RELATIONSHIP THERAPIST HOUSTON, TX
Decide for yourself what comes next.
Relationship therapy for people who have the same argument on repeat, feel like they're the only one holding it all together, or say yes when they mean no—and resent it later.
I’ll help you understand what keeps happening, so you can respond differently and feel more connected.
Available in person in Houston or online anywhere in Texas or California.
If it feels like too much, it’s because it is…
It’s a lot, right?
The same argument, again. The decisions you make alone because it's easier than asking. The yes you didn't mean, and the resentment that shows up later, sideways, about something else entirely. And you've been managing it — for years.
Maybe you've even convinced yourself it's not that bad. Other people have it worse. You should be grateful. You don't want to rock the boat — especially when everything looks fine from the outside.
But deep down, you know something has to change. You're carrying more than your share in the relationships that matter most — and never quite having the space to say what you actually need.
You’re not trying to blow up your whole life—you just want to feel less anxious and more like you.
Dream it
Dream it
COMPLEX FEELINGS WELCOME
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COMPLEX FEELINGS WELCOME ⚬
Kissu Taffere, LCSW
Many of the people I see are trying to hold it all together while carrying the weight of their families, relationships, and life decisions. They often put everyone else first, stay connected even when it hurts, and hide the toll it takes. Our work begins 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.
Areas of focus
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For women whose lives don’t map neatly onto what their family or culture expected, and who have spent years code-switching, translating, and quietly editing themselves depending on the room.
The tension between worlds shows up in who you chose to be with, the decisions your family doesn’t know about, and the exhaustion of holding it all together without anyone seeing the whole picture.
You grew up between cultures, moved across countries, married into a different world, or never fit the script your family wrote for you. First and second generation, expats, women who belong everywhere and nowhere at once.
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For people navigating family conflict and distance — whether you’ve taken some space, feel someone pulling away from you, or are somewhere in the middle trying to figure out what’s next. Maybe you’ve stepped back and carry mixed feelings about it. Maybe you’re still in it and feeling worn down. Or maybe you’re not sure what you want, just that things can’t keep going as they are.
You don’t have to have clarity before you come in. We make space for the ambivalence, the grief, and the gradual process of understanding what you need — whether that leads toward repair, clearer boundaries, or something in between.
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Sometimes you go quiet and swallow it. Sometimes you can’t stop pushing — the argument that won’t end, the question you’ve already asked three times, the version of you your partner calls “a lot.” You know both versions of yourself, and you’re tired of both of them. The anxiety underneath isn’t about being difficult. It’s about not trusting that you’re safe to need things — so you either stop needing, or you need loudly.
In therapy, we slow that pattern down and make sense of it — where it comes from, how it shows up, and what it’s trying to protect. From there, we work toward something different: being able to express needs without escalation or shutdown, and building relationships that feel more steady, responsive, and real.
Ready to go deeper?
Individual Therapy
$225—50 min
For people who are tired of carrying guilt, anxiety, and pressure alone — and want a space to figure out what actually feels right for them.
Couples Therapy
$250—50 min
For interracial, BIPOC, or intercultural couples who are ready to face the hard stuff together — with honesty, care, and space to move at your own pace.
Mother-Daughter Therapy
$250—50 min
For mothers and adult daughters who love each other but keep getting caught in ways of relating that are hard to change on your own.
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.
What does "out-of-network" mean?
Out-of-network means I don't have a contract with your insurance company. However, many insurance plans still provide partial reimbursement for out-of-network care.To make the reimbursement process easier, I use a service called Thrizer — often you'll only pay your copay upfront and Thrizer handles submitting your claim. To find out if you have OON benefits and what your coverage looks like, see "How do I check my out-of-network benefits?" below.
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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I work with a limited number of clients, and your recurring appointment time is reserved specifically for you. I know that life happens, so you may cancel a few scheduled sessions each year without a fee. After that, cancelled sessions are charged at the regular session fee. We'll review the full policy together before we begin.
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Culture matters because it shapes how you understand family, loyalty, respect, and identity—and these factors can affect your emotions, relationships, and choices. That said, culture might shape who you are in some moments, and not others. I don’t assume everything is about culture, and I don’t reduce people to it—but I pay close attention to how cultural dynamics show up, because ignoring them can make therapy far less effective.
I don’t need to share your exact background to work effectively with you, but I make it a priority to understand how culture shapes values, emotions, and relationships. Together, we explore how these dynamics affect your choices and connections, so support is grounded in your reality.
When culture is part of the conversation, I focus on what’s actually possible for you. I help you protect your well-being while honoring what matters most to you.
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Many of the couples and individuals I work with come from different cultural, racial, religious, or family backgrounds. While every relationship is unique, these differences can shape communication, family expectations, values, conflict, boundaries, parenting, and major life decisions in ways that feel difficult to navigate alone.
My goal isn't to decide whose culture is "right." Instead, I help you better understand how your experiences have shaped your relationship, recognize the patterns keeping you stuck, and create ways of relating that honor both your identities and the relationship you're building together.
Whether you're navigating cultural differences with a partner, feeling caught between your family and your relationship, or trying to make sense of competing expectations, therapy can provide a space to slow down, understand one another more deeply, and build a relationship that feels authentic to both of you.
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I work best with people who want support for both immediate challenges and the deeper patterns that shape their emotions and relationships, and who are committed to doing the “hard work.” Together, we ease the intensity of your sadness, stress, and overwhelm, process what matters most to you, and create lasting change in how you feel about yourself and connect with the people you love.
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Not at all. Many adults and couples come in for one concern, but we often notice the same patterns show up across multiple areas of life—at work, in relationships, with family, and within yourself. For example:
Hiding parts of your life from your family, a partner, or colleagues—a relationship, a career change, or what you really need
Feeling like you can’t set boundaries without someone getting frustrated or not understanding the weight you carry
Running through everyone else’s reactions before making a decision
Downplaying accomplishments at work or feeling like a fraud despite your success
Saying yes when you mean no, then resenting yourself
Carrying your family emotionally or financially without clarity about your own feelings
Feeling guilty for wanting something different than what your family sacrificed for
Feeling exhausted from constantly translating yourself to your partner, colleagues, or family
These patterns aren’t just about family or romantic relationships—they often affect work, friendships, parenting, and your relationship with yourself.
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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), Supervisor
◦ Master of Social Work — University of Texas at Austin, 2014
◦ Intensive training in relational psychodynamic therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for individuals, couples and families
◦ 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) and Houston Community for Emotionally Focused Therapy, 2025–present
Your Out-of-Network Benefits Might Help
Your insurance plan may reimburse you for a portion of the cost of therapy. Just enter your information and insurance details, and you'll receive a breakdown of your coverage, including your deductible, copay, and reimbursement rate.
This helps you understand your out-of-pocket costs before we begin working together.