Where did you go to relationship school? You didn’t?! That’s okay. I can help you figure out how to have a great marriage/relationship.

Many people avoid couples counseling because they are afraid the therapist will find cancer in their relationship that they didn’t know was there. If there’s cancer there, you know it, and it’s better to come in sooner rather than later.

Other people just know that their relationship isn’t as solid as it used to be and need some new ideas. You can get back on track much more quickly if you get some objective, outside help before small problems get bigger.

I like to think of couples counseling as renegotiating. Life changes so fast and we don’t really take the time to check in with each other to know how the changes are working. Some transitions seem small because they are “normal”, like buying a house, having a baby or moving. But many times these are actually very stressful crises, and should be treated as such so that they do not become disasters.

When I work with couples, my main objective is to be respectful and make sure that everyone feels like I am on the side of the relationship, not one partner’s side. It is important to me that you leave my office feeling, if not better, than at least no worse off than when you came in. To that end, I work to manage the emotional intensity in the room so that everyone feels safe and heard.

Links:
http://www.lifeinnovations.com/pdf/rationaleforbill.pdf
http://www.bbhonline.com
http://www.gottman.com