A secure bond with an intimate partner is one of our most fundamental needs. Attachment research has demonstrated that secure bonds are affiliated with just about every positive health outcome that has even been studied.

Sleeping next to the person we love has even been associated with living longer! Because intimate bonds are so important to us, ruptures to this bond can be among the most distressing experiences in our lives. In fact, the mere perception that our partner is inaccessible to us can create high levels of distress.

When we feel that our relationship is in danger, we often draw upon coping strategies that deepen the sense of disconnection and isolation. Couple therapy can help couples identify and break free of negative interaction cycles, heal injuries to their bond, and promote interactions that deepen intimate connection.

Our approach is informed by Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, Gottman Method Therapy, Feminist/Multicultural Theory, Internal Family Systems, and Intergenerational models of therapy.

We typically start couple therapy by meeting with both partners together. We use this session to learn about the concerns that bring you into therapy and the history of your relationship. We then schedule an individual session for each partner. These sessions are designed to learn more about how each partner's individual history informs their current experience in the relationship. We then schedule another couple session in which we discuss the strengths and needs of your relationship, and collaboratively determine the best way to proceed.

Because relationships with intimate partners touch every aspect of our lives, couple therapy can be useful when individuals or couples are faced with nearly any type of challenge imaginable. If you are thinking that couple therapy might be useful for you, chances are that it can be. Couples have most commonly worked with us to address things such as:

• Persistent unresolved conflict

• Loss of a sense of connection

• Healing from relational injuries and betrayals of trust

• Tension with each other’s parents

• Navigating issues of power and cultural differences in the relationship

• Differences in parenting styles that begin to deteriorate the couple’s relationship

• Challenges in working through phase of life issues such as a death in the family or launching children