Great Couples Counseling in Golden Valley, MN. Therapy to heal relationships.

When it comes to helping couples deepen their relationships through effective communication I wrote the book; Date Night Conversations and you can find it on Amazon. Your relationship can be your greatest source of joy or pain and every couple gets stuck at times. I love helping couples get unstuck and on the path to creating more intimate, healthy, and fulfilling relationships through insight, personal growth, and practical tools. Please call today.

There is nothing as precious as your relationship. That’s why your relationship deserves Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). This is the treatment that years of research shows to be highly effective in helping couples improve their relationship, resolve conflicts, repair trust, and feel safe, loved and connected. EFT helps couples get to the heart of the matter. It is designed to stop the negative and stuck patterns in relationships, transforming them into the love, connection and understanding you desire.

I provide support and practical feedback to help individuals and couples effectively address personal and relationship challenges. I integrate cutting edge techniques built to improve your relationship and take it to places you doubted were possible. With compassion and understanding, I work with each individual, couple and family to help them build on their strengths and attain the personal growth they are committed to accomplishing.

Narcissistic Abuse of a partner is real. If you have experienced this, you may feel minimized, dismissed or even gaslit by others about your own experiences. You likely feel so alone and ashamed. I want you to know that I believe you. You are not crazy and your feelings are valid. I have supported others through similar situations. I also understand that you likely feel depleted, scared, and so overwhelmed. There is a path forward and I want to help. You are invited to email me or even schedule via the scheduling link should you feel you are ready to move forward.

I help individuals in relationships identify and understand the negative interaction patterns that they have developed over time. I see these patterns as naturally occurring forms of self-protection when needs are not being met, and when difficult emotions don't feel safe to express. I help individuals create change not through blaming each other but through understanding that these patterns are the problem and that change is always possible. I have completed level two (core skills training) in the practice of Emotion-Focused Therapy and seek consultation, training and supervision with experts in the field on a regular basis.

Relationships are our specialty. Couples counseling offers a dedicated space with an outside perspective to talk through the challenges your relationship is facing in a safe environment. A therapist can offer a fresh take on your issues, as well as tools and experiential learning to help create new ways of relating with one another. We know how challenging relationships can be. We want to help you find a more meaningful connection with your partner -- one that will last.

It is very challenging and rewarding working with couples. Issues in our primary relationship can impact all aspects of our life. It can be single issue based or very pervasive. A strong component of all approaches to couples' issues is learning the ability to communicate. This skill has often retreated through years of hurt feelings, defensiveness, shame. We strive to repair any damage that has been done and develop a balanced, caring relationship where both peoples’ needs are being met.

Couples therapy is my favorite work to do! Using Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT), we will identify how you get stuck in the same arguments over and over, what underlying emotions and needs are unmet, and how to communicate on a deeper emotional level to feel more connected and understood. EFT works beautifully and leads to long lasting change! I can help you with conflict resolution, communication skills, sex and passion, infidelity and/or past hurts, creating meaning in your relationship, concerns related to extended family, parenting, or other issues. In our work together, you will be able to have the fulfilling, loving, and meaningful relationship you are hoping for.

Want to bring back the joy and excitement you used to feel together? I help couples understand and negotiate differences in needs and feelings about a variety of issues, including communication, sex, family, shared time and future plans. You may be unsure whether you can work past the ways you've been hurt and trust each other again. Learning to stay present and listen to each other as you talk about your hopes and desires will bring you closer to the kind of relationship you really want. When you've gotten into the habit of feeling misunderstood and blamed, having a third party present to interrupt negative patterns and coach you to more effective conversations is key to creating change.

Dr. McCarthy's approach of "Co–Coaching for Dynamic Growth" challenges many currently accepted beliefs about love/romance and what it takes to have a successful relationship: e.g. “you should just accept your partner and not try to change their behavior.” Rather, the relationship is seen as a dynamic growth process for learning how to become more loving partners through mutual coaching. Each partner seeks to clearly identify his or her own core negative relationship pattern and each helps the other change through mutual, respectful coaching. Couples previously unable to break longstanding recurring patterns learn to revitalize a new relationship of deep love and emotional connection!

Couples therapy is a form of therapy that aims to improve the relationship between two people, typically romantic partners. We will work together to identify and address the specific challenges and patterns of communication that are causing distress in the relationship. Through the use of evidence-based techniques and a supportive therapeutic environment, you and your partner(s) can learn how to communicate more effectively, resolve conflicts, and strengthen their emotional connection. (I am non-traditional relationship friendly!)

Having been trained in a systems approach to couples therapy, my focus will be on the negative pattern of interaction (the two way street) that causes your disconnect. As result, neither partner will feel blamed, but both partners will learn ways to show up as their best self. In session I will actively engage you so that you are learning by doing. With such experiences in session, it is easier to repeat positive behaviors for repair and connection at home. You will learn to advocate for yourself so that you are heard and seen even in the tough times. When crisis or affairs have afflicted a couple, we will be sure to do the work of healing so that you can move forward when ready.

You feel unappreciated and lonely. You try so hard and things just do not seem to change. You feel like you talk and talk, perhaps promises are even made, and then a bit of time goes by and you feel right back where you started. You are losing hope. You are afraid to be vulnerable but doing nothing feels scary too. You are drained and discouraged. You are not sure what to do differently or if that will even help. I understand and I can help.