Couples

Relationships can bring us happiness and satisfaction, but things can change over time. In the beginning, everything can feel so natural and exciting. Over time we can go from feeling understood and valued to feeling defensive, attacked, and hopeless. Arguments, hurt feelings, emotional coldness, and sexual distance may become the new norm.

Therapy Details

The couple’s work involves but is not exclusive to the Gottman Technique (GT) (See the ‘Sound Relationship House’ diagram below). The GT focuses on managing conflict, enhancing emotional connection, developing new skills for improving friendship, and helping the couple construct a shared meaning system. In doing so, couples work out their differences/difficulties, allowing them to create more understanding and intimacy. The goal is not just to solve the relationship problems but also to refresh people’s feelings of love and affection toward each other. People are educated on couple dynamics and learn more productive ways of understanding and relating to one another. Learning to communicate your feelings effectively from an open and non-defensive place can deepen your emotional bond. A strong foundation can enable you to feel supported, understood, and loved regardless of what issues arise.

Therapy Process

Gottman Couples Counseling (GCC)

GCC aims to increase people’s love and respect for each other. There is a focus on conflict resolution and an increased sense of understanding and empathy within the relationship.

Emotionally Focused Therapy

Through exploring emotions, reactions, inter-relations, and behaviors, couples can identify and study their roles and the effect each has on the relationship dynamic.

Positive Psychology

Positive psychology emphasizes positive emotions and character strengths. You learn how to identify decisive moments as they happen that show you the benefits of your partner and the relationship.

Analyzing the Ways, You Communicate

Your partner may only sometimes fully understand what may seem clear to you. Develop functional forms of communication that reduce misinterpretations and nurture understanding.

Exploring Unconscious Roots of Problems

Situations such as childhood abuse or an unfaithful parent can lead to unreasonable expectations in a relationship. By exploring such events, greater understanding is gained, unfair perceptions eliminated, and better relations built.