About Dr. Travis Wood Munnerlyn

Dr. Travis Wood Munnerlyn is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in couples and relationship therapy, helping partners rebuild trust, improve communication, and strengthen emotional connection. He works with couples navigating conflict, disconnection, infidelity, life transitions, and patterns that leave partners feeling misunderstood or alone in their relationship.

In addition to couples therapy, Dr. Munnerlyn works with individuals facing challenges related to men’s issues, LGBTQ identity, trauma, anxiety, depression, and substance use recovery. His work integrates relational therapy with evidence-based approaches designed to help people better understand themselves and their relationships.

Dr. Munnerlyn earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, with a minor in Religious Studies through coursework at Eden Seminary. He later completed both his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Adler University in Chicago, Illinois.

He completed an APA-accredited internship at La Frontera in Tucson, Arizona, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Hazelden Betty Ford Treatment Center outside Portland, Oregon, where he worked in residential addiction treatment.

Dr. Munnerlyn now practices in St. Louis, Missouri, offering in-person therapy and telehealth services in over 40 states.
 
Clinical Training & Experience

Dr. Munnerlyn’s clinical training began in Chicago, Illinois, where he gained experience across a wide range of treatment settings. During his first year of clinical training, he worked with incarcerated adolescent males at the John Howard Association of Illinois, where he saw firsthand how essential safe, stable, and compassionate adult authority figures are for healthy development. 

In his second year, he worked at a community behavioral health center serving the LGBTQ community, engaging in meaningful conversations around identity and gender constructs while expanding his clinical understanding of identity development. His third year focused on family therapy within an outpatient medical facility, helping families develop healthier communication patterns and navigate complex relational dynamics. 

Dr. Munnerlyn later moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he worked in residential treatment helping individuals struggling with substance use, trauma, anxiety, and depression. After completing his doctorate, he relocated to Portland, Oregon, where he continued working in residential addiction treatment at Hazelden Betty Ford. 

These experiences shaped his current focus on relational health, emotional communication, and repairing patterns that damage connection in relationships.
 
Couples & Relationship Therapy

Much of Dr. Munnerlyn’s work centers on helping couples understand why communication breaks down and how to rebuild emotional safety in relationships.

Many couples arrive feeling stuck in cycles of criticism, withdrawal, defensiveness, or resentment. Therapy helps partners slow these patterns down, understand what drives them, and develop healthier ways of communicating and responding to one another.

Couples often seek therapy to address:
•    Ongoing conflict and communication breakdown
•    Emotional distance or loss of connection
•    Trust issues or infidelity
•    Differences in emotional needs or expectations
•    Life transitions affecting the relationship
•    Longstanding patterns that lead to recurring arguments

Dr. Munnerlyn draws from relational and attachment-focused approaches, including The Gottman Method and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), helping couples develop greater emotional awareness, empathy, and connection.
 
Professional Involvement

Dr. Munnerlyn has been a member of the American Psychological Association since 2009.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Animal Protective Association of Missouri, where he has also presented educational workshops on the science of self-care and psychological wellbeing.
 
Dissertation Research

“A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of LGB Clients Who Successfully Completed a 16-Week Psychoeducational Residential Substance Abuse Program.”

This research examined factors contributing to successful recovery among LGBTQ clients in residential treatment programs.
 
Philosophy & Therapeutic Approach

Growing up in the South and Midwest, Dr. Munnerlyn encountered strong cultural expectations about how men are “supposed to” think, feel, and communicate. Over time, he recognized how limiting many of these messages can be. Many men are taught to suppress emotion, which can lead to disconnection in relationships and difficulty expressing needs. Through personal growth and professional training, he developed healthier ways to understand and communicate emotions. Today, he helps clients build these same skills within their own lives. 

Dr. Munnerlyn’s approach is collaborative, solution-focused, and grounded in validating emotional, physical, and psychological experience, while helping clients identify patterns that keep them stuck. Because humans are wired for connection, shame and harsh self-criticism often deepen suffering rather than create change. Therapy focuses on developing greater emotional awareness, improving communication, and building stronger, more authentic relationships.