Couple's Counseling
Maintaining an intimate relationship probably ranks as one of the most rewarding and also the most challenging activities in which you will likely engage. While you stand to derive terrific benefits from the companionship of a partner in life, many couples often find themselves struggling to maintain a fulfilling and healthy relationship. You may have experienced some of the following issues:
* Fighting about the same issues over and over.
* Communication problems that lead to misunderstandings, hurt, and anger.
* An unfulfilling sex life.
* Your partner pushes your buttons, seeming to want to hurt you
- * Conflicts with in-laws or extended family
* Issues around infidelity
* Feeling alone, abandoned, or uncared for in the relationship
* Feeling attacked and criticized by your partner
Chances are you have already worked hard to resolve these issues. I will work with you to reach the outcomes that work best for your couple style and family. Although each couple is unique, several key principles will likely guide our work together.
When we initially meet, we will begin to explore and illuminate the unique patterns of interaction that you and your partner have created. It is likely that some of these patterns have created strengths within your relationship. However, other patterns will likely contribute to the conflicts and problems that brought you to therapy. You may both feel trapped within these relational patterns that leave you feeling alone, abandoned, disconnected, or criticized. During marriage/couple's counseling we will work together to reorganize your interactions to create a more fulfilling and satisfying relationship.
Second, I will often look at your issues through the perspective of a family system. Quite frequently, the problems that you exhibit in your couple relationship mirror similar issues that existed in each of your families while growing up. I will help you to understand--and move past--the patterns that keep you stuck. Relationships act as a system in that they tend to push individuals towards opposing roles, accentuating differences and hiding the real person of you and your partner. Couple's counseling will help you see these cases and balance them.
Pre-marital and Relationship Enrichment Counseling
Some couples may not be experiencing significant conflicts, but seek counseling either in preparation for marriage or to focus on relationship enrichment. I have a wide range of tools and resources that can help you to build a solid foundation for your marriage and create a more fulfilling connection with your partner.