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

We do couples therapy differently..........If you go to our web site and read our history you will find we were in the worst of marriage relationships. We have now been married 42 years in 2020 and are having a great relationship with each other. The secret of our success was in how we dealt with the resentment and bitterness which was keeping the arguments alive constantly.

I’ve been helping people lead more intentional lives for over 20 years. Couples therapy supports you in reaching a fresh connection with your partner. You have the ability to have a meaningful relationship. I can help you learn the skills to communicate in a way that will get your needs met. I’m trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, developmental models,and anxiety and depression management. I will support you in creating a set of tools to help you discover your objective. Most importantly, you're a distinctive couple, with distinctive needs. My goal is to work with you as a unique couple, and focus on YOUR goals.

Our couples counselling approach include increasing closeness and friendship behaviours, addressing conflict productively, and building a life of shared meaning together. Therapy is more structured and involves customizing principles from research to each couple’s particular patterns and challenges. It focuses on developing understanding and skills so that partners can get their needs met (especially when they are hurting), manage conflict, and learn how to repair their relationship when necessary, even in cases of infidelity. Overall, the goals of Meristem's approach is to assist couples in achieving a greater sense of understanding, respect, awareness and empathy toward each other.

Marriage and significant relationships have more pressure on them than ever before. In a technology based, social networking world with financial pressures and other major issues, couples need to put increasingly more time and effort into nourishing their relationship. Many do not take that time. As a result, relationships become “stuck’ or even “toxic” over time. In sessions, couples will learn how to interact and relate to each other on a deeper level. They will learn effective communication skills, strategies and tools. Couples will also participate in learning about their own specific ways of showing love and their own love style.

When it comes to couples, the total is greater than the sum of its parts. Therefore, in couple therapy, the focus is not on the two sides of the equation. Rather, the object of inquiry and therapy is the relationship between those two sides. The therapy examines the interpersonal relationship and treats it as a third space. Therefore, the goal is not to change the individuals but to change the way they communicate, understand, and accept each other. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit.

Would you like tips on how to communicate with your partner? How about learning how to argue fairly and come to a compromise or solution? Would you like help in restoring the gratitude you once had for your relationship and loved one? My therapeutic technique(s) using both talk therapy and active therapeutic strategies I.e. worksheets, couples homework assignments, etc can help you acknowledge areas in your relationship you would like to improve and provide practical strategies toward accomplishing both your individual and partnership goals.

Healthy Relationships, Healthy Life. I lwork with all kinds of couples and situations! Some clients want support to maintain or enhance their current healthy relationship, others are couples preparing for marriage/commitment, co-parenting couples and marital couples who have hit a rough/rocky patch along their path together and want to navigate their next steps. All Couples I work with benefit from understanding themselves and each other, as well as the unique beautiful relationship of 'couple'.

An intimate partnership is a strong and powerful connection between two people, and it is often a complex dance of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. In couple and relationship therapy my goal is to assist couples in resolving problems and conflicts that they have not been able to handle effectively on their own. Therapy involves both partners sitting down with me to discuss their thoughts and feelings. My aim is to allow each partner to gain a better understanding of themselves and their partner and help them to decide if they need and want to make changes in their lives and in their relationship. I provide a supportive safe space to help couples learn new ways to relate to each other.

Too many people start at the end with couple work. My approach takes a good solid look at the history created to get you there. Then we search for the skills to ensure that you are able to complete the change your seeking- often people require active listening and talking skills as a beginning point. Too often people come to me presenting an issue and focusing on confrontation and conflict resolution before they can even comprehend the issues of one another....tells me how many people actually learn to run before they walk? Couple work isn't about who is "right" but rather where are we going and how do we get there (and a little of how did we get so lost?).

As a therapist, I work primarily from an attachment perspective with individuals and couples. My training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) allows me to provide evidence-based interventions to support both individual clients and couples to create lasting change in their lives. **EFT Externship, EFT Core Skills, EFiT (Individual EFT Therapy), Applying Polyvagal to EFT In individual therapy, this type of therapy is an attachment process (the formation of safe connections) between the therapist and the client, as well as between the client and previous and current relationships; and in Couples Therapy, within and between the couple, where your relationship is my client.

We all want to be loved and feel connected to our partners. The reality is that relationships are nuanced and complicated and can often touch on our deepest wounds and insecurities. Couples therapy is a wonderful tool to aid in building a healthy and fulfilling relationship. We will work to identify helpful and harmful patterns, create space for open and honest communication, and learn how to love one another more effectively. In couples therapy your relationship is at the centre and together we will work to strengthen and maintain your connection. Please contact me for a free consultation to determine if I am the right fit for you.

Ray has completed her level 2 training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy and uses Gottman Method Couples Therapy along with Emotion Focused Therapy in her therapy work. The Gottman method uses 9 principles that include trust and commitment. EFT is a specific technique that explores the feeling underneath the conflicts that appear at the surface. Ray finds that couples who come for counselling are invested in saving their relationships and are invested in the therapeutic work that we do together. Ray also is a Certified Educator of Dr. John Gottman's 7 Principles that Make Marriage (and any partner relationship) Work. There are workshops currently being planned in the Orangeville area.

This service is not solely for romantic partners, which is why I use the term 'Relationship Counselling' and not 'Couples Counselling'. The relationship involved may be between co-workers, family members or two individuals in a professional or business arrangement. Relationship counselling involves guiding the members of a human relationship in order to enhance what is working, improve communication, and address areas of disconnect or conflict.

In couples therapy skills to share needs, wants and emotions without blaming or attacking are learnt that can help couples grow in intimacy and have a sustainable, happier relationship. Emotionally Focused Couples therapy and Gottman therapy focus on the importance of having honest, respectful and open communication in relationships. This is something that is not often taught to us as children in fact we often learn the opposite.

Relationship’s dynamics can be challenging to navigate even during the best of times, and couple therapy can help partners find new ways to relate, connect, and communicate with each other. Asking for what you want and need in a relationship can be scary, so therapy should be a safe space where you and your partner feel comfortable exploring your needs and expectations together. I work collaboratively with clients to identify and explore patterns of interaction that they want to strengthen or change in their relationships, as well as holding space for vulnerability and connection. Book a free consultation to learn more about my approach and explore if we are a good fit.

When communication breaks down in relationships it can often lead to a disconnection from our partners which can seem irreparable. This can lead to a lack of intimacy, resentment, or mistrust towards each other. When a couple agrees to reach out for help, it shows a commitment to each other and an openness to change. When doing couples work it is a priority for me that each partner’s concerns and feelings are heard and addressed. This involves ensuring equal time for each person to talk about their concerns and needs as well as their goals for our work together. I have experience in working with heterosexual as well as same sex couples. Book a free consultation today.

Family Systems theory is primarily focused on three areas. These are individuals, couples, and families (including children). Couples therapy focuses exclusively on the couple's dyad. This connection is affected by many factors: Past childhood experiences of family life, current parenting and grandparenting, blended families after a divorce, intimacy, sexuality, employment stress, financial obligations, and supporting your parents even when you are an adult. This list, though not exhaustive, points to the complexity of couplehood. My training is an evidence-based model utilizing tested interventions to support couples through times of transition or recognition. Book a free consultation

Over the years I have worked with many configurations of couples; same sex, open, non-binary. I tend to draw from an emotionally-focussed approach and find moments of tender vulnerability to be so profoundly healing. I also really enjoy creative "out of the box" outdoor experiential activities that I orchestrate based on the particular couple and their concerns. I find these activities can become playful and bonding for couples.

We’ll use the top two evidence-based approaches to marriage counseling: the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy. Using these approaches, you can rebuild your friendship and create emotional safety for and with each other again. You’ll discover: How to replace entrenched patterns of arguing or retreating from communication. New conflict management strategies will dissolve the dread of confrontation. How prior relationships impact your current one and what to do about it. New ways to manage anger and anxiety, and to communicate your needs in ways that get heard. Finally, you’ll practice the non-judgmental, safe listening that you both crave.