Queer Relationship Therapy in NY & NJ

Queer & LGBTQIA+ relationship therapy with Merle Maynard, LMFT — serving New York and New Jersey via telehealth.

Queer relationships often navigate questions and challenges that traditional models of therapy don't always account for. Whether you're exploring identity, navigating non-monogamy, rebuilding trust, or simply trying to communicate more effectively, therapy should make room for the complexity of your relationship—not ask you to fit someone else's expectations.

I work with LGBTQIA+ couples, partners, and relationship systems throughout New York and New Jersey via telehealth.

What brings people to relationship therapy?

Every relationship is unique, but common reasons people seek therapy include:

  • Communication that feels stuck or repetitive

  • Conflict that escalates or leaves both partners feeling alone

  • Rebuilding trust after hurt or betrayal

  • Navigating life transitions or changing identities

  • Differences in intimacy, desire, or connection

  • Neurodivergence and its impact on relationships

  • Exploring or practicing consensual non-monogamy

  • Strengthening connection before problems become overwhelming

Relationship therapy isn't only for relationships in crisis. It can also be a space to deepen understanding, strengthen connection, and build new ways of responding to one another.

My approach

My work is grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), attachment theory, and a neurodivergent-affirming, trauma-informed perspective.

Rather than deciding who is "right," we'll work together to understand the patterns that keep both of you feeling disconnected. As those patterns become clearer, new possibilities for closeness, repair, and trust begin to emerge.

I believe there is no single blueprint for a healthy relationship. Together, we'll explore what safety, intimacy, and connection look like for your relationship, honoring your identities, values, and the life you're building together.

Serving LGBTQIA+ relationships throughout New York and New Jersey via telehealth.