RELATIONSHIP THERAPIST HOUSTON, TX
Decide for yourself what comes next.
Therapy for high-achieving daughters of immigrants navigating family pressure, cultural guilt, and relationship choices that feel impossible. Available in person in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, or online anywhere in Texas or California.
If it feels like too much, it’s because it is…
It’s a lot, right?
Your double life. Your partner's confusion about why you can't just "set boundaries."
Maybe you've told yourself it's not that bad. Other daughters have it worse. You should be grateful—your parents sacrificed everything. What will other people say?
But deep down, you know this isn't just anxiety—it's the weight of living between two worlds, honoring your family's expectations while slowly losing yourself in the process.
You don’t have to carry this alone. Therapy can help you find clarity and steadiness, so you can finally breathe in your own life.
You’re not trying to abandon your culture or family—you just want to feel less torn and more like you.
Dream it
Dream it
COMPLEX FEELINGS WELCOME
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COMPLEX FEELINGS WELCOME ⚬
Kissu Taffere, LCSW
Many of the women I see are navigating complex, layered relationships across cultures and generations. They've learned how to stay connected to family (even when it hurts), how to translate themselves for partners who don't understand the cultural weight, and how to hide what it costs them. We start by telling the truth about that.
My approach draws on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), psychodynamic, and culturally-informed frameworks to help us understand what you’ve been carrying and how your emotions show up in relationships — not to blame anyone, but to notice patterns and respond in new ways.
As a first-generation Ethiopian-born Eritrean American from a large family, I bring cultural context into the room. I know what it means to navigate layers—roles, languages, expectations—and how much can go unspoken in the name of loyalty or survival. If your story doesn’t fit neatly into categories, you’re in the right place.
Before private practice, I spent a decade in the humanitarian field — in refugee camps, global institutions, and everything in between. It taught me how to sit with grief, contradiction, and complexity without rushing past it.
Outside of sessions, I write about hard things and doodle silly things. I also dabble in improv, which probably tells you most of what you need to know: I take this work seriously. I don’t take myself too seriously.
Ready to go deeper?
Therapy for Women
$200—50 min
For women who are tired of carrying guilt, anxiety, and pressure alone — and want a space to figure out what actually feels right for them.
Mother-Daughter Therapy
Coming Soon
For mothers and adult daughters who are ready to face the hard stuff together — with honesty, care, and space to move at your own pace.
How it works
Step 01
Book a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if we’re a good fit.
Step 02
If it feels right, we’ll schedule your first session and I’ll send the intake forms.
Step 03
From there, we begin — at your pace, with care and clarity.
If you feel the pull, let’s talk.
You don’t need to have all the words yet. If something in you is ready to slow down, get clear, and move differently — we can start there. The first step is a free 15-minute call to see if it feels like a good fit.
FAQ
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I’m an out-of-network (OON) provider in California and Texas. If you have OON benefits in either state, I use a service called Thrizer that makes reimbursement easier — often you’ll only pay your copay upfront. Therapy sessions are also eligible expenses under most HSA and FSA plans, which may provide tax savings.
If you're not using insurance, you have the right to a Good Faith Estimate of what your therapy sessions will cost — before you start or anytime during care. If a bill is ever $400 or more above that estimate, you can dispute it. To learn more about your rights, just ask — or click here.
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Culture shapes how you understand family, loyalty, respect, and identity—and when your therapist doesn't understand that context, their suggestions can feel off or even harmful.
For example, "just set boundaries" might work for someone whose parents will respect that. But if setting a boundary in your family means dishonoring your parents or risking being cut off entirely, that advice misses the reality you're navigating.
When culture is part of the conversation, we can explore what's actually possible for you—not just what sounds good in theory. We'll look at how to honor what matters from your culture while also protecting your well-being, without forcing you to choose one or the other.
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I'm launching mother-daughter therapy sessions soon for those ready to work on the relationship together. I also work with mothers individually—particularly immigrant mothers working through their own identity, family patterns, or trying to understand generational tensions with their adult children.
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I work best with thoughtful, curious, and highly sensitive people who are open to relational work and seeking more than short-term symptom relief. My approach focuses on understanding long-standing relational and attachment patterns, with an emphasis on emotional safety, clarity, and creating meaningful, lasting change in relationships with yourself and loved ones.
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Not only. While we often explore family and relationship dynamics, we also focus on how over-functioning, scanning for danger, and taking on others’ emotions impact your life, work, and well-being. Therapy helps you feel grounded, make decisions with clarity, and stop burning out from carrying more than you can hold.
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These are just some of the tools I might bring in, depending on what you need.
EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) helps us tune into what’s happening underneath the surface—especially how emotions show up in relationships and affect patterns with others.Relational Psychodynamic Therapy looks at how past relationships shape current patterns, helping you understand what you’ve been carrying and shift what’s no longer working.
Mind-body practices support noticing how emotions show up physically—through breath, grounding, or bodily sensations—to help you connect with and process what you’re feeling.
None of this is one-size-fits-all. I’ll explain things as we go, and we’ll use what actually feels supportive for you.
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◦ Licensed Clinical Social Worker — Texas (#112859) and California (#120785)
◦ Master of Social Work — University of Texas at Austin, 2014
◦ Intensive training in relational psychodynamic therapy and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
◦ Ongoing consultation to support relational and culturally responsive care
◦ Steering committee member and guest faculty, Coalition for Clinical Social Work, San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis
◦ Member, California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (CAMFT)