Couples Counseling
Couples Counseling & Relationship Checkup
Going to Couple’s Counseling offers you a a unique opportunity for strengthening and revitalizing the relationship between yourself and your partner. As a Gottman Method Couples Counselor I can help you to improve your communication, resolve difficult issues and move towards new levels of trust and intimacy.
In sessions I help partners to break out of unhealthy cycles and get back on the same team again. I do this by providing you with communication tools, and by creating a space to discuss difficult topics in a way that is both productive and emotionally safe. Once each partner learns how to communicate on this level, it can de-escalate arguments, and allow you to find true resolution instead of stalemates, and help you feel closer to each other.
What makes a healthy relationship?
Research shows that a healthy relationship is characterized by mutual respect and enjoyment of each other’s company. This connection is built on a foundation of secure attachment, satisfaction, communication and support, maintained with love and purposeful actions that include intimacy, growth, and resilience.
Identify your Strengths & Challenges
“ As an Approved Gottman Method Counselor I can provide you the Relationship Checkup Online Assessment. The assessment is composed of 337 questions in 5 categories: Friendship and Intimacy, The Safety Scales, The Conflict Scales, The Shared Meaning System, and Individual Areas of Concern. This will help you get the most out of couple's counseling by introducing tools and strategies that will help your relationship deepen and flourish.”
What is couple's counseling like?
You and your partner will be asked to honestly appraise what is not working for each of you in the relationship. Based on goals you develop, we will work together to make changes in the areas that you identify. As your counselor I will be fully committed to your relationship goals, and provide you support, encouragement and structure using the Gottman Method strategies and tools.
I will ask both of you to be prepared and focused at each session, be honest with yourself, your partner and me, and take small action steps to improve the relationship. These steps include increasing your awareness of your partner’s world, discussing your problems, taking turns listening, managing conflict and being open to compromise as you both work to create shared meaning and purpose in your relationship.
How long will it take?
Everyone’s situation is different, but you can expect improvements to begin from the first session. Couples rarely need more than ten sessions to make significant progress on specific issues. Sessions are scheduled every two weeks each session lasts around fifty minutes. Between sessions you will want to process what has been discussed and practice with your partner. To get the most benefit, you must be an active participant, both during and between the sessions, and be willing to take responsibility for your actions, to work towards the goals outlined in the sessions.
Benefits to Your Relationship:
- Improved Communication
- Appreciation & Affection
- Commitment & Caring
- Hope & Resilience
- Honesty & Trust
- Humor & Playfulness
- Improved Quality of Life
- Increased Happiness and more...
Pre-Marital Relationship Assessment
I also offer the PREPARE/ENRICH Relationship Assessment for couples, that can help you and your partner determine your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth in your relationship. As one of the most widely used premarital education assessments, Prepare/Enrich has helped many couples get on the path to something better.
The Prepare/Enrich customized survey is most widely used for premarital therapy services, but can also help with marriage counseling, and dating couples considering engagement. Whether you are considering marriage, or already married, it can help you and your partner establish goals, develop a balanced relationship, and explore growth areas. Each partner completes the inventory independently by answering approximately two hundred questions.
As a Certified Prepare/Enrich Facilitator I can help you:
- Explore strength and growth areas
- Strengthen communication skills
- Identify and manage stressors
- Resolve conflicts with a Ten Step Approach
- Develop a more balanced relationship
- Establish personal, couple and family goals
- Understand and appreciate personality differences