Couples Therapy

A Whole-System Approach to Couples Therapy

My approach to couples therapy is intentionally designed to hold the whole relationship system while also making space for each partner as an individual.

We typically begin by working together as a couple, so I can understand the dynamics between you—how you connect, where you become stuck, and the patterns that keep repeating. When appropriate, I also meet individually with each partner. These individual sessions allow us to look more deeply at each person's history, attachment patterns, emotional triggers, defenses, and the ways they contribute to the cycle within the relationship.

I then bring this individual understanding back into the couples work, allowing us to address not only what is happening between you, but also what each person brings into the relationship.

This structure gives us a more complete picture of the relationship and allows us to work on multiple levels at once. Rather than spending session after session circling the same conflict, we can identify the underlying patterns more quickly and create meaningful change with greater depth and efficiency.

The goal is not to treat two individuals separately, but to understand the two people who make up the relationship—and help the relationship itself become more secure, connected, and resilient.

Work through it.

Couples counseling is geared toward a variety of types of couples; whether you are engaged, dating, married, or partnered, we will work together to identify the underlying patterns in your relationship that are creating cycles of distress and work to change them.  Creating a safe and confidential setting, couples are able to explore how their individual backgrounds, beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors may be impacting their relationship in both positive and negative ways. The therapist assists the couple with addressing immediate and pressing problems, while developing strategies for protecting and enhancing the long-term health and happiness of their relationship.

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) presents a comprehensive theory of adult love and attachment and a process for healing distressed relationships and rebuilding safety, security and closeness in intimate relationships. Couples are led to discover the unmet need for closeness that lies under their anger or alienation. Sharing that vulnerability not only opens the door to a new couple's dialogue but creates instant opportunities for expressions of tenderness. “Emotional responsiveness—tuning into and supporting the other—is the key defining element of love,” says Sue Johnson, Ph.D. (creator of EFT)

Build it.

Treatment Areas Include:

 Sex/Intimacy

  •  Infidelity/ Intimacy

  •  Family loss/ Grief

  •  Inter-faith counseling/ pre-marital counseling

  •  Child-rearing differences/ Parent Counseling

  •  Improving communication/ conflict resolution

  • Do you want to feel closer to your partner?  The best way to find out if your relationship can benefit from couples therapy is to schedule a complimentary 15 minute consultation with us. Call (646) 868-8249 or send us a message.