Hello and Welcome! 

Glad to see you’ve found my Website, and I do really hope it will answer some of your questions about Anne Ziff, Marriage and Family Therapy as well as the books and blogs I love to write.  It might also make you curious about some of the things I do that are new to you. (No surprise! I welcome your questions either at my website or on my blog.)

When people ask me, “What kind of therapist are you?” my first answer is “Excellent!”  (And I mean that, plus it’s a laugh line.) But I go on to say that I generally work with healthy people going through life transitions, at almost any stage of life.  As my writings demonstrate, recently I’ve focused primarily on:

Couples, & Sex Therapy— the decisions people want help with as they make choices about relationships (to others, and to yourself): trust, communication, fidelity, infidelity, fair fighting, sexuality, how do I know it’s love?…. You know the challenging issues.  They include questions  about living together… How to make that transition evolve into a satisfying situation.  Can a couple relate effectively when the members live in different states, for example? How can you make that work? (Can it work?) Often, questions come up about sex, and how to have “good sex”.  I help you recognize the best ways for you to deal with these issues, and more. You may want to look at my book, “Marrying Well: The Clinicians’ Guide to Premarital Counseling” published by Norton both for clinicians and for everyone else who’s interested!

Families, — Conversation is a primary key to good relationships in Families. I emphasize the value of good communication in families of any size, and talk about how to make it easy to do. Come talk with me about the changes that may be surprising you as your family either expands with new members (child, pet, elderly parent…you know the addition you’re dealing with) or shrinks, either from moves or losses including divorce and health issues.  Another of my recent books is unique and timely: “Your End of Life Matters: How to Talk with Family and Friends” published by Rowman & Littlefield, a communication “how to” guide about this sometimes avoided or overwhelming topic.  The book is filled with stories (some mine, others from colleagues or people I’ve worked with), writing and talking exercises, 6 key, organizing questions, and good humor.  Including bucket lists!

Individuals,–facing hard career or college or living space decisions; or wanting to figure out some things about yourself and how you relate to other people—Who would you like to relate to, and how do you make that happen?….Where would you like to live? What’s the best career for you? Why you make the choices you do?

The Life Cycle,–particularly when it comes to considering and talking about leaving home after high school, either for work, college, or something else; career changes; whether or not to have children and how; menopause (remember that it’s a gateway!); retirement; an emptying nest, how, if, and when to downsize;  moving; aging parents; your aging self.

Communication—What you think and how you express yourself is an important part of who you are. Learn the difference between sarcasm and good humor. How you are willing to be seen & known in the world, and what’s the work you may have to do to ‘get there’…. Transitions. Recognize and manage them to your advantage.

My newest book, “Your End of Life Matters:  How to Talk with Family and Friends” combines over five years of work with patients, conversations with colleagues and friends, and lectures. It’s based on a taboo-breaking conversation my parents initiated with me, decades ago, that amazed me then, and continues to feel like the most important gift they ever gave me!  Read the book, and see what you think you’re ready for…. Find me, if you’d like to talk!

Previously, I wrote “Marrying Well” which is about premarital counseling, and marketed to clinicians, but truly a book for anyone interested in the topic!  Stories, “how to” information on communicating, and avoiding common relationship mistakes, are among the interesting information you will read there.  Again, be in touch if you’d like to talk further on this topic and your personal questions.

You can check out my blog “Ask Annie” by clicking here, and I’ll also be linking my blog to Facebook.  Most of my blogs relate to questions I get from readers, and my answers. Keep an eye out for it, and send your questions over to me! I’d love to hear from you. 

Click here to learn more about the services I offer.