Couples’ Therapy can be tremendously beneficial to partners who want to improve their relational skills, or adjust to change, (such as becoming new parents, having the last child leave home, retiring, etc.). Therapy can be critically important for couples who have become stuck in unhealthy or “empty” relational patterns, or have suffered trauma (such as affairs, illness, death of loved ones, etc.). Couples’ therapy may also assist when couples are trying to decide whether to continue a relationship or not.
Benefits of couples’ therapy may include:
- Learning more effective ways of communicating (and making repairs when needed)
- Changing repetitive, ineffective cycles to increasingly positive ones
- Clarifying agreements about how each will care for the other and the relationship
- Experiencing a greater sense of understanding and being understood by the partner
- Trusting that most conflicts can be worked through without deep hurt or drama
- Enhanced emotional and/or physical intimacy
- Restoration of trust
- Experiencing more fun and joy
One of my pet peeves is couples’ work being done from only one theoretical framework, and/or where the same series of exercises is prescribed in the same order for all couples. Such approaches do not, in my opinion, give enough importance to the uniqueness of each coupleship. Instead, I see effective couples’ work starting with a full assessment of strengths and challenges. Excellent couples’ work, I believe, should be an integration of a number of theories and approaches,
Some couples, such as biracial couples, blended-family couples, infertile couples, same sex couples, couples where one or both are transgendered, couples where there is a significant age difference, and couples dealing with a breakdown of trust, or who have decided to separate, etc. may have some very special circumstances to explore and process. These concerns, as all other couple concerns, are handled with the utmost compassion and respect.
I am licensed to provide therapy in person or virtually in AL, AZ, AR, CO, GA, IA, LA, MD, MN, MS, MO, NH, NJ, ND, OH, OK, RI, SD, TN, VT, VA, and WA. I can provide coaching in any of the 50 Usstates.
(Couples’ Coaching is available as well. Couples’ Coaching differs from couples therapy in that more pre-assessment tools are used, and there are options both for sessions to be structured as well as for assignments between. Most couples’ coaching sessions are done for 90 minute lengths at a cost of $400 a session, (including handouts and assignments). Discounts are available for pre-purchase of a block of 4 sessions.
* Please also check out the information on couples retreats (i.e.intensives).
I continue to strive to add to my knowledge base. I have studied with many of the most renowned and published couples’ therapists. I have attended workshops (but am not certified by): Harville Hendrix (“Imago” Therapy); John Gottman (“Gottman Method”); Ellen Bader and Pete Pearson (developmental-skills focus ; David Schnarch (differentiation focus); ; Vann Joines (“Personality Adaptations” and “T.A. Today”); Barry McCarthy (sexual enrichment); Janis Abrahms- Spring (affairs); Sharon Wegscheider Cruse (relational alcohol and drug issues).
I have completed Level I training in “Emotionally-Focused Therapy; Level 2 of “PACT” (Psychobiological Approach to Couples’ Therapy); Assessing and Treating Sex Issues in Psychotherapy Level 1 (Institute for Relational Intimacy); and training in both the Developmental Model and Couples Intensives with the Couples institute.