Stefanie Schumacher MS, LPC, EMDR

Relational Diplomacy for Individuals and Couples

Structured, direct relationship work for high-responsibility professionals and leaders.

To preserve the depth and focus this work requires, I maintain a small, carefully selected caseload.

Private-pay. Online. Discreet.

Adults of all ages and sexual orientations are welcome.

Request a Confidential Consultation.

Relational Diplomacy Workshops

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About Stefanie

I am a licensed psychotherapist in private practice since 2015, specializing in Relational Diplomacy for couples and individuals seeking structured, accountable change.

Over the past decade, I have worked extensively with high-level executives, entrepreneurs, physicians, and senior level executives including high-level decision makers at Google, Meta, Apple, Dell, Tesla, SpaceX and Genentech who require discretion, clarity, and direct feedback.

My clinical background includes advanced trauma training and work with complex psychiatric presentations as well as certification in EMDR. I specialize in helping people who have experienced significant trauma find their way back to life. Relationship ruptures can stir profound emotional turmoil, especially for those with a history of trauma. Together, we cultivate the skills and mindful awareness that provide stability when emotions threaten to overwhelm. Those skills become the foundation you can rely on to weather conflict, stay grounded in the storm, and ultimately find your way back to connection.

Earlier in my career, I interned for one year at the Taos Pueblo in the Psychiatric Services Division. I then served as a therapist at Life Healing Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a premier residential treatment center specializing in trauma and complex presentations. This work shaped my ability to navigate intensity with steadiness and precision.

Outside of clinical work, I trained for eight years as an Olympic-level swimmer, an experience that deeply informs my understanding of discipline, performance, and leadership under pressure. I continue to swim as an adult on an almost daily basis.

I have maintained a Zen meditation practice since 1997, with training at Soho Zendo in New York City and Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe. This practice informs the grounded, steady presence I bring to my work.

Couples Stuck in the Same Fight

When small disagreements escalate quickly or conflict feels repetitive and exhausting, it’s usually driven by protective patterns rather than the issue itself.

We identify what fuels the cycle, interrupt it in real time, and replace it with healthier ways of relating — so you move forward together instead of pulling further apart.

Couples Standing at a

Crossroads

When you’re unsure whether to stay or go, slowing down is essential.

I help couples examine what’s broken, what may still be repairable, and whether meaningful change is possible. Together, we clarify whether recommitment or separation is the wisest next step — and how to move forward with integrity either way.

Individual Relational Work

Relational Life Therapy helps individuals move out of shame, defensiveness, and self-doubt and into accountability, self-respect, and emotional steadiness.

You’ll learn how to communicate with clarity, set firm boundaries, and show up in your relationships with integrity rather than reactivity.

How Change Happens

Accountability
Each partner learns to take responsibility for their behavior and its impact without shame, defensiveness, or blame.

Honesty
We practice telling the truth respectfully and notice when old stances and defenses may be getting in the way of being honest with ourselves and others.

Repair Is Non-Negotiable
You will learn how to acknowledge harm, make meaningful amends, and actively restore trust after conflict.

Boundaries
You’ll learn to hold firm boundaries with clarity and compassion, protecting both yourself and the relationship.

Family-of-Origin Patterns
We identify the adaptive survival strategies you learned early such as entitlement, withdrawal, compliance, aggression, and examine how they now interfere with adult intimacy.

From Reactivity to the Wise Adult
You’ll learn to recognize when old protective stances are showing up and how to return to a grounded, intentional, and mindful stance.

What the Process Looks Like

We clarify what’s not working.

We understand where it came from and hold the past with compassion, respect and curiosty.

We develop new skills that work in the here-and-now.

The goal is not insight alone.

The goal is noticable change in how you relate to one another every day.

Fees

$300 per 75-minute session for couples.

$150 per 50 minute session for individuals.

My practice is private-pay and designed for motivated couples and individuals seeking focused, accountable change.

I intentionally maintain a limited caseload to ensure depth, discretion, and high-quality care.

Ready to Begin?

If you and your partner are motivated to do focused, accountable work, I invite you to schedule a confidential consultation.

We’ll briefly discuss what’s bringing you in, determine whether this approach is a good fit, and outline next steps.

And if you're new to therapy or therapy-curious, please feel free to join the workshop series. It's an instructive adjunct to any future therapy.