Great Couples Counselling in Burlington, ON. Therapy to heal relationships.

We all want to love, be loved, and connect with our significant others. Yet, it can feel daunting at times, due to repetitive relationship patterns (influenced by our childhood wounding), poor communication skills, cultural/gender differences, and inability to negotiate “me” with “we”. So be it past trauma, poor communication skills, inability to handle stress, different upbringing (thereby different ways of doing things), or sexual challenges, among other things, I help couples identify the areas/habits which challenge them, behaviors which destroy relationships, and anything else that stands in the way of them achieving an intimate connection.

Being part of a couple can be the most exhilarating feeling in the world. Paradoxically, It can also be the most lonely experience when things are not going well. Working from an emotionally-focused perspective, I help couples understand attachment needs and how these unmet needs can create difficulties in their relationship. It really isn't about the housework, children, or sex, it is about the connection a couple has (or doesn't have).

Using a client-centered approach for couples focuses on communication between individuals. Our sessions will involve an open conversation where each member can feel safe to share their emotions and feelings. We will discuss patterns of communication and behavior between the members and, using exercises, work on improving communication and emotional honesty. Using exercises, we will work together to identify negative behavior cycles and work towards building positive and reinforcing interactions.

Couples Counselling Most relationships will become strained at some point and will begin producing maladaptive patterns. Relationship problems are rooted in our distorted egos, insecure attachment, emotional immaturity etc., which create to the many issues that develop for couples - infidelity, financial stress, poor communication, ill health, sexual divergence, household responsibility conflicts, addictions, etc., .... or just simply growing apart. Relationships can often be restored if help is sought soon enough. A counsellor can help reorient perceptions and emotions (how we look at a situation and how we feel about it) and assist the couple in adopting conscious structural changes.

Relationships are tricky and often emotionally charged. Communication plays an important role in couples relationships, but not to be discounted is the powerful role of emotions and feelings that may be unconsidered. I look forward to helping couples begin to understand themselves, the positive and negative cycles, and the process necessary to truly understand the core needs of themselves and their partner. I believe that couples often have the power to heal their relationships and even their partner when they begin to feel that their own needs are respected, and I look forward to working with you to achieve your relational goals.

We are not prepared to be married. Clouded with romantic ideals and unreasonable expectations, our relationships can quickly begin to feel lacking in fulfillment. I believe that most couples don't want divorce. What they do want is to feel connected again and safe again. I use Imago Therapy and Emotion Focused Therapy to help couples re-connect. Building a healthy marriage takes both time and commitment. The skills you will obtain will give you a clear path to reconnection and safety.

You meet, fall in love, make a decision to be together – everything is pretty rosy! What happens from that time until the time you walk in my office? Miscommunication, hurt, misunderstanding, broken trust, and ambivalence. But you are in my office – so there’s hope! Whether your relationship needs ‘tweeking’ or a complete overhaul – I want to help you both onto a path toward a stronger, truly connected relationship.

I specialize in working with couples in crisis because of a betrayal, trauma, PTSD, addictions, and ADHD. I am a registered gestalt therapist with somatic experiencing training out of California. If you or your partner's trauma is impacting your relationship I am here to support you both. Healing can happen. If you are unable to leave your home because of the lack of childcare available we can arrange sessions for you and your partner once the kids are all tucked in or during the weekends! Couples therapy can be done very effectively via tele-therapy. Give me a chance to help you rescue your shitty relationship! -The tile of my soon to be published book- The Shitty Relationship

One of the most detrimental problems that I have seen in Family Therapy is when parents become so overwhelmed by life, inundated by the responsibilities with their children (hockey, karate, tutoring, piano, etc), and consumed in running the household that they forget about the relationship that they have with their spouse. I hear things like “I don’t even know my husband anymore”, “there just isn’t any time left for us”, “we are growing apart”, or “we can’t agree on anything; not the kids, not the house, not the dog… help!” All is not lost and there are ways to learn to balance all of the aforementioned intricacies of a family dynamic. You don’t have to hold it all together by yourself.

Healthy relationships take commitment & work. I help couples increase emotional intimacy & connection. I help them stop unhelpful ways of interacting, achieve resolution to their unresolved conflicts, & take responsibility for their negative contributions to patterns. Couple relationships require re-committing ourselves to each other repeatedly throughout the length of our relationship. I will help you to learn to "turn towards" one another. I will also help you to eliminate the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a phrase coined by couple researches John and Julie Gottman. Lastly, all couple relationships include pursuer-distancer patterns. I will help you identify these and work to stop them.

Day in and day out for the last twenty-five years I have worked with couples both as a seminar trainer and as a therapist. I love seeing couples transformed as they find their way back to love and to each other. All couples struggle! The wise ones seek help! While all successful couples do similar things . . . broken relationships can be broken in a myriad of ways. It is my job to come a long side the couple to resolve, heal and recover. I love working with couples to develop communication and conflict resolutions skills. When couples come to me honestly seeking help and committed to put effort into their recovery the outcomes are nothing short of wonderful!

All relationships struggle at times. These struggles often interfere with a couples ability to feel safe and connected within their relationship. Rebuilding safety and connection restores relationships. It is through this restoration process that long lasting change is achieved. It is my privilege to work with couples to help them understand what they want from their relationship, how to get it and most importantly how to keep it.