Couples & Family Therapy

Family and relationship conflicts can arise for many reasons, including: miscommunication, concerns about finances, or coping with an addiction or a chronic health problem. Conflict between romantic partners may also result when: raising a challenging child, feeling sexually disconnected, experiencing career challenges, or navigating extended family relationships. When couples or families are in conflict they often develop and then repeat unhelpful patterns involving: blame, criticism, and defensiveness. Our goal is to help our patients identify these unhelpful patterns and then develop new patterns that facilitate intimacy and connectedness.

During couple or family therapy, also called relationship or marriage counseling, you and your partner will learn to see the vulnerable parts of each other and begin to hold them in mind, making room for their emotional experience and relationship needs. Communication is crucial and you will both learn to become better at listening, as well as, expressing your authentic experience. Effective couple or family therapy also seeks to illuminate the relationship or family’s strengths and develop a deeper bond and resilience as a team.

Not at all. To the contrary, when frustrations or feelings of being misunderstood or unappreciated are illuminated and addressed early in a relationship, a couple can spare themselves from years of conflict and feelings of disconnection. Our couple therapists often work with couples newly in a relationship, helping them decide if the relationship is sustainable and supporting them in developing positive and connected ways of relating.

There are many benefits of working with a skilled couple therapist including:

• Better understanding each other and each other’s attachment/relationship needs
• Learning to share the more vulnerable aspects of yourself with each other
• Developing a deeper, more intimate connection
• Developing effective strategies for resolving inevitable disagreements
• Developing and sustaining an active, intimate and passionate sex life
• Improving communication skills
• Developing effective co-parenting skills

In any close relationship, conflict and disconnection are inevitable. Building a meaningful, connected and nurturing attachment with one’s partner takes time and effort. The struggle to be close while maintaining your independence and autonomy can be difficult. Through couple therapy, you and your partner can establish renewed trust, a deeper connection/bond, a healthy interdependence and respect for one another’s needs.