Do you feel like your relationship has grown stale, unfulfilling, or at a standstill?
Are you and your partner stuck in the same conflict loop every night, arguing about the same old points of contention with no resolution?
Do you feel as though you and your partner are drifting apart?
Do you feel frustrated in your intimate relationship, feeling like your most important needs are not getting met?
Has communication broken down and defensiveness grown to the point where you feel you are no longer able to hear, understand or respond to each other’s feelings or concerns?
All close relationships are a work in progress. Over time couples in a healthy relationship respond flexibly to needs for change and can solve problems and handle conflict in ways that promote growth, foster closeness, and preserve each other’s self-esteem. Sometimes in relationships, however, making needed positive changes can be extremely difficult. Perhaps an impasse is reached where nothing seems to be working to reduce tension and conflict in the relationship, communication shuts down, resentment builds, and making positive changes seems impossible. When negotiating changes in your intimate relationship becomes too challenging to manage on your own, couples counseling can often be what’s needed. Whether you want to enhance your relationship, resolve specific issues, improve trust and communication, or prevent divorce, I can provide you and your partner with support, understanding, and strength to improve your relationship.
Some issues that bring couples to therapy include:
- Addiction/partner addiction support
- Work/life/family balance
- Parenting
- In-laws
- Blended families
- Chronic illness
- Divorce
- Extended family
- Infidelity/cheating
- Intimacy
- Conflict over finances
- Mental illness
- Pre-marital/readiness
- Pornography
- Sex
In couples counseling, I work with couples to identify the areas of difficulty in their relationship and assist them in deciding what changes are needed, both in the relationship and in each other, so that each partner feels he or she is getting what they want out of the relationship. In the sessions I help couples develop and practice more productive problem-solving and communication skills. I also assist partners in safely exploring their difficulties together, building on the relationship’s strengths and working through areas of strife or conflict, like anger and resentment, in order to form a healthier, happier relationship.
A few examples of common couples counseling treatment goals include:
- Improving communication skills
- Building empathy and respect
- Learning effective problem-solving and conflict resolution skills
- Strengthening connections, including intimacy
- Minimizing ineffective, threatening, unproductive communication patterns
- Reducing power struggles
- Renewing commitment to the relationship
- Making decisions about separation and divorce
If any of the above relate to you and your partner in your relationship, contact me today for a free consultation. I would love to speak about how I may be able to help you solve problems, communicate better, and reconnect or rekindle your love for one another.