Intimate relationships can be a source of deep joy and love. And those same relationships can challenge us like nothing else in life.
In spite of our best efforts and intentions, many couples get stuck in painful cycles that are hard to get out of without good support. Creating and sustaining a close, intimate relationship is hard work, and requires for most of us that we learn and grow.
Maybe you and your partner have grown apart and of touch. Maybe you're wanting to share more physical and emotional connection and pleasure. Or maybe you’re finding yourselves in the same fight over and over again, and resentment and fatigue is setting in.
Couples or Marriage counseling is a safe, supportive, and practical way space to explore how you and your partner interact, so that you can learn to bring out the best in each other, and recognize and refrain from the ways you hurt each other. It is possible to find relief from the cycles of suffering that trap you. One of the ways my work with couples is different from many therapists is that I use a highly experiential approach. This means that in addition to talking in our sessions, I will help you and your partner both to experience yourselves, and each other in vivid new ways.
We’ll do this by slowing things down, and learning to pay attention to the moment-to-moment ways you experience and impact each other, especially through your non-verbal communication. We’ll explore how you can get better at getting and staying out of cycles where you cause each other distress, and how to build on the positives you experience together. This way of learning is highly effective at addressing the deeper habits and beliefs at play in our closest relationships.
Because intimate relationships can be intense, having a sense of humor helps. In addition to my sensitivity to the challenges of this work, I will also infuse our sessions with humor and playfulness to help move you towards a more secure and resilient bond with each other.
Life is so much better when our closest relationships feel like a place of refuge rather than a source of pain.
I welcome and affirm LGBTQ couples in my practice. If you'd like to learn more about specific approaches I use in my work with couples, please visit the resources for couples page where there's many links to read more! And if you're ready to take the next step to feeling better, please click the button below to schedule a free introductory phone call.
If either of you is seriously doubting that you want to stay in your relationship, then my services probably are not the best fit for you. I recommend exploring the question "do we want to stay together" with someone who specializes in discernment counseling (discernmentcounselors.com). If both of you know in your clear-headed moments that you want to remain in your relationship and put in the work it takes to grow, then you’re ready to work with me.