Couples Therapy

Could You And Your Spouse Benefit From Couples Therapy? 

Did you used to have fun together in your marriage but now find that emotional swings and anger have taken the joy out of your relationship?

Are you constantly arguing about the same things, no matter how hard you try to understand one another?

Have conflicts and communication issues gotten in the way of what was once a happy union, leaving you wondering if your relationship can ever improve? 

Relationships don’t usually start with conflict. Over time, communication struggles, family dynamics, raising children, health issues, money, intimacy, and jobs can all put a strain on marriages. Sometimes, you may need assistance prioritizing your needs in the relationship, but don’t know who to turn to.

Couples Can Experience Challenges No Matter How Long They’ve Been Together

People in all stages of relationships—from dating and being engaged to being married long-term—can find areas to work on and issues to resolve. You may struggle with communication problems, adjusting to a new phase of life for one or both of you or having differing expectations about certain aspects of your lives together. You might have problems with extended family members that are difficult to navigate on your own. 

If you follow a Christian faith, that can act as a foundational brick for you both to build your lives on. However, you might need some reminders of that and some help along the way. No matter what stage of your relationship you’re in, therapy can provide the space and guidance you need to improve your bond as a couple and/or strengthen your marriage.

Have any questions? Send us a message!

Relationship Challenges Are Very Common

Two people living their lives together are bound to realize that something about one or both of them has changed over time. We are all just people with unique personalities that for the most part, probably mesh quite well with our chosen partner. 

But even if our differences become overwhelming, like having different communication styles, or different perceptions of how to handle situations that come up in life, we can still remember that we thrive better when we work together and support our partner, and vice versa. 

Relationship problems are normal. Couples often struggle with misunderstandings, unclear expectations, assumptions, and jumping to conclusions. Sometimes, life can be so busy that we may take our husband or wife for granted and forget to prioritize time with each other. 

It doesn’t mean that we’ve lost love for our partners, but it might mean that our connection could use some strengthening and a reminder of how happy we are when we’ve had a great time simply being together. Therapy at my practice can provide the space and guidance for couples to improve and strengthen their marriage.

Couples counseling can provide a time and place for you to know there is time on the schedule to focus on one another, practice healthy communication, and strengthen all aspects of your relationship, including your friendship. It does not have to be a drudgery; rather, it can be a fun time of rediscovering why you both chose to love one another in the first place.

Therapy Can Help You Live Your Best Lives As A Couple

If you want to strengthen your bond and even incorporate your Christian faith into couples counseling sessions, you have come to the right place. I’m an objective counselor who does not take sides with either of you but rather takes sides with your marriage by helping you make active choices that can help restore your sense of commitment and love for one another.

When we begin sessions, we’ll identify the issues you face, recognize the root causes of your conflicts, and determine effective and long-lasting solutions. It’s important to create short-, mid-, and long-term goals with manageable benchmarks for success to celebrate the work you put into therapy along the way. We will also establish a plan of action to attain those goals, with regular check-ins to ensure you’re taking the steps necessary to make progress. 

Looking at your extended family units can also provide insights into opposing perspectives or disagreements. We can also explore and discuss circumstances like your children, health issues, money management, and any problems with intimacy in counseling.

My Therapeutic Approaches

• I am a client-centered couples therapist who likes to be respectful and not interrupt you when you are forming individual thoughts in therapy sessions. There's a wide variety of reasons why people come to a couple’s counselor, and I like to give you both the space to figure that out. 

• I enjoy working with practicing Christians who want their faith to be part of their couples counseling sessions, but I tailor sessions to your specific goals. My approach is not to throw a bunch of bible verses at you or to tell you to just pray. It’s to help you uncover your unique circumstances and story as a couple and to help you use your faith as a foundation and support as we work together.

• I incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Choice Theory into couples therapy as well. I believe that while we are products of our past, we are not prisoners of them, and we can learn and choose new ways of thinking that can lead us to feel and behave differently, resulting in strong relationships. 

You can demolish harmful relational habits and patterns in therapy, and rebuild a long-lasting foundation for your love and friendship to grow and develop for many years to come. You can learn to live the kind of life of hope, peace, and happiness that you one day hope your own children will have with their spouses. 

I know it's hard right now, but you and your spouse can change, heal, and rebuild the life that you both talked about sharing together in the dating and getting-to-know-you days. That kind of joy and optimism is possible in your lives, and I can’t wait to help get you both there. 

“And we're dancing in the minefields

We're sailing in the storms

This is harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for

That's what the promise is for.”

Andrew Peterson, Dancing in the Minefields

You Might Still Have Concerns About Couples Therapy…

I’ve tried therapy before and nothing changed—how will this be any different?

When we first meet, you’ll have a chance to tell me about your experience with therapy in the past and why it did not feel helpful to you or your spouse. Together, we’ll explore your goals and not only talk about how to get you there but write out a plan that each of you will commit to during this process. We will have regular check-ins to ensure you are making the progress you want to make. It will be challenging, but it's a good kind of challenge. Over time, something will shift, it might happen in small chunks, but it will happen.

I’m worried that my spouse won’t attend couples therapy. 

If your spouse does not feel interested in doing this, I invite you both to meet with me for a 15-minute consultation, where I can help put them at ease about the therapy process. It is totally normal for one spouse to be all-in with counseling, and for one of them to be resistant and need more time to open up. We will address and explore how to work through that. Couples therapy will be more fun than you think, even though you are dealing with some real challenges in your relationship. We are going to do some good work!

I’m worried you will take sides with one of us. 

Many people worry that a female counselor might take sides with the wife in the relationship, and while I understand that concern, I am not on anyone's side in your relationship. I am on your marriage and your friendship's side. I have been practicing Christian couples counseling for almost twenty years and I like to address this concern right out of the gate. We will spend time identifying what you both want from counseling, and I welcome open conversations about any worries either of you may have.

Let’s Start Restoring Your Relationship With Couples Therapy 

When you and your spouse attend counseling together, your marriage and friendship will be built upon a strong, unshakable foundation that can last for a lifetime. Contact me to get started with a free, 15-minute consultation.