Couples Counseling

I envision couples counseling as engaging two individuals (often painfully trapped in an emotionally disconnected stance with each other) in dialogue about possible change and transformation in their relationship.

Accordingly, a basic goal of couples work is to provide a safe setting in which a couple is able to realize the possibility for reconnection and re-establishing hope for a mutually loving and supportive relationship.

In couples counseling I provide direction and support in helping two individuals to think about the psychological dynamics and neurobiological features of love and attachment.

As the couple develops a deeper understanding of their relationship, they often experience a sense of freedom in choosing together what path they will follow for making change that meets their needs as individuals and as a couple.

After many formal training seminars in couples counseling and the informal training of trial and error in everyday living, I feel comfortable utilizing the teachings and work of the following practitioners:

John M. Gottman, PhD, The Gottman Institute
Susan Johnson, PhD, Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy
Carter Umbarger, PhD, Family Institute of Cambridge
Charlie Verge, PhD, Family Institute of Cambridge
Dan Wile, PhD, Collaborative Couples Therapy