Great Couples Counselling in Gibbons, AB. Therapy to heal relationships.

Over the years, I have worked with couples helping them improve their relationship, prepare for marriage, amicably separate or divorce, and do so in ways that are also healthy for their children. What I call the Building Blocks of Being a Couple, I help couples explore these aspects of their relationship: Acknowledging each other’s perspectives, Learning about the meaning of behaviours, Exploring the effects on emotional well-being, and Co-exploring stressors that are impacting the relationship. Building a healthy relationship includes: Improving communication, Working together as a team for problem-solving and a healthy family life, and Living with joy, intimacy, harmony, and love.

Couples counselling presents the opportunity for two individuals to come together and share openly and honestly their deepest longings and needs. I create a space where each can share openly while the other focuses on attempting to understand while recognizing and controlling any defensiveness. Couples often have unresolved issues and working through these issues creates a space where each can see the other more clearly and less clouded by past wounds. I find that attachment issues from family of origin often impact our most intimate relationships and a part of the therapy often involves each understanding and accepting self more fully.

[NOTE: MY OFFICE IS IN CALGARY -- I DO VIDEO SESSIONS ELSEWHERE IN ALBERTA]. Your struggles might seem overwhelming now, but most situations can be rectified. I am a psychologist with 31 years of experience. I am also a professor of counselling psychology and I am very familiar with clinical psychology as well. Set up an appointment now before things get worse by going to https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14249112

In a time and place where over 50% of marriages end in divorce, it is to be expected that couples need support in their relationships! Research indicates that couples often wait as long as seven years before seeking professional help. Don't delay, couples counselling can teach you new ways of communicating, so that you truly feel heard; can teach you ways to reconnect with your partner, and to stop replaying old arguments and other negative patterns.

I provide couples counselling based on the Gottman Method (Ihave currently completed Level 1 and 2 o this certification). In sessions, couples will learn to manage conflict and build a healthy bond with their partner. I also utilize techniques from Emotion-Focused Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and Interpersonal Neurobiology. Gay, lesbian, and transgendered clients are welcome.

In couple counseling I regard the clients both as two separate individuals as well as a unit. I am aware that they each bring their own fears and expectations to counseling. Together we focus on understanding the development of the problems and and the length of time these issues have been part of their relationship. Often the issues are related to lack or inappropriate communication. Using empathy and compassion and various therapeutic techniques I help the couple develop positive ways of dealing with each other in a safe environment. However, at times, we come to the conclusion that separation may be healthier for both and I help them through this very difficult process.

Couples will experience increased ability to sort out conflicts and differences. They will be able to bring a greater joy in being with each other and have an increased sense of friendship. The therapy sessions will be solution focused and related to the coping strategies and the outcome of the relationship. Couples therapy relates back to the history of problems, targeting emotions and creating a agent of change.

Relationships can be very difficult and sometimes feel hopeless. They are often the source of our greatest joy and our most pain. If people are willing to grow and change relationships can be tranformed and distress can be turned into happiness. Often couples find it hard to really listen to each other, which leads to misunderstandings. In counselling couples have the opportunity to share their perspective in a controlled enviornment enabling them to get past defensivness and move to listening, understanding and healing.

Relational issues are central to the struggles and challenges that people bring to therapy. Many couples just want to enhance their relationship by learning better ways of coping with stress, increasing the intimacy that they experience with one another, or learning more effective communication skills. We often get stuck in patterns that no longer work for us and they get in the way of our relationships. Couples counseling can be a proactive way of changing the way you are doing relationship. Emotionally Focused Therapy is central to the work that we do in couples counseling. Identifying patterns of communication that no longer work and incorporating new ways is key.

Sometimes we can lose hope in our relationships. Once this has happened, it can be very hard to stay motivated to invest in the relationship. What if... what if there was a version of reality where you are happy together? What if you could feel love for your partner again? What if you could feel loved by your partner again? What if it would require to learn a new skill? What if you didn't do this?

Problems are a normal part of relationships. Yet if these problems are greater than your ability to deal with them well, couple therapy may help. I work with many couples: straight and LGBTQ+, married or not. I follow what research tells us about the shared ideas in all effective couple therapies. It means understanding your patterns and building on your strengths. My goal is to help both of you to (1) find a different view of your difficulties -- one that opens doors for doing something different; (2) build better emotional bond; and (3) improve your skills in communication and conflict resolution. I work online across Canada and in-person in Calgary.

Couples counselling allows the stories of your lives to be rewritten. By the gentle presence of a therapist ~ you can address deep rooted conflicts in a safe place. Infidelity, addictions, aggression, violence, sexual concerns or relationship breakdown: It's within the framework of therapy to handle. We invite couples to a non-confrontational and civil dialogue over a cup of tea, where insight, solutions and a way out of dysfunction are our expertise. With 20 years of experience in helping couples find their love languages, leave pain and hurt behand and rebuild trust ~ we know how to get you there ! SunRise encourages you to come in and find hope, harmony & happiness with our help..:)....

I define a couple as any two people involved in ongoing interaction. When things go wrong the relationship is unfulfilling and may be hurtful to the participants. All too often things go wrong when the individuals focus on what they want from each other and they become enmeshed in a power struggle. In couples therapy there are no “rules of engagement” but there are skills which can be developed to make the relationship mutually rewarding and personally empowering.