Great Couples Counselling in De Winton, AB. Therapy to heal relationships.

We create a safe, neutral space where both partners feel heard and validated in their couples counselling journey. Our therapists use evidence-based approaches like Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method to help you understand the deeper patterns driving conflict, rebuild emotional connection, and develop secure attachment bonds. We guide you beyond simply managing problems to transforming how you relate to each other -teaching practical communication skills, increasing intimacy, and helping you turn toward each other during challenges rather than away. Whether you're dating, engaged, or in a long-term partnership, we provide compassionate support to help you create the loving, c

Relationships can be one of the most meaningful parts of life, and one of the most challenging. Couples may find themselves caught in cycles of miscommunication, conflict, emotional distance, or unresolved hurt. Renee provides a structured, supportive space where both partners feel heard, respected, and understood. Whether couples are navigating ongoing conflict, life transitions, rebuilding after betrayal, or simply wanting to strengthen their foundation, Renee’s goal is to help partners move from disconnection to clarity, resilience, and renewed connection.

I help couples by focusing on two goals: (1) Communicating constructively about issues; (2) Having a strong relationship friendship. I help couples achieve these goals by giving them skills from Gottman's Sound Relationship House Model and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). I am trained in Gottman's model and am certified in CBT.

Remember the magic when you first met? Wonder what happened and despair at the though of ever getting it back? You can risk hoping again! Together you can master the skills that let you walk a new path of understanding, intimacy and safety. Our Christian Counselling for marriage and relationships gives you the keys back to that magical place of connectedness you've only dreamed of for far too long. 

I employ the well researched and proven approach from the Gottman Method to help couples learn about and develop new ways to appreciate and develop greater fondness for each other. I help clients realize that truly the core of an intimate relationship is really friendship, and not necessarily the all encompassing passion and always being "in love" that popular media/culture have led us to believe that marriage should always be about. Marriages naturally wax and wane, and aren't always perfect; sometimes people fight and disagree and that doesn't always have to end in separation or divorce. There are no perfect marriages -- just ones that are good enough to make us feel happy and content

In a relationship, each member is responsible for an equal share of the dynamic. In a family, that means it splits between the amount of people, and in a couple it’s 50% created by each partner. This 50% is the result of the individual’s needs- both functional and dysfunctional. Functional needs relate to biological drives, culture, relationship goals, values, etc. Dysfunctional needs come from limiting beliefs, which are internalized in our childhood. They create needs like: the need to be in control, or the need to protect oneself. The needs, whether functional or dysfunctional, can balance each other out, creating a “stabilizer” or they can become unmet needs.

Relationships are both difficult and rewarding. Like most things of value, however, these intimate connections require intentional work in order to remain healthy and rewarding. Whether you are beginning a relationship or wishing to enhance an existing one, therapy can help you to discover and value each other's "owners manual" , communicate more effectively, and resolve conflict in a more timely and effective fashion.

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.

Couples counseling provides a focused space for partners to better understand one another and strengthen their relationship. We help couples identify recurring patterns, improve communication, and navigate conflict in healthier ways. Using a balanced, evidence-based approach, we explore underlying needs, attachment dynamics, and practical skills that foster trust and emotional safety. Clients benefit from increased clarity, deeper connection, and more constructive problem-solving, allowing the relationship to feel more secure, supportive, and resilient over time.

Love isn't the problem, disconnection is. Couples don't show up to therapy because everything's falling about. They show up because something importance is missing - safety, laughter, intimacy, trust, friendship, kindness. And they want it back. Let's be honest: couples therapy feels vulnerable as hell. You're sharing personal painful stuff in front of your partner and a person you barely know. Most couples have been locked in the same fight for months or years. (Different topics, same dynamic.) They don’t need to be “fixed.” They need help seeing each other differently. That’s why our first priority is safety and neutrality. We don’t take sides. We don’t play judge and jury. We creat

Most people want communication skills. Granted, those are needed but improving a relationship, increasing connection and intimacy, and navigating difficult conversations around areas of differing opinions involves yourself - you are your most valuable ally in any relationship. Understanding yourself, your beliefs, reactions and having ways to 'show up differently' in the relationship are your best bet to feeling better about your relationship, no matter what aspect you want to work on. Through my therapy techniques, I invite you to understand yourself in relationship as well as learn more effective ways to know and be known, the incredibly courageous work of intimacy.

Are you an emotionally-intelligent couple, or do you allow your negative thoughts and feelings about each other to overwhelm the positive ones? Let Dr Mervin (Paraklesis Counselling) make an innovative assessment of your relationship that will give you an in-depth analysis and inform you as to what it will take (effort and change required) to reach your goals. Dr Mervin’s contemporary therapy approach exposes the myths of outdated methods of couples counselling, and explores post-modernity models that work for you.

Sharing your life with another is one of the most difficult yet potentially rewarding experiences life has to offer. Creating and maintaining open and honest communication (learning to listen, summarize and validate are skills that must be taught and practiced) is key to the success with relationships of any kind. I can assist in helping build strong interpersonal skills that help break down barriers and strengthen connections.