Ciana Yates

Welcome, I'm Ciana Yates, MSW, LSW Relationships shape so much of how we experience the world—our sense of safety, connection, confidence, and belonging. When those relationships feel strained, disconnected, or overwhelming, it can affect nearly every part of life. I’m passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families better understand themselves and one another, break unhealthy patterns, and build stronger, more fulfilling relationships. I specialize in couples therapy, relationship concerns, and family work, including communication difficulties, recurring conflict, trust concerns, emotional disconnection, family dynamics, boundaries, attachment patterns, and navigating major changes within relationships. Whether you’re a couple who feels like you keep having the same argument, a family struggling to communicate or reconnect, or an individual trying to understand how your past relationships are affecting your present ones, therapy can provide a space to slow things down and begin creating meaningful change. In my work with couples, I focus on helping partners move beyond simply resolving arguments and toward understanding what is happening underneath them. Together, we can identify patterns that leave you feeling unheard, misunderstood, criticized, or disconnected and work toward healthier communication, increased emotional intimacy, stronger trust, and a deeper understanding of one another. My goal is not to take sides, but to help create a space where both partners can feel heard while working together toward the relationship they want. I also love working with families, parents, children, and teens. Family relationships can be incredibly meaningful—and incredibly complicated. I help families navigate conflict, communication challenges, behavioral and emotional concerns, changing family roles, boundaries, parent-child relationships, and difficult transitions. Rather than focusing on one person as the “problem,” I work collaboratively with families to understand the patterns affecting the entire system and help each person feel more understood and connected. For individual clients, I frequently work with anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem, relationship difficulties, and life transitions. Relationship work can also be deeply personal; sometimes improving your relationships begins with understanding your own needs, boundaries, attachment patterns, experiences, and sense of self. My approach to therapy is warm, genuine, collaborative, and practical. I believe you should feel like you’re talking to a real person—not being analyzed from across the room. I integrate evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, person-centered therapy, and relationship- and systems-based approaches while tailoring our work to the people sitting in front of me. Most importantly, I want therapy to feel like a place where you can be honest—even about the messy, uncomfortable, complicated parts of life and relationships. You don’t need to have the perfect words or know exactly what needs to change before coming in. We can figure that out together. Whether you’re hoping to reconnect with your partner, rebuild trust, improve communication within your family, strengthen your relationships, heal from past experiences, or simply feel more like yourself again, I would be honored to support you in creating meaningful and lasting change.