Love is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection. It is a powerful and beautiful emotion that brings a lot of joy to an individual.

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If you look at the definition of love, however, the keyword is intense. It is the intensity that love brings, which can not only bring us both a lot of joy but also a lot of pain.

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Does this sound familiar to you?

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Trust issues, past pain, poor communication, and unspoken conflicts can all get in the way of deep, healthy relationships. People often come to couples counseling when things get “bad enough” that every day with their partner seems like a war zone and they are thinking about ending the relationship.

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When that happens, a couples therapist can provide you with a safe place to address unresolved issues and provide effective conflict resolution strategies to help make your relationship stronger. ​

HOW WE WORK WITH COUPLES

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Couples therapy differs from individual therapy in that your therapist is treating you and your partner as a couple. This therapy is not focused on the interest of one of the partners, rather, it is focused on the best interest of the couple.

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However, couples therapy does include individual therapy at times so that your therapist can get to know you and learn your history and perspective as an individual as it pertains to your relationship. You do not need to be married to go to couples therapy, any type of relationship or partnership can benefit from doing couples counseling.

The couples therapy we use is:

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THE GOTTMAN METHOD

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This method was created by Dr. John and Dr. Julie Gottman, and focuses on nine foundational components that are needed to build a healthy relationship. 

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These include the following:

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• Creating shared meaning

• Making life dreams come true

• Managing conflict

• The positive perspective

• Turning towards instead of away

• Sharing fondness and admiration

• Building Love Maps

• Trust​

• Commitment​