Couples – married or not - seek counseling help for a variety of reasons. At times, marriage and couples’ relationships can be impacted by:

• unresolved conflict
• family transitions
• emotional distance
• loss of passion or interest
• communication blocks
• loss of intimacy
• infidelity (affairs)

I work collaboratively with couples to determine their goals in counseling and help them to attain the relationship they want to have.

Why should we go for couples counselling? 

Unresolved conflict, emotional distance, communication blocks and loss of intimacy can all be overcome. Couples (or marriage) counselling can help you to understand the dynamics of your relationship, your attachment needs and help you to make well-thought out decisions on what you both want, resulting in a more fulfilling and connected partnership. Overall, you will have a better understanding and appreciation of one another. 

 

What should we expect?

In couples sessions your relationship (marriage) is my client.  We will explore the patterns of behaviour that brought you to therapy. You will then be encouraged to explore alternative approaches to communicate with one another in a safe, supportive environment. This will strengthen your connection with each other with a wider, more flexible emotional response.

During the initial couples counseling session, you will be asked about the nature of your concerns, the impact they have on each of you and your (marriage) relationship and what your hopes are for therapy together. As a couple, you will be involved in the assessment and treatment planning process which will involve:

• An initial session or two as a couple in which we will talk about the dynamics of your relationship
• Meeting with each of you one-on-one to learn about each of you as an individual
• Counselling then continues with both of you together as a couple with a goal towards de-escalating the conflict in the relationship followed by learning to interact in a new way.

I use Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) and receive ongoing training in this revolutionary approach to marriage and couples therapy.  The American Psychological Association recognizes EFT as an empirically proven form of couple therapy.  Rigorous studies over the past 15 years show that 75% of couples who go through EFT recover from distress and are happy in their relationship.

If you would like more information on what to expect in therapy, you can read my Thoughts on Therapy (my approach) or my Q’s on Therapy.

How long will couples (marriage) counselling take?

Length of couples and marriage counseling varies from couple to couple. Generally, we can de-escalate conflict in your relationship within six to eight sessions.  Helping you to interact together in a different way may take longer – you will be learning new patterns of behaving, relating and communicating. 

If you have other questions or want to know more, you can:  

• Call me at 416-873-9716
• Contact me via email
• Check out my Q’s on Therapy
• Read my Thoughts on Therapy
• Read about the Benefits of Counselling