difficult to focus internally, to know how you feel, what you need, or where you stand in your own life
Signs of Codependency
Human beings are social creatures. From the beginning of life, we depend on others for care, protection, and belonging.
As children, maintaining connection with the adults around us is essential.
When that connection feels uncertain, children do what they must to preserve whatever is available.
Families function as systems that naturally move toward balance. When one person becomes irresponsible, someone becomes overly responsible. When emotions are volatile, someone learns to smooth things over. When needs go unmet, someone learns to set aside their own.
Children adapt quickly in order to preserve connection and attempt to create some sense of stability.
Without a lot of pain to wake us up, these ways of relating continue automatically into adulthood.
How Codependency Develops
Loss of self
A deep belief that you are not good enough, undeserving, or unlovable
Feeling responsible for other people’s well-being
Guilt when you do something for yourself
Persistent anxiety about making mistakes or being judged
Difficulty making decisions without reassurance
In relationships, this may show up as:
Consistently prioritizing the other person’s needs
Keeping quiet to avoid conflict
Feeling easily rejected
Fear of being left or abandoned
Staying because you feel needed
Feeling deeply alone, even when you are with others
Anger that is difficult to express directly
Quiet resentment, withdrawal, or emotional exhaustion
Codependency Recovery: Reconnecting With Yourself
Many people search for codependency recovery, hoping to eliminate it from their lives.
In reality, the ways of relating that develop in childhood do not simply disappear.
What changes is your relationship with yourself.
In therapy, you reconnect with your own inner experience. You learn to notice what you feel, what you need, and what matters to you.
Gradually, the pull to focus only externally softens.
With more tools and choices, reactivity happens less often, feels less intense, and doesn’t last as long.
You become more able to stay connected to yourself, while also staying connected to others.
If you are interested in exploring this work outside of therapy, Goode Connection offers educational courses and resources related to codependency and self-connection.
CODEPENDENCY GROUPS
I offer three levels of codependency groups that build upon each other.
These groups help people explore their experiences and reconnect with themselves. Being with others who understand and relate to what you are going through can be both validating and supportive.
Level I: Building Understanding and Awareness
Level I is a trauma-informed, highly structured group designed to help you understand how codependency develops and begin building a more supportive relationship with yourself.
Each session follows a consistent rhythm that helps you slow down and notice your internal experience. Sessions include grounding, quiet reflection, writing, experiential exercises, and teachings on key topics.
You are invited to first reflect on your own experience through writing or drawing before sharing with a partner or the group.
This supports you in recognizing what you feel and think without the added pressure of how others may perceive you.
You practice listening without interruption or questioning, noticing the draw to fix or change the other person’s experience, and returning to your own.
Across the eight sessions, the group follows a developmental arc.
Through the lens of attachment, survival responses, and neuroscience, you come to understand how your relational adaptations formed in response to your early environment. This often reduces shame and increases compassion for yourself.
From there, attention shifts to how these adaptations show up in your current relationships, including black-and-white thinking and boundaries.
The later sessions focus on building the internal capacity needed for change. Emotional regulation supports calming the nervous system, mindfulness develops the ability to notice thoughts, emotions, and body sensations without judgment, and self-compassion encourages a kinder, more supportive relationship with yourself.
Overall, the progression moves from understanding to awareness to regulation to presence to self-compassion, supporting a shift from survival-based ways of relating toward a more stable connection with yourself.
Commitment
8 sessions
Group Size
8–10 participants
Prerequisite
A complimentary 20-minute Zoom meeting to determine fit
Level II: Deepening the Work
Level II builds upon the foundation of Level I, allowing for deeper exploration.
While Level I follows a highly structured format, Level II moves at the pace of the group. I continue to guide the work while creating more space for you to bring your own experiences and questions into the sessions.
Themes may include wants and needs, expectations, acceptance, anger, shame, communication, and spirituality. Topics unfold across multiple sessions, deepening your understanding of yourself while expanding your skills.
Sessions may include experiential exercises such as writing, drawing, and somatic practices that support a more direct connection with your internal experience.
Participants continue to take turns sharing rather than engaging in open discussion. This structure encourages you to speak from your own experience rather than focusing on others.
Many participants remain in Level II while also participating in Level III, using Level II as a more structured place to continue learning.
Commitment
Ongoing (typically September through May)
Group Size
Maximum 8 participants
Prerequisite
Completion of Level I
Level III: Integration & Relational Practice
Many participants describe Level III as a place to practice what they have learned while continuing to deepen their relationship with themselves.
In this group, I take more of a back seat, allowing the conversation to unfold more naturally. Members speak directly with one another, exploring what arises in relation to codependency and their relationship with themselves.
While the group becomes more conversational, the intention remains the same: staying connected to your own experience while relating to others.
Commitment
Ongoing (typically September through May)
Group Size
Maximum 6 participants
Prerequisite
Completion of Level I and Level II
Learning More About the Groups
If you are interested in learning more and would like to explore whether Level I might be a good fit, you are invited to reach out through the contact page.
We can schedule a complimentary 20-minute Zoom call to talk about the group and answer any questions you may have.