In-person & online relationship therapy and coaching
The Relationship Center is a team of clinicians committed to helping people find joy and contentment in their relationships. Much more than therapists, we're intimacy-obsessed experts excited to help you make deeper connections.
Through gentle yet action-oriented therapy and coaching, we help individuals and couples go from feeling frustrated and anxious to feeling secure and deeply loved.
Research has confirmed the very thing that motivated us to create the Relationship Center – that healthy relationships are at the heart of a joyful, long life.
We find great meaning in helping you gain the self-confidence and skills needed to connect deeply with friends, coworkers, family members, and romantic partners. Whether you’re struggling with social anxiety, dating difficulties, or intimate relationship issues, we’re the therapists who can help you build the healthy connections you yearn for.
Committed to helping - our story
While pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in drama therapy, Jessica Engle saw an opportunity to use improv and role-play to help shy singles develop dating skills and confidence. She founded Bay Area Dating Coach in 2010, providing creative and cutting-edge coaching services to countless singles locally and worldwide.
While serving singles through Bay Area Dating Coach, Jessica Engle gained the 3000 hours required to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#81850) by providing couples therapy, social anxiety therapy, dating therapy, and group therapy in private practice. After witnessing hundreds courageously overcome shyness, chronic singleness, trauma, and longstanding relationship conflicts, she felt called to help on a wider scale.
In 2017, Jessica created the Relationship Center (formerly the Engle Center), bringing together a talented group of clinicians dedicated to creating a more intimate, kind world by helping people build meaningful relationships. In addition to serving couples, the Relationship Center supports singles and socially anxious adults via its specialty clinics, Bay Area Dating Coach, and the Social Anxiety Support Center.
Today, we have a team of therapists committed to using action-oriented approaches like drama therapy, exposure therapy, mock dates, social skills training, and communication coaching. Each clinician brings their unique personality, relationship experiences, and background, enabling us to serve a diverse range of clients.
We are driven to promote a kinder world by helping people build meaningful relationships
At the Relationship Center, our core values define who we are and how we help. Here are the values that guide us:
Love: We are dedicated to helping humans connect deeply. Our therapists bring an unguarded heart to their work, knowing that their care will help clients learn how to accept themselves. With greater self-compassion, our clients are that much more available to build loving relationships with others. We do this work because we want to help build a more loving world.
Culturally Competent Care: We welcome clients of all races, ethnicities, ages, abilities, sexualities, genders, sizes, religions, thinking styles, etc. Our team strives to create a safe place for all people in acknowledgment that the world is not safe for many marginalized identities, and that anxiety in relationships is a completely understandable response to oppression. We celebrate diversity.
Oomph: Relationships thrive when we are genuine, expressive, and courageously vulnerable. As such, relationship therapy must carve a path towards authentic, wholehearted engagement with others. Our therapists create space for our clients to safely express themselves without judgment by showing up fully engaged, real, and (where appropriate) playful. We walk the talk!
Consistent Kindness: Putting yourself out there can feel awkward and even risky. We recognize the courage it takes to reach out for help, particularly if you’ve had troubling relationships in the past. From your initial intake call through to your final session, we approach every interaction as an opportunity for healing, knowing that responsiveness, consistency, and kindness go a long way toward rebuilding security.
What our clients say
We often hear the following feedback from clients about working with our therapists.
We helped them more than other providers ever had previously
We helped both partners feel seen and heard
We helped them reduce anxiety and feel more open and authentic
We helped them feel comfortable, safe, and in control
We restored their faith in the effectiveness of therapy
We helped them interrupt unconscious patterns so that they could find the partner of their dreams
Dedicated to helping with therapy services and beyond
Our commitment to helping people find joy and contentment in their relationships spans beyond our therapy and coaching services.
We derive a great sense of fulfillment from sharing what we know and do so regularly through our blog, podcast, and newsletter.
Our content provides evidence-based, holistic, nuanced information to inspire self-confidence and authentic relationships.
We are also available to speak in the community and as guests in the media. Want to get our expert opinion on your organization or content? Reach out and let us know.
Start feeling confident & connected — get therapy today
Here's how it works: fill out an application and request a time for a free 30-minute consultation.
Our Care Coordinator will speak with you about your relationship challenges and help you determine whether our team is a good fit to help you reach your goals. If so, they’ll help you choose a therapist and get you started with a first session.