Every couple has a story. Read it together.

Narrative couples therapy for partners who want to be on the same side again: to name the pattern between you, and to write what comes next together.

Begin together See how I work

A limestone cliff and autumn trees reflected in a still river, framed by yellow foliage

You are not the problem. The pattern is.

I'm Griselda Avila, a licensed marriage and family therapist in San Francisco. I work with couples, with premarital pairs, and with partners who are rebuilding trust.

Most couples arrive believing one of them is the problem. In narrative couples work we give the pattern a name, the argument that repeats or the silence that settles, and look at it side by side instead of across the table from each other.

You do not have to agree about the past to begin. You only have to be willing to sit in the room together.

Licensed marriage and family therapist, California
Narrative therapy training, Adelaide, Australia
Couples, premarital and trust work

80 min
A typical couples session
Both
Partners come to the first visit
Video
Or in the office

A cream sofa with a teal cushion by a tall window, beside white shelves with books and a lamp

“We came in tired of having the same argument. The room was unhurried, and neither of us felt we were on trial.”

Finley B.

Sample reviews.

Who comes, and how we work

Three kinds of work, each with a different set of people in the room.

All services

Couples therapy
Both partners come together. We name the pattern that has taken hold of you both, and practice meeting it as a team. Sessions run about 80 minutes, and we decide the pace together.
Premarital counseling
Two people planning to marry or share a home come as a pair. We talk through money, family, work and the things you have been meaning to say, while there is time to ask.
Recovering trust
Both partners attend, after a first visit with each of you alone. We go at the pace of the one who is hurting most, and I say plainly if this work is not right for your situation.

If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), any time. In an emergency, call 911.

How we begin

Beginning therapy together is a small first step. Here is how it goes.

01
A fit call
If you would like to talk first, I offer a 15-minute call about whether we are the right match. It is not therapy, an evaluation or an assessment.
02
Your first session
Both of you come. We talk about what each of you wants and how the pattern shows up at home. Nobody has to say everything at once.
03
Sessions together
We meet at a pace we agree on and check in often about whether the work is useful. If I am not the right fit, I say so and suggest where to look.

In the room together

Sample words about the pace, the room and being heard.

“Neither of us felt we were on trial. Griselda kept the focus on the pattern between us, not on who was right.”
Isla P.Designer
“I expected to be lectured. It felt more like the three of us looking at the same problem.”
Caleb H.Teacher
“The pace was ours. When we needed to slow down, we slowed down, and nobody rushed us.”
Diya S.Engineer
“We came for premarital sessions because we wanted to talk about the hard things first. It was a calm, careful room for that.”
Nikhil R.Chef
“I was nervous about saying it out loud with my partner beside me. The room made that easier.”
Tamika W.Nurse
“A quiet room, a patient pace and no one taking sides. That is what I noticed most.”
Jonah L.Carpenter