Each couple arrives at couples therapy with their own unique set of challenges. It is my role to understand what happened to bring this couple to me now, and what is this couple looking to resolve, improve, or decide as a result of meeting with me.
While many couples arrive after a one time painful discovery or perpetual conflict and long term disconnection, others arrive with a goal to strengthen the relationship bond, to bring clarity and affirm their connection, or prior to making an important milestone decision.
My role is to understand each couple’s situation and support them in reaching their goals.
I recognize and greatly appreciate how difficult it is to bare it all to a stranger, and I value the vulnerability that individuals and couples bring to the therapeutic space, in order to move forward.
In my work with couples and families, we may focus on some of following:
Strengthening couple relationships
Rebuilding trust in the relationships
Improving communication and conflict resolution skills
Improving emotional intimacy
Adapting to remarriage and blended families
· Dealing with infidelity in a relationship
Dealing with financial and emotional infidelity
Learning of affairs
Rebuilding trust in the relationship
Supporting couple in making a decision to end the relationship
Adjusting to many and ever-changing stages of parenting
· Sexual challenges and intimacy concerns
· Premarital counseling and new marriages
How I work with Couples
In my work with couples, I utilize various approaches, as dictated by the couple’s unique situation:
Gottman Method is a research-based approach to couples therapy that includes a couple taking a thorough questionnaire that allows me to understand various aspects of the couple’s relationship and their current communication patterns, and also identify each partner’s unmet needs. Gottman Method is based on Sound Relationship House theory, and looks to identify relationship warning flags (Four Horsemen) as well as examine how the couple moves through conflict and disconnection, towards repair and connection. This method also integrates interventions to disarm conflicting verbal communication, increase intimacy, respect, and affection, bring closeness to the relationship, and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.
EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) is an evidence-based approach grounded in the science of adult attachment and offers a powerful framework for understanding and repairing the emotional bonds between partners. This is appropriate with couples who find themselves stuck in recurring conflicts, emotional distance, or painful misunderstandings. Despite their shared commitment, these couples often feel disconnected, frustrated, or exhausted by patterns they don’t fully understand. What’s underneath is usually not a lack of love, but attachment-related fears — fear of rejection, abandonment, or not being good enough — that create cycles of protection, withdrawal, or protest. Once the cycle is understood, the couple can move forward to create bonding situations that heal the emotional attachment wounds and they can feel stronger to overcome stress and challenges together, creating a more secure attachment.
Prepare/Enrich approach involves a couple taking a questionnaire to identify the couple’s strength and growth areas, and then work with me using defined interventions. This approach was originally designed for pre-marital counseling to help pre-marital couples gain insights into marriage and role expectations, their dynamics, to examine their personalities, spiritual beliefs, future goals, closeness, etc. The approach has been expanded to be used for all couples, and it allows insights into couple’s dynamics, commitment, forgiveness, parenting, personalities, spiritual beliefs, family systems, etc.