Great Couples Counseling in Damascus, MD. Therapy to heal relationships.

Too often we tend to our relationships after life's obligations have been met. However, that extra time is as mythical as a unicorn. Thus, our relationships get treated like a cactus, instead of the orchids that they are. And, like any orchid treated like a cactus, they wilt and their survival becomes threatened. But, if we treat an orchid like a cactus we don't blame the flower, unlike how we tend to blame our relationships. My approach to couple's counseling is mechanical. First, I help a couple to diagnose the problem(s). Then we do exercises to enhance intimacy, followed by exercises for solving problems and improving communication. I help couples to flourish as they used to.

Often the relationships we cherish the most are also the places where we experience the most discomfort. We can feel all sorts of variations of misunderstood, unheard and uncared for (and often our partner feels similarly). The good news is that growth and healing are possible. Our brains are built for relational healing--we just need help getting unstuck sometimes. I would be honored to walk with you and your partner in helping you both to better understand yourselves, and each other, in the places where you are experiencing difficulty. And in so doing help you both to experience each other in richer, more meaningful ways.

Committed and loving connections with a partner are probably the most challenging and potentially healing of all relationships in life. Deep fears of closeness tend to get in the way of realizing such potential, often without being consciously recognized as fears. I help partners in couples to find ways of being gentle and honest with each other and with themselves as they confront and overcome their fears.

Communication is the key in any coupe's relationship. And communication is usually the reason why many couples fight. Are you having a difficult time communicating with your significant other? Do you feel like you are not being heard? Couples counseling may be of use in your relationship to not only help communication improve but also to ensure there are shared goals to work towards the next step in your relationship.

I provide marriage and couples counseling. I help couples to improve their communications to reduce arguing and to improve their understanding of each other. I also work with couples going through the pain of an affair. In most cases couples can work through their feelings and have an improved connection. Being a male therapist sometimes can help reluctant husbands/partners feel more comfortable coming to therapy and talking in therapy.

I offer couples therapy for partners who are looking make positive changes in their relationships, whether they are dating, engaged, married, or committed. I blend strategies and interventions from several couple therapy models to fit our conversations to your unique goals. By learning new skills, healing emotional injuries, experiencing each other's vulnerabilities in a safe way, and gaining insights about how each other's past influences their current behaviors, we work together to build a compassionate and joyful relationship.

As marriage and family Therapist, I have specialized training to work with couples. I assist couples in more than communication. I help them build connection, which is the glue of a relationship. All relationships can get into a negative pattern, but without a secure bond the relationship can spin out of control. I assist couples in learning about each partners attachment style and help the couple build healthy problem solving skills through bonding. I offer premarital counseling with an online assessment. If you want to improve a longterm relationship, or heal wounds of infidelity, lets get to the heart of the matter. We all want to know we are important to our partner.

Ashburn Psychological Services has therapists available for couple's therapy. Couple's therapy can be effective in addressing emotional conflicts, intimacy and communication struggles that may be negatively impacting the relationship. Separation, divorce, blended families and step parenting, and one's individual problems are some of the factors that can contribute to relationship problems. Cognitive-behavior therapy and interpersonal therapy are approaches that can be successful in bringing about positive change for couple's. Ashburn Psychological Services is here to help.

Relationship counseling for couples is our primary specialty. How can you tell if couples therapy is right for you? Consider calling if you: * Find it hard to stop criticizing your partner * Feel defensive when asked for something by your partner * Find yourself avoiding your partner or family * Are developing emotional attachments to other potential partners about which you would not want your partner to find out * Are thinking about your partner or your marriage makes you depressed or anxious * Are not able to be sexually intimate with your partner We have relationship experts that will speak with you today.

I work with couples to help them create new and stronger avenues of communication--allowing them to find, once again, the joy each partner had in the other. Whether work has stressed your relationship, or children have created the gap, we can reimagine ways to find closer connections. Perhaps you feel as if you're roommates more than a couple. Or one of you has been tempted to stray--or has strayed--but you want to do the work to come back together. Therapy helps you find the new ways you need to communicate, leading to a stronger bond between you.

Sometimes a couple reaches a place where they need to work on resolving different conflict in their relationship. There may be communication issues and the ability to make thoughtful decisions about the relationship is lost. I use the Gottman approach to help you identify where the major issues are and interventions to help improve communication. I will be your neutral mediator, I do not take sides. My focus will be on the relationship and both of you will get time to give your story. The couple will have an opportunity to talk through the issues and at times figure out what the issues are.

Working with couples is my area of expertise and passion. I have seen relationships transform through the power of mutual understanding and increased sensitivity. Often couples become so entrenched in certain communication patterns that they can't even really see when and if their partner is trying to do something different. This is one way working with a good couples therapist can be so powerful - they can act as "translator" for partners, and dig through the years of pain and pattern to what's really in each other's minds and hearts. If both partners are willing, it's amazing what can happen; and even if only one person is willing, change is possible. I hold the hope until they can.

I provide couples counseling (including marriage counseling) to helping you explore current challenges in your relationship. Are you suffering in your relationship due to consistent conflict, an inability to effectively communicate, lack of intimacy, separation, and simply growing apart? Do you want to find more effective ways to relate to one another and acquire a new sense of intimacy and closeness? Consider couple's counseling to acquire a new awareness of how you can become more effective in your relationship. Give counseling a try; you are deserving of this. Give me a call for a free phone consult to discuss your concerns. 240.292.6127. Make it a good day - - be well. Laurieann