Couples Therapy in California
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Couples Therapy in California *
Find the support you need to navigate your relationship with your significant other. Having a partnership and navigating communication and life decisions together does not have to be so difficult. Support is available and here for you. Book a free consultation today to get started!
Does this Sound Like Your Relationship?
Communication Issues: You both have difficulties expressing your thoughts and feelings or have frequent misunderstandings.
Conflict Resolution: You have ongoing arguments or challenges in resolving conflicts effectively.
Intimacy Problems: Decreased emotional or physical intimacy.
Trust Issues: Betrayal, infidelity, or trust breakdowns.
Life Transitions: Challenges related to significant life changes, like marriage, parenthood, or moving
Differing Values: Differences in beliefs, goals, or priorities.
Stress and Anxiety: Outside pressures are impacting your relationship, such as financial stress or work-related issues.
Loss of Connection: You both feel disconnected or like roommates rather than partners.
Unmet Needs: One or both partners feeling unfulfilled in the relationship.
Grief and Loss: Coping with loss that affects the relationship dynamics.
How Can Couples Therapy Help Your Relationship?
In therapy with couples, I offer a nurturing space for partners seeking to enhance the quality of their relationship. As we engage in therapy, you and your partner will explore your individual needs and desires and how they translate into your partnership. We will work together to address underlying issues such as trust, intimacy, and life transitions, which will empower you both to work together towards a more fulfilling relationship. In sessions, you and your partner will have the opportunity to express your thoughts and feelings openly, with guidance from me who can help identify relationship dynamics that are helpful or causing you both distress.
As a couple, you will learn effective tools to improve your connection and increase your intimacy to build a satisfying relationship. We will work on improving your quality time together and rediscovering romance if it has been lost in your relationship. We will work to resolve conflicts that are impacting your relationship, which will allow you and your partner to navigate challenges with greater understanding and empathy. With the skills and insights gained through couples therapy, you’ll be equipped to strengthen your relationship and build a more solid and resilient foundation for years to come.
My Approach to Working with Couples
What to Expect in Couple’s Therapy?
In beginning couple’s therapy, we will start with a few sessions with you and your partner and I. The purpose of these few sessions is to understand relationship patterns between you and your partner and it will also give me the chance to get to know you as a couple. In working with couples, I have a No Secrets Policy, which means I do not keep secrets from each partner, but rather I will guide and encourage each partner to share their secret(s) with one another.
After a few sessions together as a couple, we will begin to schedule 1-2 individual sessions with each partner, so I can get to know each of you on an individual level. During our individual sessions, I will be working with each of you to understand your personal stories, so I can understand if there are individual challenges that are impacting your relationship. My role as a couple’s therapist is to work with you and your partner to improve your relationship. I cannot be an individual therapist for either partner and I may recommend individual therapy alongside couples therapy if there are personal mental health needs that need to be addressed.
The length of couple’s therapy is determined by the complexity of the challenges in the relationship. In doing couple’s therapy, I use interventions based on decades of research from John Gottman. Central to Gottman’s method is the "Sound Relationship House," which focuses on building friendship, emotional connection, and mutual respect between partners. You and your partner will learn effective communication skills, such as using "soft startups" for discussions and practicing "active listening" to ensure both partners feel heard and valued. Additionally, the Gottman Method equips couples with tools for managing conflict constructively. Through ongoing support and follow-up sessions with me, you and your partner will apply these skills to your daily lives, fostering a deeper connection and more intimate relationship.
“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.”
― Stephanie Perkins
Relationships are challenging, but that doesn’t mean you and your partner need to feel at a lost. There is hope and support available today.