Great Couples Counseling in Playa Del Rey, CA. Therapy to heal relationships.

The love you once felt for each other when you met and decided to live together is still there. Love appears to erode and even disappear as we take our relationship for granted. We can become Insensitive, lazy, stop being involved, intimate or concerned and understanding. These disconnections lead to more and more distance over time. Arguing or indifference can become a way of life. Along with a lack of intimacy, sex,sharing of interests and even simple communication. This disconnect in the relationship can lead to abuse, betrayal, infidelity, separation and divorce. in Couples Counseling we will identify the issues, set goals and activities to reconnect with the love that is still there.

Couples counseling is an amazing experience. Your relationship is my client and I will work closely with both of you to identify the relational dance you participate in, and how we can interrupt the negative patterns you engage in, and instead promote healthier ways of connecting and attaching. Couples therapy can be a really fun and pleasurable experience where you get to know more about your partner and also about your self. Couples therapy works in a stage process. I will be there along each step of the way helping to make sure that you guys are connecting. I will help to empower you both so that you may enhance and strengthen your most important relationship!

I specialize in couples and marriage counseling. My approach is based on recent research in marriage science showing what habits successful couples have that other do not. My approach is skills based and practical, teaching both of you how to communicate more effectively, how to understand each other, how to decide what is changeable and what is not in your relationship, how to deal with perpetual issues,on which you may be deadlocked, and different ways to view issues and problems in your relationship to reduce conflict. I also help you identify what is working in your relationship, (or what used to work) so that we can build on the positive.

All relationships fall into conflict or distress at some point. The bond between partners will begin to unravel at times during our lives. We do learn from scratch with our adult lovers and adult relationships unless we have been fortunate enough to have been given a secure model of a relationship from our parents. Some of us have to trust our instinct alone as we fight long and hard to repair the relationship when we feel our bond unravel with our partners. When we find ourselves estranged from our partners, we find ourselves confused and conflicted. That trusted partner now shows up as the "Enemy" or even a "Stranger" when we once believed that they were the "One." Becoming more acquainted with attachment theory may provide some...(view profile to read more)

My initial work was with sexless/touchless couples, where I developed a speciality in supporting them in bringing the passion back to their relationship. This included sex of course, but also a deeper passion, a passion for life, a joie de vivre, a deep, loving connection. This is how I became known as the "Passion Doctor". My approach is to get the couple back into connection: verbally, emotionally and physically through psycho-education and exercises specifically tailored for them. My approach is not cookie-cutter or generic and combines the many disciplines I have studied and practiced including psychotherapy, somatic work, breath work and Tantric practices.

Our staff of over 25 therapists specializes in helping couples in distress. From pre-marital counseling to couples work and even marriages that have been together for years--we are ready to help. Our staff has received training from Dr. Susan Johnson, the international expert on marriage and couples therapy and can help couples get free from patterns of fighting that you can't get out of on your own. We can teach you how to get free from the gridlock of fruitless fighting, and learn how to thrive in your relationship again.

My clinical approach to couples therapy consists of teaching emotional intelligence aimed at improving conflict resolution and communication skills. Therapy provides a safe environment for couples to explore their thoughts and feelings with the aim of understanding each others emotional needs. The goals of treatment consists of working on issues related to trust, communication, intimacy, parenting issues, and so on. Therapy helps client learn ways to address sensitive issues and helps clients learn how to discuss those issues. The clinical work consists of learning and understanding emotional intelligence and the ability to implement the skills for the sake of the relationship.

I have worked with many couples over the years...married, living together, same sex or heterosexual. My initial focus is to understand the underlying dynamics and pain that each of the partners is experiencing in the relationship and what has caused the conflict, disappointment and distress they now feel. I then work to help each of them understand the needs of the other, and be able to communicate (hearing what the other means and "feels" and expressing what they need and feel) in more loving, respectful and clear ways. We work together to restore the attachment and bond that has been damaged so that they can rediscover love, intimacy, trust and respect for each other.

I specialize in Couples Therapy at the Narrative Couples Center. I help partners to achieve new stories for the future. My approach is strength-based. It explores what couples hold most precious in their lives and relationships and brings people closer to their hopes and preferences. My counseling offers tools and collaboration to help each member of a relationship to move towards shared understanding.

Couples therapy should not be about hashing over old wounds. Getting what you want from a relationship involves good communication and active listening, tolerance and forgiveness, emotional intelligence, having common goals and working cooperatively and, like all the bets things in life, presents us with a challenge. Relationships can be hard work but the work is rewarding and life-enhancing. I love to work with couples who are committed to improving their future rather than reliving their past.

FRUSTRATED ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIPS? Stressed out about what to do next? Are you considering breakup or divorce but really want to give it a last chance? Would you like to take one more look before making any permanent decision? I can help you gain clarity, confidence in your decision making in regards to a very important matter in your life through a brief and focused counseling process.

My work with couples begins with teaching ways to communicate from a calm place, avoiding escalation and rebuilding trust. I help you see the conflict as a third entity, with the both of you (and me) on the same team, tackling it. With new tools on how to better communicate, I can help you restore the love and passion that brought you together in the first place.

Living with another person can be difficult, whether you are married or considering marriage. When communication breaks down, it can be hard to understand another person's point of view. Couple counseling with a neutral professional can be very helpful. The most common isses concern finances and sex, including infedelity, sexual dysfunctions, and sexual addiction. As a psychologist, Dr. Clark works with people from all cultures and backgrounds, including alternative lifestyles.