Great Couples Counselling in Summerland, BC. Therapy to heal relationships.

The challenges couples face, including difficulty communicating, conflict, trust issues, blended families and work rotations can precipitate significant relationship distress. Support in addressing these issues can have a signifiacant positive impact on overall relationship functioning. The fact that relationships are one of our primary coping mechanisms multiplies the potential distress when these are present as it impacts the very mechanisms we use to cope.

Do you find yourself caught in a negative cycle of interactions with your partner? Are you wanting to reconnect and have more intimacy and joy? Together we can map out your patterns and make the negative cycle the enemy, not the other person. Life is tough enough--our relationships should be our refuge and the place we feel supported and inspired by one another. We can focus on communication, understanding for one another, emotion regulation, boundaries, or how to reconnect meaningfully as a couple.

I'm a down-to-earth, client-centered counsellor that can bring new hope to you and new life to your relationships. I specialize in marriage and couples counselling. I'm trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and Gottman Couples Therapy. With over ten years of experience, I have the tools to get your relationship back on track. I also offer intensive therapy for highly distressed couples. I'm here and ready to listen with warmth, kindness and compassion, without any judgement or criticism.

As a married individual in a long-term relationship, I know how challenging it can be! However your partner is worth the work. By learning how to identify and share your feelings with one another, it can strengthen your relationship and create a bond that will last the toughest of times. Even if it seems your relationship is too far gone to save, if both partners commit to change there can be a path forward to flourishing!

Our training includes the Gottman Model for couples therapy, which is well-grounded in research. Couples learn how to rebuild their friendship, communicate in a way that does not make the conflict worse, and build emotional intimacy. Relationships are like plants; if we forget to feed the plant every day, it starts to wilt and will eventually die. Indeed, with the demands of our daily lives, our relationships tend to take a back seat - at first, our relationships seem to endure; however, over time, the lack of priority starts to show. We will give you the tools and skills needed to feel satisfied in how you communicate with your spouse, and increase your commitment to one another.

Healing and growing in our sexuality & eroticism can help us understand ourselves and our partners in ways we may have never been privileged to before. It opens us to the appreciation of the full depth and breadth of human erotic expression. I work with individuals and couples. My approach is informed by training as an Erotic Blueprint Coach, somatic attachment and conscious kink. All forms of love, relationship structures, and sexual expression welcome.

Many couples struggle with communication and "feeling heard". Over time a once happy and vibrant relationship can begin to decay through hurt feelings, anger, lack of attention, feeling valued, infidelity, the strain of children, childhood issues, and much more. We focus to heal the wounds of the past and rebuild the love and trust within the relationship. We work to equip both partners with a voice and ability to effectively listen and hear one another. We will work together to establish individual boundaries within the relationship, while creating a stronger and healthier connection. Our goal is to equip each couple with the tools they require for success, independent of counselling

Relationships can bring both joy and challenge, and it’s natural to feel stuck at times. My goal is to provide a supportive and balanced space where partners feel heard, understood, and respected. I draw on the Gottman Method to help strengthen communication, rebuild trust, and shift unhelpful patterns into helpful ways of relating. Through an attachment-focused lens, we also explore how past and present experiences shape the way each partner shows up in the relationship. Navigating stress or conflict, I integrate nervous system regulation strategies to reduce reactivity and create more safety in moments of tension. Together, we work toward building connection, intimacy, and resilience.

Sol and Robin Menard are trained in using Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). EFT is reasearch proven to have a 75-90% success rate with couples. It is one of two therapies for working with couples that is approved of by the American Psychological Association. There are many benefits to undergoing couples therapy using the EFt model. Benefits include: increased closeness/emotional intimacy, increased sexual intimacy, ability to communicate and express feelings and needs, increased safety, increased trust, more flexibility in the relationship, less fears of abandonment, and overall peace and security.

Couples counselling focuses on enhancing communication, understanding, and connection between partners. My approach is tailored to each couple's unique dynamics, addressing intimacy, conflict resolution, communication and emotional support. I provide a safe and non-judgmental space for both partners to express their needs and concerns, facilitating more profound empathy and collaboration. By working together, couples can strengthen their bond, develop healthier patterns of interaction, and create a more fulfilling relationship.

Couples therapy with me offers a safe, respectful space to untangle conflict, rebuild connection and strengthen your relationship. Whether you're struggling with communication, trust, or feeling distant, we'll work together to understand what's beneath the surface and create new ways of relating. I support both partners with compassion and curiousity, helping you feel heard and valued. Through honest conversation and practical tools, you can move from stuck patterns toward deeper intimacy, understanding and shared growth -- one conversation at a time.

I work with communication between couples as well as the individual self talk that is sometimes a factor underlyubg discord. Recognizing Anger and Guilt as valuable emotions that can act as 'warning lights on the dashboard', I help uncover the deeper root feelings that are often more vulnerable but also more grounding and connecting. Using a Debriefing flow sheet based on Nonviolent Communication, a model authored by Marshall Rosenberg, I help couples to identify the things that are really important to them and reconnect with a sense of clarity, understanding and compassion for themselves and each other.

Many relational patterns develop over time and become entrenched resulting in continual gridlock and conflict. Slowing down a couples communication to address the underlying emotion assists in bringing a greater understanding of your partners desires and needs. Adult attachment styles can also impact relationships and exploring attachments needs can bring about clarity and enhance emotional intimacy. Sheila has completed training in Gottman Relational Training and advanced level trainings in Emotion Focused Therapy for couples.