If you're reading this page, chances are you've got some concerns about your relationship.
You may be like many couples who find their way to my office: frustrated, discouraged, and tired of facing, again and again, the same old issues you can't seem to change on your own. Communication issues, struggles around trust, challenges with sex, fighting about kids, or money, or the day to day "silly stuff" that hardly seems worth fighting about. Or possibly you're barely talking, let alone outwardly fighting, with one or both of you withdrawn, the two of you like ships passing in the night. Whether you're seeking guidance for an essentially good relationship that's just facing some bumpy road, or you're convinced you're headed for divorce, you are wise to be seeking professional help. A couple who is willing to participate in couples or marital therapy is more likely to repair their relationship than one who ignores their issues or hopes their problems get better on their own.
Everyone knows relationships take work. But, identifying the right thing for you to work on is key, and not as simple as it might seem. A specialist in couples therapy can help.
While any licensed therapist can do therapy with couples, couples therapy is a uniquely challenging form of psychotherapy that requires specialized training and skill to effectively help struggling couples. It requires understanding and knowing how to work with each individual while working with the relationship as well. This can be especially important when one or both of you are unsure about continuing your relationship. There are powerful and effective ways to explore commitment—ways that will lead you to a clearly thought out and well considered decision. This takes time, and skillful assistance.
A trained couples therapist has the experience and perspective to recognize that even the most troubled relationships can be repaired through proper guidance, encouragement, and hard work. Regardless of how challenging the issues are. If your individual or couples therapist suggests divorce or tells you there is no hope for your relationship, look elsewhere. The suggestion may reflect the therapists personal bias, clinical inexperience, or both, as opposed to sound clinical judgment. Only you can determine the right course for your relationship.
By the end of our initial session, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and give you some ideas about what will follow. Seeing things clearly is the first step. Growth requires acting in new ways on what you see.