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

Our Therapists at Rivers Edge Counselling can help you to • Effectively communicate with your spouse • Solve misunderstandings and engage in a “fair fight” • Increase your trust, intimacy and friendship with your spouse • Learn how to forgive when you feel betrayed • Focus on hopes and dreams that defines your relationship • Live with hope for a better future with your spouse

Many relationships hit a point where help and support are needed. Opening up the pathways of communication and learning how to successfully move through breeches within the relationship and move towards repair, can have couples finding themselves liking one another again and feeling much closer. If this kind of support feel needs, reach out today through email or by phone.

I am trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. I help couples heal from the wounds that prevent us from feeling safe and secure in our relationships. These wounds sometimes happened to us long before we found our current partner, and sometimes there is betrayal in the marriage. I help clients recognize how these wounds affect our emotions and behaviors in a way that prevents us from getting what we are most longing for: connection in love.

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.

The context of a relationship brings much more information to the surface then if we were alone. This can be very challenging and counseling can help sort this out. Couples counseling provides the opportunity to examine things as they play out within the couple. This arrangement can leads us to see first hand the strengths we have to connect with others. I have successfully worked with people from a variety of backgrounds to treat a variety of couples issues and look forward to working with you. Visit my website at www.prairieowlpsychology.ca from more details.

In my work I am enabling couples to resolve disagreements, or agree to disagree, without becoming disconnected or abusive. Given that different couples might need different types of intervention, the mechanisms of change vary accordingly. Therefore, in order to achieve change and enable growth, I am using an integrative approach, which I tailor to suit the needs, experiences, and personal circumstances of the couple.

Dr. Vandegriend is a Registered Psychologist and Certified Gottman Therapist specializing in working with couples/marriage/relationships and implements a practical, easy-to-talk to, and results oriented approach. Areas of focus are: better communication; working through conflicts and areas where they just feel "stuck"; managing transitions better together (ie. new parents, retirement); healing after infidelity and establishing greater trust, respect and connection between each other; and deepening levels of intimacy. www.stalbertcounselling.com

Working together with couples for pre-marriage counselling, couples issues, or marriage counselling allows clients to work through the issues (the "ripples" in the carpet) that they continue to trip over. Client's begin to connect with each other, reconcile the relationship, improve communication and intimacy, rebuild trust, as well as many other enhancements.

It is within our relationships that we experience the most joy and the most pain. Most relationships begin with a deep connection and people anticipate a future that continues to be passionate and fulfilling. It is inevitable, however, that disappointments and misunderstandings arise. Learning to communicate in an effective way that bridges differences and leads to respect and understanding are essential to a happy relationship.

Have You And Your Partner Experienced A Breakdown In Communication? Do you feel unable to work as a team or compromise on important issues? Are there differences between you that you didn’t foresee when your relationship started? Have you both gotten so busy with your lives that sex and intimacy have fallen to the bottom of your list of priorities? Maybe you and your significant other find yourselves arguing in circles—your interactions have become hostile and defensive. Perhaps there’s been infidelity and now you’re wondering if you’ll ever be able to rebuild the trust between you. Or maybe you both get along, but you’re newly married and struggling to blend your families together.

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.

Right now your struggles as a couple may feel overwhelming, but most situations can be turned around with the right help and a willingness to try. I have worked with many couples of every kind and lifestyle, without judgment. The sooner you start, the more you have to work with. I have been a psychologist since 1986 and a professor emeritus of counselling psychology. I am based in Calgary and see clients across Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick by secure video. Book a session now: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14249112

Most people deeply desire a warm and healthy relationship with a spouse or partner. However it requires work and effort, and is not an easy process for either individual in the relationship. On the other hand, the benefits of the effort put in are inevitably well worth it in the long run. If you're looking to work out differences and move towards a more harmonious relationship, I can work with you to find love, acceptance and the tools that work best for you and your relationship.