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

A loving relationship can be a source of profound connecting and security, and as with many aspects of life worth pursuing, it requires nurturing. As a therapist, I am deeply committed to creating a warm, safe, and inclusive environment where clients feel heard, understood, and empowered to create meaningful growth and change in their lives. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if I am the right fit for you.

In couples counselling, I collaborate with clients to increase their relational satisfaction. Through a safe and neutral environment, both partners are guided to express their thoughts and emotions, openly. Techniques that I often employ include active listening, empathy-building and conflict resolution skills. I help couples to identify their negative patterns and encourage development of interaction strategies that are more supportive of the relationship. Couples can expect to gain a deeper understanding of each other and practical tools that allow them to manage disagreements constructively.

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.

Couples come together for a reason–from a point of deep commitment or even for practical reasons–both by choice. Some come together for more fleeting reasons–even by chance. However it begins, couples evolve–either to create a resilient bond or to find themselves in conscious or unconscious division. All are tried by adversity, change, and time. Even accumulating stress of the daily humdrum can blind the vision of ‘us.’ Couples are unique. My role is to challenge communication, to help couples define their bottom-line: to accept what is; define limits of tolerance and compromise; respectfully support a new reality if resilience is not found; or to see the contentment in finding a way back.

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.

Dr. Van Blyderveen offers Emotion Focused Therapy for Couples. This approach is evidence based and has a greater success rate than traditional couple's therapy. Therapy will focus on improving communication through creating and strengthening your emotional bond with one another. During therapy sessions Dr. Van Blyderveen will guide you and your partner through emotional conversations with one another with the goal of improving closeness, connection, and acceptance of one another.

I support couples at any stage of their relationship, who are seeking to strengthen their bonds and appreciation for one another by identifying potential negative interaction cycles, fostering respectful communication and repair focused on understanding each other’s needs. My hope is you are able to reconnect with your partner in a meaningful way and refoster and strengthen the foundation of friendship amongst you.

Couples therapy with me is not about teaching communication tricks or conflict avoidance. It is about helping two people understand the deeper emotional systems at play between them. We look at the invisible patterns such as cycles of pursuit and withdrawal, criticism and defensiveness, disconnection and repair that often operate beneath the surface of conversations. My approach is relational and emotionally focused but also grounded in depth psychology and cognitive science. Together, we examine how each partner’s history, wounds, and protective strategies collide to create patterns that neither wants but both participate in. The goal is to build a new relational system.

Healthy relationships and emotional connection are typically fostered by effective communication and boundaries. Therapy can help you and your partner understand the patterns you are currently feeling stuck in and learn how to communicate each of your needs and perspectives from a place of vulnerability, compassion, and care. I work with individuals, couples and families. Book a free consultation to explore if we are a good fit for therapy.

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.

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.

Asking for help can be the hardest step. You may be here because there’s been a lot of conflict recently, maybe you’re noticing that you and your partner aren’t as connected as you once were, or maybe you’re looking to build a resilient foundation for your relationship. I'm here to help couples build stronger bonds, navigate change, and grow together. I have additional training in helping couples navigate the intricacies of ADHD. Using evidence-based strategies, we can address communication patterns, manage conflicts, and deepen understanding. I offer free consultations to help you decide if I’m a good fit.

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.

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.

Seeking change but unsure of the path forward, you find yourself contemplating the path that led you here. The exhaustion from perpetual discord, the careful navigation of conversations to sidestep arguments – it's an energy-draining cycle. Even if the clashes have diminished, a feeling of being overlooked persists. Recognizing that things haven't always been this way, you understand that seeking assistance is essential for any substantive shift. Navigating relationships is intricate, and we've guided numerous couples through seemingly chaotic situations. At Atlas Therapy we help each partner feel seen, heard and appreciated again.

You deserve to be happy in your relationship and I can help make that happen. Together, we will find the joy that once brought you together and bring the healing you need to make this relationship what you’ve always hoped it would be. Love isn’t easy; it takes work, but together we will make it fun. Together we can help get you back to where you belong.

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.

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.

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.

Couples are bound to have ups and downs in their relationship. It doesn't mean that it's not a good match. It simply means that there are issues that need to be addressed and discussed. Sherry helps her clients address the various issues that are causing distress in their relationship. From communication to infidelity, Sherry supports health and growth in the relationship.

Intimate relationships can be the most rewarding, and at times, the most painful relationships we experience. Couples often engage in pattern like communications which prevents them from expressing the love and tender emotions they feel for one another on a deep and intimate level. The goal of couples therapy is to enable partners to reconnect and express themselves, stepping outside of negative interaction cycles. Couples therapy helps willing participants to feel heard and understood by their spouse. Learn to listen with your heart and find each other again.

In a warm and empathetic environment I assist couples in building trust, improving communication and working through conflict. My work involves helping change problematic thinking and communication, guiding through pain and forgiveness and helping you build the skills you need to improve your relationship both now and in the future.

It was once said, 'we are wounded in relationships and we gain our healing in relationships.' Working with couples is one of my focus of interest. I have been married for over 30 years and have an understand of the challenges that being in a couple can bring. Drawing on a number of models of therapy and life experiences, it would an honor to help you navigate your relationship.

Couple work is about supporting both partners as they work to support the relationship between them. The relationship is what you create, from the foundation up. It requires a plan, developed with strength and wisdom; built with equanimity and sacrifice; maintained with compassion and kindness. The rewards are endless. It requires each partner to put the other first, and when you do that, you both win.

My approach to couples counseling is grounded in Relational Life Therapy (RLT), which focuses on helping couples move from conflict and disconnection to closeness and mutual respect. I guide partners to identify and interrupt destructive patterns, take responsibility for their own behaviors, and communicate needs clearly without blame.