Individual Counseling in Indianapolis Area for Relationship Issues

Virtual/Online Individual Therapy Across Indiana

Break Free from Old Patterns

therapist in indiana that is psychology today verified
therapist certified in emotionally focused therapy
couples therapist in indiana who is a member in indiana counseling association
therapist in indianapolis indiana trained in trust based relational intervention TBRI
couples therapist in indianapolis indiana affiliated/memeber with the american counseling association

As an Indiana Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC, License #39005590A), I maintain active affiliations with leading clinical organizations and continuously pursue advanced training to provide evidence-based care for you.

Does This Sound Like You?


Today  feels heavier than it should. You scroll through your phone and see it everywhere: a friend's engagement, a coworker's baby announcement, a couple laughing in a photo like it is the easiest thing in the world. Everyone else seems to be figuring it out. Life keeps moving for them.

But inside, you feel stuck.

Not stuck in the sense that nothing is happening. You are busy, functional, showing up for work, for friends, for life. Stuck in a quieter, harder-to-name way. The same pattern keeps finding you. The same kind of relationship, the same ending, the same confusion about how you got there again. You have started to wonder if it is you. If something in you keeps choosing the wrong person, or keeps getting chosen by the wrong person, and you cannot tell which one it is anymore.

 You think about what it might feel like to be with someone safe. Really safe. Not just someone who says the right things, but someone who feels like solid ground. And when you imagine it, it feels strange, almost out of reach, like a language you have heard of but never actually learned to speak. The people who feel safe seem to know something you do not. And the people you are drawn to instead never quite stay long enough, or never quite show up in the way you were hoping for.

 So you keep trying. And you keep ending up somewhere unfamiliar, with someone you do not really know, in a place you do not recognize, wondering how you got there again.

Today is different for you

Today, something shifts. Maybe it is the accumulation of all those mornings. Maybe it is just this one. But you realize, with a clarity that feels almost urgent, that time is not standing still for you, even when it feels like you are. Life is too precious to keep repeating a chapter you already know the ending to.

The fact that you are here, reading this, means some part of you has not given up on the idea that things could be different. That you could be different. Not fixed, because you are not broken. But freed from a cycle that was never really yours to carry alone.

Book your free consultation now and I will answer all your questions!

Imagine if you could shift from...

BEFORE
Feeling on edge around closeness
Second-guessing your worth or carrying quiet shame
Numbing out or shutting down in conflict
Getting pulled into old reactions (chasing, withdrawing, people-pleasing)
→
→
→
→
AFTER
Feeling safe to lean in and stay connected
Trusting your needs and expressing them openly
Staying present and engaged, even when it’s hard
Responding with calm choice in the present

Just the steps that we'll journey together:

Step 1: Uncover
Explore your attachment style, relational patterns, and how past wounds show up now. Gain clarity and self-compassion.
Step 2: Repattern
Process old hurts safely with trauma-informed tools. Learn to regulate, set boundaries, and practice new ways of relating.
Step 3: Thrive
Carry secure experiences forward: open communication, trust in needs, and nourishing relationships.

Meet  Your Therapist

Hi, I'm Lea — a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in INDIANAPOLIS area, INDIANA.

You are here because somewhere along the way, the connections that felt electric were also the ones that kept you at arm's length, and the ones that felt steady felt somehow off, too calm, too unfamiliar, too hard to trust. That is not a character flaw. It is a pattern, and patterns have roots. Finding those roots is where the real work begins.

My clients are self-aware, thoughtful people who have spent a long time trying to figure this out on their own. They have read the books, had the conversations, done the reflecting. And they are tired.  Many of them tell me that by the time they reached out, they felt a strange mix of relief and vulnerability, like they were finally letting someone else into something they had been carrying quietly for a long time.

That is exactly the kind of space I create. Safe, unhurried, and honest. A place where you do not have to perform clarity you do not have or arrive with answers already formed. You just have to be willing to look.

I use psychodynamics and Emotionally Focused Therapy, an approach grounded in decades of research on how human beings form and repair emotional bonds, to help you understand what is happening beneath the surface of the patterns you keep finding yourself in. Not just what happened in a relationship, but what was happening inside you during it. What you were needing. What you were afraid to ask for. What felt too risky to want. This work is not about assigning blame or diagnosing what went wrong. It is about understanding the emotional logic underneath your choices so that you can start making new ones from a more grounded, secure place.

Clients who do this work often describe feeling like they finally understand themselves in a way they could not access before, because we built it together, slowly, from what was actually true for them.

What others are saying

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Hanady Sawaya profile picture
Hanady Sawaya
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Lea Darido is an exceptional therapist who brings warmth, empathy, and depth to her work. She has a unique ability to help you understand yourself, your relationships, and the patterns that may be holding you back. Whether you’re looking for individual therapy, marriage counseling, or support in navigating relationship challenges, she creates a safe and comfortable space where you can truly open up and work through things. I highly recommend her.
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Rose C. profile picture
Rose C.
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What strikes me most about her is her depth. She doesn’t just help couples talk, she helps them see each other. She has this rare ability to guide people toward vulnerability, toward the parts of themselves they’ve been protecting, and to do it with so much tenderness that it never feels like exposure. It feels like coming home. If you’re looking for someone who can help you and your partner truly reconnect, not just paper over the cracks, she is that person. I’d trust her with anyone I love!
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Jad Abi Hanna profile picture
Jad Abi Hanna
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For almost three years, Lea helped me understand myself. The attachments I was holding onto, the old wounds I thought were closed, the patterns I kept repeating, my fears .. She asked the right questions until I found the answers inside me. What makes Lea different is that she hears what you’re not saying. No judgment, no rush. Just a safe place. If you’re looking for a psychologist who is truly human, this is her. I’m grateful for the whole journey.
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wael aoun profile picture
wael aoun
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As a man, it’s not easy to open up. I always thought vulnerability meant losing something. But with Lea, it never felt that way. She just makes room for the parts I usually keep locked up. And because of that, I got in touch with something I couldn’t access on my own.My partner felt it too. She says that she stopped feeling alone emotionally.
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Elham profile picture
Elham
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Lea is the best! She has such a genuine, caring way of connecting with staff, caregivers, and students all felt truly seen and trusted around her. What stood out most was her patience with kids from traumatic backgrounds; she met them with warmth and consistency until they felt safe enough to open up. She was such a support for me. Highly recommend her.
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Grace Hajj profile picture
Grace Hajj
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Sharing my heart with Lea has been one of the most eye-opening experiences for me. She is able to perceive motives and intentions in a way that always causes me to think deeper, yet she does it in manner I can only describe as illuminating and gently uplifting. She was present to support me when I was seeking relationships, when I lost a relationship, and when I was exploring myself— and she never failed to make me feel understood while better understanding myself. If you are looking for relational counseling or individual therapy I cannot recommend Lea enough! She has truly changed my life for the better.
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Maria Abou Assaly profile picture
Maria Abou Assaly
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During a workshop a few years ago, Lea taught me a simple technique for building good habits. I still use it to this day and it has made such a difference.
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Ghinwa.G.A profile picture
Ghinwa.G.A
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Very professional and highly ethical person. She's very kind and caring, and checks in regularly! I Highly recommend her!!
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Ismail Fawaz profile picture
Ismail Fawaz
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Very professional and supportive highly recommended

Frequently asked questions

How long does individual therapy take in Indianapolis, indiana ?

There is no single answer to this, and any therapist who gives you a firm number without knowing you is guessing. What Lea can say is that her clients come weekly, especially at the start, because consistent support matters when you are working to shift something deep. Some clients notice meaningful movement within a few months. Others choose to stay longer because the work keeps opening up in ways that feel valuable. The timeline is always yours to shape.

What kind of therapist is Lea, and who does she typically work with?

Lea Darido is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor based in Fishers, Indiana, serving clients in the Indianapolis area and throughout Indiana. She works primarily with adults who feel stuck in repeating relationship patterns, people who are self-aware and motivated but keep finding themselves in the same kinds of connections despite their best efforts. If you have done a lot of reflecting on your own and still feel like something is not shifting, you are exactly who she works with.

What are your fees?

Individual sessions are 250$/60 minutes for the intake session and $200/50 minutes for follow-up sessions. I offer limited sliding scale spots when available. We can discuss this during our free consultation.

Do you take insurance or provide superbills for PPO/out-of-network reimbursement?

I do not bill insurance directly (sessions are self-pay/cash-pay). As an out-of-network provider, I work with PPO plans and provide monthly superbills (detailed statements) for you to submit for reimbursement. This approach keeps your care fully private—no session notes or treatment plans are shared with insurance—and gives us maximum flexibility. I recommend checking your plan’s out-of-network mental health/telehealth benefits or calling your insurer. We can talk about this more in our free consult.

What is Emotionally Focused Therapy, and why does Lea use it?

Emotionally Focused Therapy, or EFT, is one of the most well-researched approaches in the field of relationship and individual therapy. It works by helping you identify and understand the emotional patterns driving your behavior in relationships, not just what you do, but why, and what you are actually needing underneath it. Lea uses EFT because it gets beneath surface-level fixes and creates real, lasting change by working with your emotional experience directly rather than around it

Is individual therapy in indianapolis in-person or online?

 I offer virtual individual therapy so you can connect from anywhere in Indiana.

I have tried therapy before and it did not really help. How is this different?

That is a fair and honest question, and it deserves a real answer. A lot of people have had therapy experiences that felt like talking in circles, or leaving with homework they did not quite connect with. Lea's approach is not about advice-giving or skill lists. It is about understanding the emotional roots of what keeps repeating for you, and building something different from the inside out. If you have done talk therapy before and felt like something was still missing, EFT often reaches a layer that more surface-level approaches do not.

How do I know if Lea is the right therapist for me?

The honest answer is that you will have a better sense after one conversation than you will from any website. What Lea can tell you is that she works best with people who are genuinely curious about themselves, willing to sit with some discomfort in service of real change, and ready to do more than manage symptoms. If that sounds like you, it is worth a conversation to find out.

What if I want to work on relationship patterns but I am not currently in a relationship?

This work is especially valuable when you are not in a relationship, because it gives you the space and clarity to understand your patterns before you are in the middle of one again. Many of Lea's clients do some of their most important work during periods of being single. You do not need a partner to begin healing the patterns that have shaped how you connect.

Explore More Ways I Can Support You

Couple sitting close together and looking into each other’s eyes during a couples therapy session.

Couples
Therapy

Family embracing each other during a supportive family therapy session.

Family
Therapy

Relationship
Support

Adoptive/Foster/Kinship family hugging their child during a foster and adoption consultation session.

Foster/Adoptive/
Kinship Support

Young woman smiling during an attachment-style interview therapy session

Discover Your Attachment Style

You don't have to keep repeating the same cycles. Understanding your attachment story is the first step toward showing up differently  in relationships, and with yourself.

I'm here when you're ready!