Great Couples Counselling in West Vancouver, BC. Therapy to heal relationships.

Individual therapy is complementary with couple therapy. Clients come in to get individual therapy and then feel the need to bring their partner/spouse to overcome obstacles that are causing stress. I work with both people to create unhealthy and equally respected environment in the home. Each household is different thereby each need of each person is different, I help clients address their needs with their partner. The clients work through worksheets, role playing, make lists and do other exercises that encouraging positive change and healthy communication skills.

I love working with couples as we get to explore together what the challenges and relational ruptures look like right in our sessions together. I prioritize creating a safe space where the partners feel heard and seen equally as we explore the different needs and perspectives present. My training is an Emotion-focused therapy (EFT) and AEDP with a focus on attachment and what the attachment dance looks like for you. Once we realize what the typical steps we take are, we can intentionally adjust them what tends to help resolve many of the ongoing communication issues.

My Approach to Couples Counselling includes - Providing you the tools for: Resolving Conflict and misunderstandings Effective problem solving Healthy ways to listen, talk and be heard Have a win-win relationship Moving past anger, resentment and bitterness Successfully changing self defeating behaviours Explore how your past affects your relationship/s Discover new ways to assist your life, It’s not just about your relationship, it’s also about you by building: Self-Esteem Love Intimacy Self worth Confidence Value Discovering how your personal past and baggage affect you Understanding what you need and your partner needs in a relationship And much more. Call now 604.290.1336

I use a practical and collaborative approach to my work with couples. I am a conflict resolution specialist who has helped many couples establish healthy communication patterns in their lives. I realize that each couple is unique and I will focus on the issues identified in order to bring a different dynamic to strained relationships. If you are experiencing stress from a difficult relationship I can bring a much needed objective and supportive viewpoint.

Charlene has over 10 years experience working with couples. Couples counselling can help to identify the problem issues that each couple is facing and provide them with effective tools to work through these issues. Couples counselling can improve communication between couples, teach couples how to fight fairly and to work together during difficult times. Call Charlene to discuss how she can help you and your partner find your way back to love.

Sue Johnson teaches in her emotion focussed therapy that there is a specific emotional process - a dance - that occurs between each couple. This cycle of relating (which can start with not getting one’s needs met and be followed by some protective response, for example), is largely informed by each partner’s early attachment wounds. When our relationship does not offer enough safety to be vulnerable, or when the more honest we are with our partner the more our connection is threatened, it’s time to reach out for support. In couples therapy we work to establish safety, vulnerability and connection, as well as learn the practical skills of effective communication and conflict resolution.

I am passionate about this work and will invest deeply in helping both of you succeed based on your engagement in the process. My approach: -Focus on the positives as well as the negatives - Hear from each individual about the positives and the negatives in the relationship -Teaching new skills that can help the couple based on the problems that are coming up in the relationship - Going over what's resolvable and not resolvable in the relationship - Have exercises the couple can work on each week

Couples therapy is extremely rewarding. When couples are able to resolve conflict and learn to find their loving connection again it makes for a new beginning to their relationship. This often transfers to the rest of their family--their children. What a wonderful gift for your family. My approach to couples therapy is to find out where a couple is, then find ways to mend the problem area by encouraging more open communication in a safe environment. Also, by providing psycho-educational information about what the latest research on marital therapy reveals about healthy marriages, couples have a blueprint from where to set goals and make some changes.

Having difficulties communicating? Fighting too much? Not talking any more? Have you lost that loving feeling? Trying to get past an affair? Love is not always enough - there are relationship skills that every successful couple incorporates. Let me teach you some new skills and help you put the passion back into your relationship. I have been trained by the Gottman Institute which has been researching successful relationships for more than 30 years. Don't wait, call me now at 604-468-7300, and start loving again.

Are you and your partner stuck in unsolvable arguments? Does one of you tend to ‘demand’ more while the other shuts down and withdraws? Are you feeling less connected and actually adding stress to each other’s lives instead of reducing it? While frustrating, these are perfectly normal patterns of partnership and there is hope. I would be glad to help you untangle the knots, learning to team up together instead of entering battles over who is right. In doing so, we will unpack past traumas and patterns of behaviour, learning to better communicate and to be safely vulnerable in a way that stands your relationship on solid ground.

Each relationship faces unique hurdles and holds unique potential for growth. By skillfully tuning in to each other's inner worlds, learning new ways of being together and strategies for navigating conflict, we'll resolve what is hindering you. We’ll get creative and collaborate on new possibilities. Intimate relationships can bring out the deepest parts of ourselves and ignite personal transformation. Learning about how we relate is key to learning about ourselves and each other.

I come to the practice of counselling with a passion for wellness and transformative, life-long learning. I work in the public setting as a clinical counsellor in a local primary care network, support a local arts organization as executive director, and teach Clinical Counselling at the post-secondary level. I am particularly interested in post-modern and integral approaches to working with neurodiversity, couples, and the transition to full practitioner.

I have extensive experience in working with parents and their child or youth on a wide variety of issues. For example: dropping grades, school absenteeism, communication breakdown, anger issues, control and power, oppositional communication, self-esteem difficulties, and self-harming behaviours. I specialize in helping parents better understand their child/youth and youth better understand their responsibilities. My goal is to help child/youth and parents have better communication in order to live happier and healthier lives. I look forward to working with you and your child or teen.

My role as a couple's therapist to create a safe haven, a calm bay, for you to make the repairs as needed, for you to re-embark on your journey together, stronger, more connected and back on the same team. The storminess of relationships is as natural as waves in the ocean, our ability to stay connect during the swells and crashing waves is what makes or breaks a marriage, not the wave itself. Our work together focuses on identifying our patterns and our partners patterns as we run for cover in the tumult of the wave. We then work on understanding, supporting and staying reconnected.

Do you or your partner suffer from social anxiety and it's affecting your relationship? Social anxiety is a fear of negative judgment from others and it can lead to reduced levels of intimacy, suppressed emotions, feelings of isolation and loneliness and lack of communication. If one or both of you feels anxious socially, your relationship may be suffering too. Contact me for ways in which you can move past social anxiety to a fuller, intimate, richer, relaxed more authentic relationship.

As a Marriage Therapist, Couples counsellor and Sex Therapist, I specialize in helping couples experience more joy and connection in relationship. After completing a relationship assessment which will give you a concrete and very specific blueprint of your strengths as a couple as well as an outline of your individual experience of what isn't working I will help you develop very practical tools so you can change how you communicate, heal trust issues, create emotional safety and address Addiction, Anger or other issues. Resolving conflict and growing the love you have will allow you to develop a deeper intimate connection and rekindle the passion you once shared.

A couple refers to two individuals in a relationship. We live each day as one half of a couple but often we struggle to find a way to maintain who we are, while actively working to be part of a duo. We work with you to establish healthy methods of communication and develop confidence in appropriately articulating what you need, how you experience love, and what is imperative for you to have a supportive, loving relationship.

Many couples face challenges at some point during their partnership, whether it's communication difficulties, conflicts, or a loss of intimacy. As a level 1 Gottman Couples and Family Therapist, I can help you and your partner navigate these challenges and strengthen your relationship. The Gottman Method is a research-based approach that focuses on increasing understanding, empathy, and communication skills between partners. By working with me, you'll learn how to communicate effectively, manage conflicts, and build a stronger, more fulfilling partnership.

Intimate relationships often challenge us in ways few other relationships or experiences do. Whether you are starting a new relationship or struggling as a couple, I can help you address issues such as trust, intimacy, communication, conflict, and distance that might be preventing you from finding harmony in your relationship. In our work together, you can gain insight into how to improve patterns of relating to one another, learn about the possible origins of these patterns, find ways to de-escalate conflict, and move toward building trust, intimacy, and a sense of greater connection.

Do you lie in bed looking at the ceiling thinking, "I just can't do this another day"? Are you seeking for ways out? Thinking of alternate life situations? Is looking at porn become a replacement for sex with your spouse? What about romance novels, are you stuck in a world of non-reality, wishing that prince charming would make his acquaintance, and do it fast! Do you hate the way you have to wean through his dirty socks to get to the bed...or deal with her city of bottles on your bathroom vanity counter? Have you breached your marriage vows with someone else, or sought the unhealthy friendship of someone from the opposite sex online or at the office? It is time to take the love back.

The research around attachment tells us that having a sense of closeness with others is essential to our well-being. When partners feel a lack of connection, it can touch on past wounds that may even exacerbate the present difficulties. All couples go through challenging times, and it is important that both individuals remain allies, even through trouble. Skilled couples counselling can support this, and help the relationship become stronger than ever before. I draw from a number of approaches when working with couples, especially Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and communication approaches such as Non Violent Communication.

Relationships can become tense, defensive, and hostile. Sometimes, ruptures in trust occur that leave us questioning "should I still be with you?" When our relationships feel insecure, we react often through becoming critical/nagging, or shutting down and checking out. I practice a form of evidence-based couples therapy called Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT). Through EFT, we identify the negative cycle that has come to define your relationship, and work to repair this ruptured attachment bond, helping partners feel safer and freer around one another. This leads to improved intimacy, better communication, and a stronger emotional connection.

When a couple comes to counselling, they are often desperate for help. They have usually been arguing and drifting farther and farther apart. They feel lonely and dissappointed in their relationship. It is my goal as an Emotionally Focused therapist to help couples identify their patterns and behaviors, so they can make better choices and see major improvement. Through therapy, you begin to understand how your behaviors have impacted your partner, and led to the creation of the emotional distance between you. In essence, I give couples the tools they need to feel closer and rediscover the connection and intimacy they thought was lost forever.

We specialize in providing essential support to couples through the effective utilization of evidence-based therapeutic approaches. We employ Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Attachment-Based Therapy, and Gottman Therapy to assist clients in recognizing and understanding the unique dance and patterns within their relationship dynamics. By fostering awareness, we enable clients to break free from ineffective communication patterns, promoting healthier and more fulfilling connections between partners.

If you're looking to improve your relationship, we'd work together to create a supportive environment for discussion, allowing each of you to share your perspective and experience. With important conversations and empathetic questions, there's opportunity to truly see each other and to collaborate to resolve the issues rather than engaging in blame. Together, we'd uncover experiences that promote mutual understanding, empathy and appreciation. Through this process you'll gain insights, develop new ways of communicating, strengthen your connection and establish a more fulfilling and harmonious relationship.