Couples Counseling

Romantic partners can come to therapy for a variety of reasons. I work with partners facing serious challenges, who may be considering a separation and also those looking to deepen their connection or learn new skills before a major commitment. For parents and caregivers, I also provide coaching-style sessions to help you support your children and teens using loving, evidence-based practices. I am kink, queer, and poly affirming.

I have been working with couples for over 15 years now. I have worked with married couples, unmarried couples, co-parenting divorced couples, people in poly relationships, and I have done premarital counseling.

I approach couples therapy from an attachment lens. I believe that your partner can be an important resource in the healing process. By developing a secure attachment, safety, and the deep sense of being seen and known, you will begin to feel more deeply connected to your partner. I combine practical tools with deep emotion-focused work to help you solidify the strength and connection in your relationship. I have received specialized Gottman training for couples impacted by addiction.

Couples Counseling works to help the couple talk in a safe environment in ways in which they are unable to alone. This is a very different conversation than the one in which the two people typically engage. Through a deeper understanding of one another, the relationship can begin to heal.

My approach enhances communication, emotional connection, and understanding of personality dynamics. Incorporating the Gottman Method, I provide tools to improve emotional intimacy, recognize bids for connection, and manage conflicts effectively. Many couples seek counseling to rebuild their connection amid resentment or distance. Together, we’ll explore times when your relationship felt stronger, identify changes, and foster empathy. I create a safe space to break unhelpful patterns.

Couples Counseling is a wonderful way to bring increased intimacy and improved communication to any relationship. Expressing boundaries, healing from past issues and moving forward to a future with shared goals are all part of the journey. I believe that every couple can improve their overall relationship satisfaction through counseling.

I am excited to help you and your partner(s) learn ways to turn toward connection and explore ways to strengthen your attachment and intimacy with one another. I work with clients on building communication and conflict management skills. I believe that we are able to heal attachment ruptures and rebuild a strong relational foundation. I use emotionally focused therapy to help you and your partner(s) learn to identify and express your emotional experience and needs together.

You’re here for a reason. Maybe there’s an inability to communicate, an affair/infidelity, sexual issues or monotony in the relationship. Whatever the case, you know things can be better. Using the best of Emotional Focused Therapy (EFT) and Gottman Method, I help couples not only reconnect but create a relationship that’s better than before. Reach out via phone or email. Availability is limited. I also provide Christian Counseling for couples who desire faith integration.

Identifying breakdowns in communication and discussing "non-negotiables" in relationships is critical. Working, as a couple, on rules for fair fighting can be helpful in managing conflict and improving communication. I have training specific to managing difficulties in relationships, and also creating a strong foundation for couples prior to marriage via pre-marital counseling.

Working with couples is a passive as communication, openness, and intimacy are all key things and areas that relationships need.

We tailor our approach to meet the needs of each couple. Most couples benefit from an approach that combines learning new skills (e.g., communicating more effectively) with space to work through issues in therapy and practice using these new skills. Couples counseling tends to focus on three areas: (1) strengthening the couple’s friendship, (2) helping the couple more effectively engage with conflict, and (3) helping the couples navigate questions around life goals and values.

I've studied a handful of the more known relationship models that influence my work with couples. The most effective work I have done is when utilizing the PACT model (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy).

As a seasoned Couples Counselor, Marriage therapist, and pre-marital therapist, I am grateful to have been able to help couples successfully build new stories for their present and future. It is a privilege to assist people from various backgrounds, cultures, and histories to work together toward collaborative change. I am a passionate narrative therapist, but I have 15 years of teaching Couples Counseling to graduates, drawing on other models such as Attachment Theory and EFT.

You can rebuild trust in yourself and your relationship. Learning and practicing alternate ways of expressing and receiving boundary setting can be nuanced and differentiating conflicts from true disconnection doesn't have to be daunting. Exploring the root causes of betrayals can be safe and healing. With sensitivity towards cultural and family of origin differences and each partner's neurodiversity, respect and understanding for each other's beliefs and backgrounds are part of the process.