Online Family Counseling

Strengthen, heal, and restore your family relationships with online family counseling throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois.

Ohio biracial family with young child hugging and wrestling together on the couch during online family therapy

Gain Insight into Your

Family Dynamics

There’s so much joy in having everyone you love gathered around one table.

The laughter. The stories. The memories.  

But for many, family gatherings feel more like navigating a land mine of conversations and interactions that trigger hurt, anger, and disappointment. It’s easy to feel trapped in a negative family dynamic when conflicts go unresolved.

You diffuse family conflict by acting as the peacemaker. 

Whenever the family gathers, you prepare a mental list of “safe,” pre-approved conversation topics and engineer ways to steer the discussion back toward safety should it start to get too heated. Things will be different this time, right?

Yet you still feel the tension in your body whenever the family is all together. 

Illinois woman estranged from family sitting alone on a mountain watching the sunset

You smile and nod, while stuffing your feelings and hiding your true self.

Perhaps you survive family gatherings by shutting down your emotions. You bite your tongue and laugh at the ‘jokes’ that feel more like criticism. You keep telling yourself this time you’ll stick firmly to your boundaries and speak up for yourself, but instead you keep catering to everyone else’s feelings. You tell yourself that accommodating other family members is the price of keeping the peace. But you’re starting to feel like the price is too high. 

You finally reached your tipping point. 

Things were said—by you and by them. And it’s never been the same. You send the obligatory birthday card every year. They send an occasional text message. One of you always has an excuse for why you can’t visit for the holidays, but everyone knows the real reason.                                                    

You feel estranged from your own family. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. 

It’s possible for your family to come together, heal relationships,

and create new ways of connecting to one another.

For many families, it’s helpful to have a compassionate guide to facilitate those conversations. 


Ohio bride in a white dress being escorted down the aisle on her wedding day by her two brothers

Rebuild Your Family Relationships with Online Family Counseling

Hi, I’m Emily, and I have the privilege of being that empathetic guide for many families.

As a licensed marriage and family therapist, I help families take a step back from their ongoing family conflict, explore new ways of relating to one another, and work toward healing and connection. 

In my role as a family therapist, I’ve helped many families: 

  • Navigate tension due to changing roles, like when an adult child becomes a caregiver for an aging parent 

  • Take steps toward reconciliation and healing after estrangement 

  • Overcome resentment after months, or even years, of unexpressed emotions or unmet expectations

  • Learn to appreciate each other as individuals, rather than see differences as threats

  • Explore tools to communicate with one another more effectively

  • Practice new ways of managing and resolving conflict

What to expect in online family counseling

Step 1: Schedule your free consultation.

The first step is scheduling individual consults for everyone who will be participating in family counseling. These initial consults help ensure everyone has the opportunity to feel heard and share their point of view before beginning our combined therapy sessions. 

Step 2: Explore your family story and set goals. 

Next, we spend the first few sessions discussing your family history and the issues that prompted you to pursue therapy. We’ll also use these early sessions to define your goals for therapy and as a family. 


Step 3: Get to work. 

Once we have an understanding of where we’ve been and where we want to go, it’s time to get to work! I rely on systems theory in my work with families, which recognizes that each individual has a role that they play within the family. We’ll identify and explore these roles, as well as how they are (or aren’t) working for both the individuals and the family as a whole. 

Step 4: Wrap up and determine follow up frequency. 

Research shows that most therapy clients see improvement after an average of 12 sessions. We will work together to determine what frequency and duration is best for your family.


Elderly mother and daughter laughing and sitting outside on a bench in Illinois

Don’t Sweep Family Conflict Under the Rug 

We all long to experience love and belonging in our families. This natural desire can make family conflict especially uncomfortable, and even painful. As a family therapist, I help each of you pause, take a step back from your family issues, and examine those relationships through a new lens. I walk with you as you navigate the confusing and conflicting emotions that often surface, and I offer support as you create a new and healthier family dynamic. 

Don’t let the years slip by. Begin healing your family relationships today.

Client Testimonials

  • "After going no-contact with my mother in early 2020 at the beginning of the Pandemic, my mental health and self-confidence reached an all-time low. I watched other adult women who had such great relationships with their mothers and often felt like a piece of me was missing or there was something wrong with me. I needed help understanding my past and recognizing the unhelpful patterns passed down from my mother and how greatly they were impacting me as an adult. Since 2021, I have had the privilege of engaging in therapy sessions with Emily of Zeller & Co. Therapy, and I must say, my experience exceeded all expectations."

    ME

  • "I came to Emily for help with my relationship with my parents while I was pregnant. She was really good at identifying the harmful beliefs I held about myself and my relationship with them. I learned how to better advocate for myself, and my parents learned how to better support me. We communicate so much better than before!"

    TG

  • Emily provided our family with outstanding support and guidance through a very important and difficult time. She is a great listener, very knowledgeable and skilled while supporting all sides of our conversations. She is sympathetic and gracious with everyone. She was able to help us get to a very good place. We recommend Emily highly.

    VD

Frequently Asked Questions

Which states are you licensed to provide counseling?

I am licensed to counsel clients in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. I welcome clients in the Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and greater Pennsylvania area; the Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and greater Ohio area; as well as in Chicago and the greater Illinois area.

My family is spread out across different cities and states. Can we still do online family counseling with you?

Yes! I am one of the few family therapists licensed to provide counseling services across multiple states. I virtually counsel families with individuals living throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois.

How do I convince my family to go to therapy?

It’s often helpful to do an individual session first where we can discuss the family dynamic and brainstorm ways for you to approach the topic of therapy with your family member(s).

My family members aren’t interested in going to counseling. Can I still benefit from therapy?

Yes! Even if your family is not ready to participate in therapy yet, we can still work together to explore healthier ways for you to engage in your family relationships.

How much does online family counseling cost? A 60-minute virtual family therapy session with me is $250.

Do you accept insurance?

I have chosen not to accept insurance because this gives me more freedom to tailor a treatment plan to fit your unique needs. However, most insurance companies will reimburse you for your therapy sessions as an out-of-network provider.

Click here to learn more about my rates, payment options, and insurance.