Our Stories
Bring Us Together
At The Counseling Center for Relationships, our story began with a shared belief: that healing happens through connection, compassion, and the courage to understand the stories that shaped us.
Cristina DeFuria and Kaitlyn Tassillo came together with a vision to create more than a therapy practice. They wanted to build a center rooted in exceptional clinical care, strong relationships, and a deep respect for both the clients they serve and the therapists who provide that care. Their partnership was formed from shared values, complementary strengths, and a mutual commitment to helping individuals, couples, and families feel supported through every season of life.
Together, they created TCCFR as a place where people can feel seen, heard, and understood, whether they are navigating relationship challenges, family transitions, trauma, anxiety, depression, or the many layers of healing that come with being human.
Connection has always been at the heart of my story, and it is at the heart of the work we do at TCCFR.
Cristina Defuria, LMFT and Founder of TCCFR
Get to know Cristina Defuria, LMFT
Cristina Defuria, LMFT (she/her) has been in the mental health field for 20 years, with a specialized focus on couples and families since graduating from Drexel University in 2009.
Cristina’s maternal family immigrated from Italy, and growing up in a large Italian family gave her a deep appreciation for love, connection, resilience, and, of course, a little anxiety woven into the family fabric. She grew up hearing stories of sacrifice, war, loss, and the courage it took to adapt to life in a new country. Those stories shaped her understanding of family systems, generational patterns, and the lasting impact our histories can have on the way we love, connect, and heal.
Like many of us, Cristina has done her own work to better understand the generational trauma passed down through her family and to heal within her relationships. This personal and professional growth has helped shape the clinician, leader, wife, mother, and person she is today.
Throughout her career, Cristina has worked in a variety of settings, including schools, military bases with service members and their families, in-home community-based family work, and outpatient private practice. Each of these experiences deepened her respect for people’s stories and strengthened her curiosity about the many different paths toward healing.
In 2020, these experiences led Cristina to found The Counseling Center for Relationships. As a wife and mother, her goal was to create a center that provides exceptional clinical care while also honoring the integrity of the field for its clinicians. She wanted to build a practice where therapists could do meaningful work while maintaining a healthy work-life balance, something she considers essential to providing sustainable, high-quality care.
Practicing what she preaches, Cristina brought Kaitlyn Tassillo, MA, LPC on as a partner to help balance leadership responsibilities, support the growth of the center, and continue providing thoughtful care to clients without sacrificing the well-being of the clinicians behind the work.
Name, Title
Kaitlin Tassillo, LPC, and Clinical Partner of TCCFR
Healing takes strength, support, and the courage to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
Get to know Kaitlyn Tassillo, LPC
Kaitlyn Tassillo, LPC (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor, wife, mother, and dedicated half-marathon runner.
Born and raised in Ocean County and coming from a family of first responders, Kaitlyn has a deep understanding of the complexities of trauma, PTSD, and the ways these experiences can impact relationships and family systems. Her personal background and clinical experience allow her to approach her work with compassion, insight, and a strong appreciation for the resilience it takes to heal.
Kaitlyn received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Georgian Court University. Throughout her career, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including inpatient substance abuse treatment, outpatient mental health, outpatient substance abuse programs, and crisis services. Across each of these settings, her focus has remained the same: providing thoughtful, high-quality care that meets clients where they are.
In addition to her clinical work, Kaitlyn is passionate about supporting other therapists as they grow in the field. She provides supervision with the same care and dedication she brings to her clients, helping emerging clinicians build confidence, skill, and a strong foundation in their work.
Kaitlyn brings warmth, experience, and a grounded perspective to her role, both as a clinician and as a mentor to others in the counseling field.
The Heart
Behind TCCFR
Today, TCCFR continues to grow from the foundation Cristina and Kaitlyn built together: thoughtful care, meaningful connection, and a belief that every person, couple, and family has a story worth honoring.
Whether you are beginning therapy for the first time or returning to support during a new chapter, our team is here to walk alongside you with warmth, expertise, and care.
Because at TCCFR, our stories bring us together, and healing begins in connection.
At The Counseling Center for Relationships (TCCFR) you can find specialized couples and family therapy, therapeutic groups, Brainspotting, sand tray therapy, meditation, family and divorce mediation and more evidence based and exciting modalities.
Areas of specialty are multi-faceted, including infidelity recovery, blended families, reunification counseling, premarital counseling, depression, anxiety, life transitions, parenting and co-parenting, retirement, empty nest, menopause. We specialize in working with substance abuse and eating disorders in the context of family therapy.
Our Center provides therapy for all of New Jersey as well as telehealth for Florida and Pennsylvania. We have therapists fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and Urdu. As relationship therapists we strive to reach as many families as we can, helping them on their journey to healing.