Couple's Therapy

Your relationship with your significant other is one of the most important parts of your life. Many expectations and hopes are placed on this one relationship such as connection, understanding, emotional support, friendship, companionship, romantic or sexual love and financial support to name a few. There are so many areas for misunderstandings and disconnect, so many places to be wounded or healed.

You chose this person for a reason and probably have tried to work things out. Family and friends offer advice, but this advice comes from their experiences and values and is usually not impartial. In couple's therapy my job is to help each of you see yourselves and each other clearly, learn what your patterns have been, where they came from and how this dynamic is maintained. Then I work in collaboration with each of you to teach you tools to improve understanding, connection, cooperation, communication and loving behavior.

Couple's therapy is a broad topic and there are a variety of reasons couples engage in therapy. Some couples seek therapy because they are thinking about getting married or committing to one another and want to work issues out before their commitment. Others come to therapy to improve their communication, and/or to solve arguments that have been occurring. Some start couples therapy to work on parenting or blended family issues. Often, couples wait to come to therapy as a last resort or wait until one of them is threatening divorce. I also see divorced couples that are negotiating co-parenting.

I see a wide variety of types of couples in my practice, which include unmarried couples who either live apart or together, couples who are married or in a committed relationship, divorced couples, opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples and couples who have issues with differences in such things as religion, age and cultural background. Although many couples share similar life stressors and issues, some couples have issues that are unique to them due to their life circumstances.

Calling or having a first appointment is not a commitment to the process. Yet calling opens the door for help and change from the issues you and your partner have been facing. If your partner will not attend couple's therapy, you might want to consider individual therapy as a means to change your dynamic. If your partner is having you read this, know that he or she cares about you and your relationship and is seeking help because they care.