Are you and your partner fighting too much? Are you concerned that your fights might be impacting the kids? Do you act more like roommates than lovers? Are you uninterested in sex most of the time? Do you disagree on topics such as parenting, finances, or weekend plans? Are you missing the connection and spark you once had? Have you or your spouse had an affair? Is alcohol or depression influencing your relationship? Are you thinking about separation or divorce?
Many couples face challenges in their relationship. We can help you create the kind of relationship you really want. Utilizing an approach, called Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), we guide couples to improve communication, enhance connection, and revitalize intimacy. EFCT is an effective and empirically validated therapy model. Ninety percent of couples that move through the EFT process find that their relationship improves and 75 percent of couples move from a distressed state to a satisfied state.
We work with all kinds of couples and relationships. Many couples we work with have great relationships and need support on a few issues. Others start therapy in a state of marital crisis. Regardless of the difficulties that are brought forward, couples therapy is designed for those wanting to work together to improve their relationship. We do not judge, blame, or take sides. You can expect to do deep transformational work with us, yet our approach is practical and dedicated to helping you make progress toward your specific goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you tell me more about Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy?
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy for is a therapeutic model that was developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. It offers a structured, experiential, and humanistic approach to relationship change based on attachment theory. The process has three stages and nine steps. In stage one we get to know the couple. We learn about their unique strengths, challenges, patterns, and where they get stuck. Our focus is on helping the couple to work together as a team to communicate better and connection more. In stage two we begin to explicitly shift how the couple interacts through supporting each person to connect more fully with themselves, share authentically, explore needs and wants, and create new ways of being together. In stage three we focus on developing new solutions to old problems, maintaining the newly developed positive pattern of interaction, and support hopes and dreams as individuals and a couple.
I am not sure talking to someone about our marriage will help. What makes you qualified?
Our therapists specialize in couples therapy, marriage counseling, and relationships. They have Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and are Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. In addition, they engage in ongoing postgraduate training and consultation in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.
My fiancé and I have a great relationship. Do you offer premarital counseling?
Yes. Utilizing Emotionally Focused Therapy and Prepare/Enrich, we offer premarital counseling or counseling for new couples that may not be getting married. This process helps couples gain insights into relationship dynamics, commitment levels, personality, spiritual beliefs, and family systems. In addition, couples discover how to strengthen their bond and make their love last.
We have a good marriage. We want help with communication. Do we really need therapy for this?
Communication is complex. The messages we send to others are influenced by verbal language, body language, thoughts, feelings, memories, facial expressions, and tone of voice. Food, sleep, substances, and our general state of wellness also impact how we communicate. Therapy helps couples communicate clearly and effectively.
We rarely have sex anymore. Is this something you can help us with?
Absolutely. Marriage counseling and couples therapy includes sex therapy. Generally sex is a vital aspect of long term romantic relationships. The process of couples therapy begins with helping couples create a solid foundation and new ways of interacting and communicating with each other. Once this is solidly established we help my clients explore their sexual connection.
We saw a therapist in the past who said she could not work with us because our fights get explosive. Will you work with us?
When we begin with a new couple we start with an assessment. During the assessment, we will learn more about the nature of your arguments and inquire about the levels of emotional and physical safety that are present within the relationship. We can begin therapy with almost all most couples that are experiencing high conflict or explosive arguments. Sometimes we decide to start with individual sessions first and move our way into couples therapy. Occasionally, we refer out to therapists with expertise in counseling interpersonal violence.
I had an affair and told my spouse. I feel so remorseful and want to save our marriage. Can you help?
Yes we can help. You are in the right place and we are here for you. Affairs can be traumatic for both partners and it is not uncommon for the faithful partner to experience symptoms associated with post traumatic stress. Yet most couples discover that with therapy they are able to heal, recover, renew their relationship, recommit, and stay together fulfilled. We are trained in the attachment injury repair model and affair recovery and successfully help couples work through their pain and restore their relationship to a fulfilled state.
Can you help me save my marriage?
Yes! If both partners are coming to therapy with the goal of improving their relationship and saving their marriage we will help you every step of the way!
I cannot decide whether to stay in my relationship or go. What do I do?
We cannot give direct advice on whether someone stays in their relationship or leaves. We can say that, generally speaking, through the work of couples and relationship therapy most people can create healthy and fulfilling relationships. Many find peace of mind in knowing that they are trying everything they can to improve their relationship before making this decision. This is a common dilemma that is best discussed in therapy. The work of therapy will naturally bring more clarity.
I am not sure I have any energy left to put into my marriage. How can you help?
Some start therapy at a time when one or both are seriously considering divorce. During the assessment process we will explore your commitment levels. Often people find that there is a small part of them that has energy left to do the work to create a great relationship. We tap into this small part and go from there. Sometimes people decide that they want to leave in their marriage. In this case, we can provide support during the separation or divorce process. The assessment process with your therapist will help you develop more clarity.
Our disagreements have to do with parenting, not our marriage. Will couples therapy be helpful?
Yes couples therapy will help. Couples struggle with parenting for a variety of reasons. Our work together will begin with helping you and your spouse communicate effectively and interact responsively. Once couples do this, they generally solve most parenting problems on their own, or with some basic guidance. In addition, we are happy to offer parent counseling or family therapy as an adjunct to, or instead of, couples therapy.
My spouse and I want to open our relationship. Do you do therapy with couples in open marriages?
Yes. We regularly work with couples practicing consensual non-monogamy and those with open marriages. Therapy can help you engage in meaningful dialogue and keep connection strong while navigating the complexities of open relationships.
How many sessions will we have to do?
Creating lasting change within romantic relationships takes time. Some couples come into therapy expecting that their problems will be solved in one or two sessions. This is generally not possible. The first four sessions of our work together is an assessment process. After this, we get to work helping couples transform the way they communicate, connect, and share intimacy. Most couples can expect to complete a minimum of 12 - 24 sessions of therapy. Many couples prefer to establish long term weekly or biweekly sessions as this provides a non biased neutral third party to aid perspective and facilitate conversations effectively. This being said, you are never obligated to a certain number of sessions and you can pause or cancel counseling with us at any time.
How often will we meet with you?
For therapy to be effective, clients should expect to meet with me once per week for 55 minutes. Generally we will reserve a recurring weekly day/time for you. For clients with busy schedules, frequent travel, or budget concerns, we are flexible with scheduling. Keep in mind that progress tends to be slower when we meet less than once per week.
Many couples face challenges in their relationship. We can help you create the kind of relationship you really want. Utilizing an approach, called Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), we guide couples to improve communication, enhance connection, and revitalize intimacy. EFCT is an effective and empirically validated therapy model. Ninety percent of couples that move through the EFT process find that their relationship improves and 75 percent of couples move from a distressed state to a satisfied state.
We work with all kinds of couples and relationships. Many couples we work with have great relationships and need support on a few issues. Others start therapy in a state of marital crisis. Regardless of the difficulties that are brought forward, couples therapy is designed for those wanting to work together to improve their relationship. We do not judge, blame, or take sides. You can expect to do deep transformational work with us, yet our approach is practical and dedicated to helping you make progress toward your specific goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you tell me more about Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy?
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy for is a therapeutic model that was developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. It offers a structured, experiential, and humanistic approach to relationship change based on attachment theory. The process has three stages and nine steps. In stage one we get to know the couple. We learn about their unique strengths, challenges, patterns, and where they get stuck. Our focus is on helping the couple to work together as a team to communicate better and connection more. In stage two we begin to explicitly shift how the couple interacts through supporting each person to connect more fully with themselves, share authentically, explore needs and wants, and create new ways of being together. In stage three we focus on developing new solutions to old problems, maintaining the newly developed positive pattern of interaction, and support hopes and dreams as individuals and a couple.
I am not sure talking to someone about our marriage will help. What makes you qualified?
Our therapists specialize in couples therapy, marriage counseling, and relationships. They have Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and are Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. In addition, they engage in ongoing postgraduate training and consultation in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.
My fiancé and I have a great relationship. Do you offer premarital counseling?
Yes. Utilizing Emotionally Focused Therapy and Prepare/Enrich, we offer premarital counseling or counseling for new couples that may not be getting married. This process helps couples gain insights into relationship dynamics, commitment levels, personality, spiritual beliefs, and family systems. In addition, couples discover how to strengthen their bond and make their love last.
We have a good marriage. We want help with communication. Do we really need therapy for this?
Communication is complex. The messages we send to others are influenced by verbal language, body language, thoughts, feelings, memories, facial expressions, and tone of voice. Food, sleep, substances, and our general state of wellness also impact how we communicate. Therapy helps couples communicate clearly and effectively.
We rarely have sex anymore. Is this something you can help us with?
Absolutely. Marriage counseling and couples therapy includes sex therapy. Generally sex is a vital aspect of long term romantic relationships. The process of couples therapy begins with helping couples create a solid foundation and new ways of interacting and communicating with each other. Once this is solidly established we help my clients explore their sexual connection.
We saw a therapist in the past who said she could not work with us because our fights get explosive. Will you work with us?
When we begin with a new couple we start with an assessment. During the assessment, we will learn more about the nature of your arguments and inquire about the levels of emotional and physical safety that are present within the relationship. We can begin therapy with almost all most couples that are experiencing high conflict or explosive arguments. Sometimes we decide to start with individual sessions first and move our way into couples therapy. Occasionally, we refer out to therapists with expertise in counseling interpersonal violence.
I had an affair and told my spouse. I feel so remorseful and want to save our marriage. Can you help?
Yes we can help. You are in the right place and we are here for you. Affairs can be traumatic for both partners and it is not uncommon for the faithful partner to experience symptoms associated with post traumatic stress. Yet most couples discover that with therapy they are able to heal, recover, renew their relationship, recommit, and stay together fulfilled. We are trained in the attachment injury repair model and affair recovery and successfully help couples work through their pain and restore their relationship to a fulfilled state.
Can you help me save my marriage?
Yes! If both partners are coming to therapy with the goal of improving their relationship and saving their marriage we will help you every step of the way!
I cannot decide whether to stay in my relationship or go. What do I do?
We cannot give direct advice on whether someone stays in their relationship or leaves. We can say that, generally speaking, through the work of couples and relationship therapy most people can create healthy and fulfilling relationships. Many find peace of mind in knowing that they are trying everything they can to improve their relationship before making this decision. This is a common dilemma that is best discussed in therapy. The work of therapy will naturally bring more clarity.
I am not sure I have any energy left to put into my marriage. How can you help?
Some start therapy at a time when one or both are seriously considering divorce. During the assessment process we will explore your commitment levels. Often people find that there is a small part of them that has energy left to do the work to create a great relationship. We tap into this small part and go from there. Sometimes people decide that they want to leave in their marriage. In this case, we can provide support during the separation or divorce process. The assessment process with your therapist will help you develop more clarity.
Our disagreements have to do with parenting, not our marriage. Will couples therapy be helpful?
Yes couples therapy will help. Couples struggle with parenting for a variety of reasons. Our work together will begin with helping you and your spouse communicate effectively and interact responsively. Once couples do this, they generally solve most parenting problems on their own, or with some basic guidance. In addition, we are happy to offer parent counseling or family therapy as an adjunct to, or instead of, couples therapy.
My spouse and I want to open our relationship. Do you do therapy with couples in open marriages?
Yes. We regularly work with couples practicing consensual non-monogamy and those with open marriages. Therapy can help you engage in meaningful dialogue and keep connection strong while navigating the complexities of open relationships.
How many sessions will we have to do?
Creating lasting change within romantic relationships takes time. Some couples come into therapy expecting that their problems will be solved in one or two sessions. This is generally not possible. The first four sessions of our work together is an assessment process. After this, we get to work helping couples transform the way they communicate, connect, and share intimacy. Most couples can expect to complete a minimum of 12 - 24 sessions of therapy. Many couples prefer to establish long term weekly or biweekly sessions as this provides a non biased neutral third party to aid perspective and facilitate conversations effectively. This being said, you are never obligated to a certain number of sessions and you can pause or cancel counseling with us at any time.
How often will we meet with you?
For therapy to be effective, clients should expect to meet with me once per week for 55 minutes. Generally we will reserve a recurring weekly day/time for you. For clients with busy schedules, frequent travel, or budget concerns, we are flexible with scheduling. Keep in mind that progress tends to be slower when we meet less than once per week.