Great Couples Counseling in Claycomo, MO. Therapy to heal relationships.

People see the word "Couples" and think it is just for married people. It is for those who are dating, living together, roommates, best friends, and those who are married. The common theme here is that there are two of you and you share some form of a relationship. We are created for connection, to be in relationship with others. That does not always go smoothly. Relationships take work and sometimes it is helpful to have a third party who has experience in dealing with differences and communication. Most issues I see come down to those two things and are easy to work with. ** I also provide premarital counseling.

Cohabiting couples are at greater risk for separation or divorce if they later decide to marry unless they have plans to become engaged and marry after living together. Pre-marital counseling is also helpful in identifying potential areas of stress, including finances, career, housework, children, travel and family gatherings. Many times couples wait until it is almost too late. We help both partners identify their wants and needs in the relationship and decide if they want to work on the marriage, separate or divorce. For divorcing parents, we provide co-parenting services to help establish guidelines, teach conflict resolution skills and minimize harm to their children.

Do everyday conversations seem to turn into bitter arguments, criticisms, defensiveness, or personal attacks? Do you avoid certain conversations because they seem unsolvable? Have you lost that closeness and connection that you once felt? Are you on the brink of divorce? Has your sex life gone stale? We can help. At the Kansas City Relationship Institute, LLC, relationships are our specialty! You will benefit from our services by looking at yourself, your partner, and your relationship in new ways. Our approach is to help you gain confidence and clarity about the next steps in your relationship. Couples can strengthen, restore, and build lasting relationships that are worth wanting.

Your relationship is my client. We we will look what is working and what is not working. We will look not only at the way you communicate, but the message under the communication. Research tells us 85% of communication is non-verbal, so the message behind the words is critical to explore. There are other proven ways such as the research of John Gottman and Susan Johnson.

As a couple therapist I will work to provide you an understanding of what is going on in your relationship that is causing distress. I have extensive training in the Gottman Method and will also draw upon my knowledge of Dr. Sue Johnson's work in Emotion Focused Therapy. If you are in distress we need to work to help you find ways to communicate your needs to one another and to be heard by your partner. There are practical tools that I can give you so that you can learn ways to communicate and connect. Couples utilizing these methods commonly find that they notice some immediate relief and are able to begin to communicate in a way that each partner feels heard and understood.

In couples counseling, I explore the needs of both parties, their personal goals, their dream for the future and how the two people can live out their lives either together, supporting one another, or determining the direction of the relationship. We will look at personality styles, communication, cultural differences and the ability to repair and/or accept repair.

If you are chronically unhappy, angry ,disappointed, hurt, and distrustful in any significant relationship, we can help you today. Debra with work with one , both, all all parties in the relationship mix. Our key mission starts with creating a safe, private, judgement free environment for you to talk, listen, and move forward, Debra uses methods to quickly reduce barriers make intimacy and respect. Small take home steps that help each partner learn skills and tools unique to the relationship Debra's typical client have issues with their adult children, those who love or live with another's addiction (drugs/gambling/pornography/anger), co-work/supervisor, or spouse/partner

Is the honeymoon over? Sometimes daily responsibilities, stress, or crisis can take the romance out of relationships. When a relationship is strong there is honesty, love and confidence that your spouse will be there when you most need them. Don't let your relationship suffer until there is no recovery. I work with couples who want to reconnect, or work on communication, conflict resolution, and other issues to keep their relationship strong or rebuild what they once shared. Whatever the state of your relationship, your decision to engage in counseling is a positive step toward creating a loving, supportive relationship with your partner.

It’s important to understand how we unknowingly bring our past into our current relationships. Learn habits to communicate better, argue in a healthy manner, resolve conflict, productively expression emotions, share your needs/wants clearly, work through unresolved issues, and negotiate change in your relationship. Also examine how to rekindle intimacy while understanding and embracing your partner’s flaws.

Most common issues between couples involves a lack of clear communication and the feeling of not being heard or understood. My approach with couples is to utilize the Gottman's Conflict Blueprint for clear communication as well as emotional connection. I also utilize Cognitive Behavior Therapy as well as Emotion Focused Therapy as tools to enhance understanding and intimacy in relationships.