Couples Counseling

Do You Feel Alone In Your Relationship?

• Do you feel like a roommate instead of a loved, trusted partner?
• Has poor communication lead to increased stress and conflict?
• Do you wish you could go back to the way things were?
• Are you worried and uncertain about the future of your relationship?

It can feel painful and isolating when you are in a disconnected relationship. The energy of new love can sustain a couple for a long time, but life and your relationship change over time.

When the honeymoon period of your relationship tapers off, the dynamic and communication can change. You and your partner may begin to show your love and commitment in different ways. The shift can lead to miscommunication, leaving you to wonder if something is wrong with your relationship, your partner or yourself. Frequent arguments can make you feel like your needs and opinions are not being heard or understood. Conversely, regular conflict or miscommunication may lead you or your partner to shut down, refusing to talk about the issues weighing down your relationship. Over time you may begin to feel like an observer as you struggle to reestablish the emotional connection with your partner.

Most Couples Face Bumps in the Road

Almost every couple is going to deal with challenges in their relationship – it’s unavoidable. No one goes through life without loss or times of unhappiness. These moments of difficulty – like health problems, work issues, family conflict – can impact one person’s emotions or behavior, triggering a change in the relationship. Stress, anxiety and depression can lead to lapses in communication or persistent arguing.

Many couples facing difficulty avoid discussing their concerns and desires with family, friends and even one another. Infidelity or a lack of sexual desire can create a rift in trust and communication, leaving you feeling like you are being with with a friend or roommate instead of an intimate partner. Over time, one or both individuals may let other areas of their lives take over until they grow bigger than their commitment to keeping their relationship happy and healthy. In some cases, the distance created when one partner feels neglected can be enough to lead to a break up.

There is fragility in intimate relationships that you may not have felt before. The good news, however, is that with the help of a compassionate, experienced couples therapist you can get back to feeling fulfilled and satisfied in your relationship.

Couples Therapy Can Help You Revive Your Relationship.

All couples go through challenges, and I have dealt with the issues that many couples face both personally and professionally. I am not a therapist who works with couples; I’m a couples therapist. I combine extensive experience in couples therapy with a hopeful, optimistic approach. Whether the problem you are dealing with happened three weeks ago or three years ago, couples counseling can help you learn to change, grow and heal within your relationship.

In our sessions, we’ll address each individual’s needs, worries and wishes. When you work with a therapist who truly understands and balances your needs with that of your partner, it becomes easier to identify and work through the root causes behind your relationship struggles. I use a strength based focus to identify those areas of your relationship that have helped you recover in the past. This allows us to develop strategies together that will help you get where you want to be now and in the future. It is important to remember the good, satisfying parts of your relationship – especially when you are struggling through difficult times.

You may feel like you and your partner have grown apart, like he or she is not the person you committed to. The truth is, neither you nor your partner is the same person. As you each face challenges in your personal and career lives your thoughts and behaviors evolve. Couples therapy can help you develop important insights into yourself and your partner that are affecting your relationship dynamic.

You have to believe that you can grow and change in your relationship if you are actually going to do so. When both members of a couple bring some level of motivation to finding a solution, the results can be impressive. That is why I use hopeful, encouraging behavioral techniques and “homework” assignments like date night and assigned talk time. When you learn to listen to your partner – to talk about your needs and desires in addition to your day at the office – you can develop a deeper, more flexible love and connection.

Even if you feel disconnected from your partner right now, with the help of a supportive and experienced therapist, it’s possible to feel heard, understood and cared about again. You and your partner can develop new perspectives about your relationship and learn new tools that can help you identify, address and heal from the problems in your relationship.

But You May Still Have Questions About Couples Therapy...

I Think We Need Help, But Isn’t Couples Therapy Expensive?

Couples therapy is an investment in yourself and your relationship. By developing a healthy, lasting connection with your partner you can significantly reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety that can arise in times of conflict.

What is it worth to you to have a healthy, long-term relationship instead of a dysfunctional, difficult one? There are no guarantees, but I believe two motivated people can always make things better.

What If Our Problems Becomes Too Big to Address, or Other Issues Come Up?

It’s true that couples counseling may help you reveal issues that are lurking beneath the surface. But you’re considering couples counseling because you need help addressing the challenges in your relationship. I provide a caring, compassionate and confidential environment where you can feel safe working through any issue that arises.

What If Therapy Makes Things Worse?

Deciding not to get help for a problem right now very likely means the problem will become larger in a few months or years. Your relationship – and each person in it – is going to change because change is inevitable. Couples counseling puts you in a position where you can understand and have some control over how your relationship changes.

Your Relationship Can Get Better.

If you would like to schedule an appointment or discuss any questions you may have regarding couples therapy, I can be reached at 469-629-6995 or at [email protected]. I make every effort to return voicemails and emails within 24-hours.