Psychological Syncing (PSYNC)
Stuckness and relational impasses often signal opportunities for growth.
When we feel out of sync with ourselves or our partner, it's easy to wonder whether something is fundamentally wrong with them or us — or whether we are simply incompatible.
More often, however, these moments reflect opportunities to develop new capacities and ways of relating.
PSYNC helps individuals and couples deepen self-awareness, better understand themselves and each other, and build the psychological skills needed to foster lasting growth — both within themselves and in their relationships.
Partnerships don’t exist in isolation, but are dynamic systems shaped by each partner's early bonds and life experiences. PSYNC helps untangle the complex interplay of relational patterns, narratives and triggering contexts. By understanding why these dynamics once made sense - and why they persist - you can begin to see which ones no longer serve yourself or the relationship. Stuckness loosens, new behaviors are practiced, and the emotional experience becomes clearer and more integrated.
"Emotional connection is not a romantic miracle but a psychological capacity that can be developed. It requires two partners willing to look inward, share openly and explore a new way forward."
(Patricia Sauerbrey Colton, founder of PSYNC)
PSYNC applies principles of attachment theory, neuroscience, depth psychology, and internal family systems.
As a German-American, bilingual, and cross-cultural counselor, I offer sessions in English and German
— online and in person in Oakland, CA.
Due to the time difference, I also offer evening online sessions for clients based in Europe.
Patricia Sauerbrey Colton
I am a psychologist (German “Diplom” = MSc), graduate of the renowned Couples Institute's Developmental Model, a certified morphological (in-depth psychological) researcher and have over 20 years of experience working deeply with people—their motivations, conflicts, and relationships. I continue to deepen my clinical work through ongoing advanced training and supervision.
My work unifies my scientific background, interpersonal expertise and in-depth psychological thinking with an optimistic, playful and analytical personality.
In addition to my counseling work, I spent many years as an in-depth psychological researcher, most recently as Managing Partner USA at the Rheingold Institute. In this role, I conducted countless in-depth psychological interviews, focus groups and workshops across a wide range of contexts—including with consumers, professionals, patients, and physicians. I advised various Fortune 500 companies and leading global brands.
Both my counseling, as well as my research career build on similar skills: listening closely, asking insightful questions, understanding dynamics quickly and working with complexity in a structured and goal-oriented way.
I grew up in Germany and received my postgraduate degree from the University of Bielefeld. I have lived in the United States since 2005 and am based in Oakland, where I live with my husband and our two children.
My Approach
In my work with individuals and couples, I explore the layered interplay of personal narratives, relational patterns, and emotional responses. Together, we trace how these patterns formed, what sustains them, and the roles they continue to play— often beneath conscious awareness.
I do not see people as fundamentally flawed or determined by their personality or past. Rather, I understand each person as being at a particular point in their development. From this perspective, change is not about “fixing,” but about evolving. My work is designed to support sustained growth—expanding awareness, increasing flexibility, and creating new ways of relating to oneself and others.
As awareness deepens, what once felt automatic and limiting begins to loosen. This creates space for new possibilities. I integrate insight with practical application, offering tools and exercises that can be tested and embodied in everyday life.
My approach is tailored to each individual and couple — their goals, needs, and way of engaging with the process. What works for one may not work for another.
My work is informed by the Developmental Model of The Couples Institute, IFS (Internal Family Systems), Morphological Psychology, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy), and the relational work of Esther Perel and Stefanie Stahl.
Individual & Couples Counseling
to elicit growth in the following areas (examples)
Value
Alignment
Family
Planning
Parenthood/
Co-Parenting
Childhood
Patterns
Life
Transitions
Navigating a
Diagnosis
Infidelity/
Affair
(Re)Igniting
Intimacy
Cultural
Discrepancies
Divorce/
Separation
Partnership
Continuation
Dating/
Choosing
My Services
Individual Counseling
My individual counseling sessions focus on self-discovery, resilience, and meaningful growth. Together, we’ll explore your current situation and the experiences and patterns that have shaped it, including how early relationships and unconscious dynamics may continue to influence your emotions, choices, and connections today. By developing deeper awareness of these patterns, you can begin to respond with greater intention, flexibility, and self-compassion. Insight becomes the foundation for lasting change.
I’ll support you in clarifying your goals and translating them into individualized strategies and practical tools for everyday life and specific challenges. Our work together is designed to help you feel more in sync with your values, your relationships, and your authentic self—while equipping you with lasting tools to sustain your growth.
Specialties: relationships, bonding patterns and experiences/inner child, parenthood, navigating cultural differences, work-life balance, and living with illnesses or diagnoses.
60 min
Weekly or biweekly
5% off of 5 sessions, 10% off of 10 sessions
Online or in Oakland, CA
Couples Counseling
My couples counseling sessions focus on strengthening connection, deepening understanding, and navigating relational challenges with greater awareness and intention. Together, we’ll explore the patterns, dynamics, and life experiences that shape your relationship and may contribute to feelings of disconnect, conflict, or stuckness. We’ll also explore how each partner’s early experiences, attachment patterns, and personal narratives influence the ways you connect, protect, pursue, or withdraw from one another. As insight grows, partners can begin to respond to one another with greater curiosity, empathy, and flexibility rather than from automatic reactions or entrenched roles.
I support couples in developing healthier communication, emotional attunement, and practical tools to navigate everyday stressors and recurring challenges. Our work together is designed to help partners feel more in sync with themselves and each other — fostering greater clarity, resilience, intimacy, and alignment with shared values and individual needs.
Specialties: bonding patterns and experiences/inner child, parenting and family dynamics, life transitions, cultural differences, (re)building trust and connection, and strengthening relational resilience.
90 or 120 min
Weekly or biweekly
5% off of 5 sessions, 10% off of 10 sessions
Online or in Oakland, CA
Couples
Intensives
Couples intensives offer a focused and immersive format for partners seeking meaningful movement and deeper understanding within a condensed timeframe. Spanning two consecutive days (6 hours each) of dedicated work together, intensives allow us to move beyond the limitations of shorter, infrequent sessions and engage more deeply with the patterns, challenges, and dynamics shaping your relationship.
This format can be especially valuable for premarital preparation, couples navigating acute crises or considering separation, healing after infidelity or betrayal, or partners who feel stuck in repetitive cycles and are struggling to regain momentum. Intensives can also serve as a powerful starting point for deeper ongoing relational work, fostering greater clarity, connection, and direction.
We’ll explore the underlying emotional and relational processes that keep difficult patterns in place, while identifying the strengths and resources already present within your relationship. The extended format creates space not only for insight, but also for practicing new ways of communicating, relating, and responding to one another in real time.
2 days
6h per day incl. breaks
120 min follow-up session after 4-6 weeks