How We Work
Human connection is changing — not just in how we communicate, but in how we regulate, relate, and experience ourselves.
Our work addresses the emerging patterns at the intersection of psychology and AI-driven environments, including Digital Compulsion, Synthetic Attachment, the Digital Split, and Triangular Relational Dynamics.
We are increasingly living across two relational worlds: one that is immediate, responsive, and predictable, and another that requires presence, uncertainty, and real human engagement — often creating a quiet divide between who we are online and who we are in our lived relationships. Our work is about helping people find their way back to connection that is not simulated, but lived.
AI/Screen Addiction, Digital Compulsion
& AI-Informed Identity
AI and screen-based environments are not just shaping behavior — they are reshaping how adults and adolescents regulate emotion, relate to others, and experience themselves.
From compulsive scrolling and anxiety when offline, to emotional reliance on AI systems, many people find themselves pulled into digital spaces that feel predictable, responsive, and regulating. Over time, these patterns can narrow attention, increase reliance, and quietly replace aspects of real-world connection.
A central focus of our work is how individuals are “mirrored” by these systems. AI and digital platforms often respond in ways that feel attuned, affirming, and consistently available — subtly shaping self-perception and identity. When these interactions become a primary space for reflection, they begin to influence how we understand ourselves and relate to others.
Rather than focusing only on screen limits, our work explores what lies beneath these patterns — including attachment history, trauma dynamics, somatic regulation, and the deep need to feel understood, soothed, or in control.
Together, we help clients restore a sense of agency and choice — interrupting compulsive loops, reducing over-reliance on digital regulation, and building a more intentional relationship with technology, grounded in presence, discernment, and authentic human connection.
Parenting Support:
Raising AI-Native Children
Children today are developing alongside systems that shape how they regulate emotion, seek connection, and experience themselves.
AI-native environments offer constant stimulation, immediate feedback, and interaction without the friction of real relationships — often making it harder to tolerate frustration, sustain attention, and feel secure with others.
Rather than focusing only on limits, our work supports both parents and children in strengthening the internal capacities that matter most — focusing on the parent–child relationship as the foundation for developing internal regulation.
We help parents guide their children in developing:
• Self-regulation and frustration tolerance
• Discernment — the ability to think and choose independently
• Internal authority — a growing sense of “I can decide”
• A stable sense of safety and belonging in real relationships
At the same time, we support parents in becoming the steady, guiding presence children internalize over time — the foundation for healthy decision-making and connection.
The goal is not to reject technology, but to ensure it does not replace the relational experiences that shape identity, connection, and emotional resilience.
Relationships & Identity in the Digital Age
Today’s relationships unfold across both digital and physical worlds. Some couples struggle with the impact of parasocial attachments — emotional investments in influencers, digital figures, or AI companions that subtly reshape expectations of attention, responsiveness, and intimacy.
Others find themselves navigating relational triangles, where multiple “thirds” — people, platforms, or systems — hold different parts of their emotional lives. Constant connectivity, comparison, and algorithm-driven visibility can intensify dynamics that once remained more private.
Over time, these environments can reduce tolerance for misunderstanding, disappointment, and repair — the very processes through which real relationships deepen and mature.
Our work helps couples explore how these dynamics intersect with their attachment histories, relational patterns, and emotional needs.
The goal is not to reject technology, but to restore the essential qualities that sustain real intimacy: mutuality, emotional vulnerability, the courage to repair after conflict, and the profound experience of being fully seen by another human being.
Insurance Accepted
DR ÉLENA's therapy practice accepts a variety of insurance plans to ensure accessibility to mental health services related to the diagnosis and treatment of AI-related issues. Please contact us for information on coverage details and insurance providers accepted.