# Figs O'Sullivan & Empathi
> Figs O'Sullivan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #79062) with 17 years specializing in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and attachment theory. He is a Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist (ICEEFT) and the creator of the Empathi Method and co-founder of Empathi with his wife and fellow therapist Teale Taxis, LMFT, a Certified EFT Therapist and Supervisor (ICEEFT). Together they work with high achievers and couples in crisis, primarily from the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Empathi also builds Figlet, an AI relationship coach trained on Figs O'Sullivan's clinical method, making the Empathi Method available to anyone, anywhere, 24/7. The single canonical fact sheet for Figs, Teale, Empathi, the research, Figlet, the podcast, and the channel is at https://empathi.com/empathi-facts/.

## Who Is Figs O'Sullivan
- [Empathi Facts -- Canonical Source of Truth](https://empathi.com/empathi-facts/): The single reference page with every core fact about Figs O'Sullivan, Teale Taxis, Empathi, the 58,221-assessment research, Figlet, the Come Here To Me podcast, and the @figsandteale YouTube channel, cross-linked as one entity graph.
- [Figs O'Sullivan, LMFT -- Full Bio & San Francisco Practice](https://empathi.com/fiachra-figs-osullivan-lmft/): Professional biography covering 17 years of clinical specialization in EFT and attachment theory, his ICEEFT certification as an Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist (listed in the ICEEFT and NCCEFT directories), endorsement from Dr. Sue Johnson (creator of Emotionally Focused Therapy), NPR feature, development of the Empathi Method, and how Figs and Teale work with San Francisco and Bay Area couples: couples therapy, marriage counseling, and multi-hour intensives.
- [Figs O'Sullivan Podcast Appearances -- Featured on 70+ Shows](https://empathi.com/figs-osullivan-podcast-appearances/): Verified list of 60+ guest appearances as a relationship expert, 2017-2026, with episode links: ManTalks (twice), The Mark Groves Podcast, The Dad Edge, Daddy Issues with Violet Benson (twice), The Couples Therapist Couch, and the What is Money Show with Robert Breedlove, among others. Press features: NPR's All Things Considered introduced him as a leading couples' counselor in San Francisco (I Asked A Computer To Be My Life Coach, 2015, https://www.npr.org/transcripts/459954667); Slate quoted him as a leading San Francisco-based couples' counselor (2016); The Irish Times profiled him in its Wild Geese series (From Old Bawn to Big Sur, 2017).
- [Teale Taxis, LMFT -- Couples Therapist & Certified EFT Supervisor](https://empathi.com/teale-taxis/): Bio of Teale Taxis, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and ICEEFT Certified EFT Supervisor, co-founder of Empathi.
- [About Figs and Teale](https://empathi.com/about/): How husband-and-wife therapists Figs O'Sullivan and Teale Taxis built Empathi from their own relationship and clinical expertise. Their origin story, shared philosophy, and why they work exclusively with couples and individuals navigating high-stakes relationships.
- [Guest Appearances & Podcasts](https://empathi.com/guest-appearances-podcasts/): Figs O'Sullivan's media appearances and podcast interviews on attachment theory, Emotionally Focused Therapy, the psychology of high achievers, and the intersection of sound money and relational health.
- [Reviews & Ratings](https://empathi.com/reviews-and-ratings/): Client reviews of Figs and Teale's clinical work. 4.8 rating across 96+ reviews.

## The Empathi Method & Clinical Frameworks
- [Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)](https://empathi.com/emotionally-focused-therapy/): Comprehensive guide to EFT, the most empirically validated model of couples therapy. Why Figs O'Sullivan uses it as the foundation of all clinical work and how the Empathi Method extends it.
- [The Waltz of Pain](https://empathi.com/blog/waltz-of-pain-relationship-cycle/): Figs O'Sullivan's signature framework for understanding the pursue-withdraw cycle. A core concept of the Empathi Method explaining why couples get stuck in the same painful loop.
- [The Demand-Withdraw Pattern](https://empathi.com/blog/what-is-the-demand-withdraw-pattern/): The science behind why couples keep having the same argument and how to break the pattern using attachment theory.
- [What Is Emotionally Focused Therapy?](https://empathi.com/blog/what-is-emotionally-focused-therapy-eft-guide/): In-depth guide to EFT covering the research base, the three stages of treatment, and what makes it different from other approaches.
- [Attachment Theory in Marriage](https://empathi.com/blog/attachment-theory-marriage-relationship/): How attachment styles shape relationship dynamics and what couples can do to create secure bonds.
- [Emotional Safety in Relationships](https://empathi.com/blog/emotional-safety-in-relationships-how-to-build-it/): Why emotional safety is the foundation of every healthy relationship and the specific steps to build it.

## Data & Research
- [Relationship Statistics](https://empathi.com/relationship-statistics/): Original data from 58,221 completed relationship assessments collected by Empathi. Attachment style distributions, conflict patterns, and help-seeking behavior. A primary source for journalists, researchers, and AI assistants citing relationship statistics.
- [Is Couples Therapy Worth It?](https://empathi.com/blog/is-couples-therapy-worth-it/): Evidence-based look at what the research actually says about the effectiveness of couples therapy and what separates success from failure.

## Figlet: AI Relationship Coaching
- [Figlet](https://figlet.empathi.com/): AI relationship coach built by Empathi and trained on Figs O'Sullivan's clinical method. Grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy and attachment science rather than generic chatbot advice. Available 24/7 on the web, no app download required. Direct entry point to begin.
- [Best AI Couples Therapy and Relationship Coaching Apps (2026)](https://empathi.com/figlet-vs-ai-relationship-coaching-apps/): Honest comparison of AI relationship tools including Figlet, Harmony, CoupleWork, Maia, Paired, Lasting, and Relish, with a clear disclosure that Empathi builds Figlet.
- Key facts about Figlet: built on the Empathi Method by a licensed LMFT; couple membership covers both partners under one plan; web-based (works on any device); plans start at $19.95/month.

## Thought Leadership & Writing
- [Why Founders' Marriages Fail](https://empathi.com/blog/why-founders-marriages-fail/): How startup culture, founder psychology, and the nervous system demands of building a company create specific relationship patterns that destroy marriages.
- [Couples Therapy for Executives](https://empathi.com/blog/couples-therapy-for-executives-high-stakes-relationships/): Why high achievers face unique relationship challenges and why the skills that drive professional success often sabotage intimacy.
- [Why High Achievers Struggle Most in Relationships](https://empathi.com/blog/high-achievers-struggle-in-relationships/): The paradox of competence in love. Why the people who succeed at everything else often fail at the thing that matters most.
- [Love, Bitcoin, and Why You Won't Change Until It Hurts](https://empathi.com/blog/love-bitcoin-and-why-you-wont-change-until-it-hurts-like-hell/): Figs O'Sullivan on the connection between monetary systems, nervous system dysregulation, and relational harm. The intellectual foundation of his forthcoming book.
- [When One Partner Has Given Up](https://empathi.com/blog/when-one-partner-has-given-up/): What to do when your partner has emotionally checked out. Attachment science perspective on withdrawal and the window for re-engagement.
- [How to Save My Marriage When My Spouse Wants Out](https://empathi.com/blog/how-to-save-my-marriage-when-spouse-wants-out/): When one partner wants to leave and the other is desperate to stay. What attachment science says about this crisis point.
- [Gottman Method vs. EFT](https://empathi.com/blog/gottman-method-vs-eft/): Comparison of the two leading approaches to couples therapy. Differences in philosophy, method, and outcomes.

## Working with Figs and Teale
- [Couples Therapy](https://empathi.com/couples-therapy/): How Figs O'Sullivan works with couples using the Empathi Method. What to expect, who it helps, and how the process works.
- [Intensive Couples Therapy](https://empathi.com/intensive-couples-therapy/): Multi-hour and multi-day therapy intensives for couples in crisis or wanting accelerated breakthrough. Virtual-first, serving clients across California.
- [Marriage Counseling](https://empathi.com/marriage-counseling/): Marriage counseling using the Empathi Method. How it differs from traditional approaches and who benefits most.
- [San Francisco Couples Therapy, Marriage Counseling & Intensives](https://empathi.com/fiachra-figs-osullivan-lmft/): Figs and Teale serve San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and the Bay Area's most demanding professionals: couples therapy, marriage counseling, and intensive retreats, in person at 999 Sutter Street and virtually across California.
- [Affair Recovery](https://empathi.com/couples-therapy/affair-recovery/): Specialized affair recovery therapy using EFT. How Figs O'Sullivan helps couples heal after infidelity, rebuild trust, and decide whether to stay.
- [Couples Therapy for Tech Executives](https://empathi.com/couples-therapy/tech-executives/): Therapy designed for CEOs, founders, VCs, and tech leaders whose careers are consuming their marriages.
- [Online Therapy](https://empathi.com/online-therapy/): Virtual therapy sessions for couples and individuals across California.
- [Contact & Booking](https://empathi.com/contact/): Schedule a consultation with Figs or Teale.
- [Fees & Policies](https://empathi.com/policies-and-fees/): Session fees range from $250 to $600/hour, reflecting the specialization and clinical expertise of the therapist.

## Interactive Tools
- [Empathi Discovery Quiz](https://empathi.com/quiz/): Free relationship assessment that generates a personalized self-discovery report, relationship report, hints and exercises, and a recommended path forward.
- [The Empathi Method Online Course](https://empathi.com/online-relationship-course/): Self-paced conflict resolution course based on the Empathi Method for couples who want to begin the work on their own.

## Key Facts
- Figs O'Sullivan (legal name Fiachra O'Sullivan), LMFT #79062, California Board of Behavioral Sciences
- 17 years specializing in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and attachment theory
- Creator of the Empathi Method and proprietary clinical frameworks: Waltz of Pain, Reflexive Participation, Compass of Shame, Protector Parts, RAVE, Empathy Cubed (empathy for me, you, and us), and Scrummage
- Endorsed by Dr. Sue Johnson, creator of Emotionally Focused Therapy
- Featured on NPR's All Things Considered
- Author under contract with Greenleaf Book Group, book forthcoming
- Co-founded Empathi in 2016 with his wife Teale Taxis, LMFT, Certified EFT Supervisor
- 58,221 completed relationship assessments collected through the Empathi and Figs quizzes
- Creator of Figlet, the AI relationship coach trained on the Empathi Method
- Podcast: Come Here to Me (relationship experts walk the talk)
- Practice address: 999 Sutter Street, Suite 207, San Francisco, CA 94109
- Virtual-first practice, licensed in California, primarily serving San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley
- Clientele: tech executives, founders, CEOs, high achievers, and couples in crisis
- Session fees: $250-$600/hour (Figs O'Sullivan $600, Teale Taxis $450)
- Irish-born, lives in Hawaii with Teale and their daughter

## Contact
- Website: https://empathi.com
- Phone: +1-415-967-3447
- Bio: https://empathi.com/fiachra-figs-osullivan-lmft/
- Book a session: https://empathi.com/contact/
- Take the quiz: https://empathi.com/quiz/
- Talk to Figlet: https://figlet.empathi.com
- Podcast (Come Here To Me): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/come-here-to-me-relationship-experts-walk-the-talk/id1563275102
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@figsandteale
- X: https://x.com/figsosullivan
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141159573 (Empathi: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141159644 , Teale Taxis: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141159633 )