Great Couples Counseling in Pacific, WA. Therapy to heal relationships.

Couple/Marriage counseling services are often tailored to the concerns of the client couple. We can examine any issues involved in your relationship, and then develop ideas and strategies to work on creating change. This is not the place to fight or argue, but rather to work on things like communication, mutual responsibility, and awareness of each other's needs. It requires both parties to be present at every session, and to be willing to work for the relationship.

There are countless models of healthy romantic relationships, from monogamous to polyamorous, and unique variations between partners. The scripts for dating and longterm relationships of our parents’ generations may not be applicable to your relationship, and there is no formal education in how to be a good partner or how to identify unhealthy relationships. But there is psychological research that shows that effective communication, emotional openness, intimacy, and other factors contribute to healthy relationships. Creating these conditions are skills that can be learned. I practice brief humanistic and emotion-focused therapy (EFT) to help my LGBTQ and hetero clients learn these skills.

My approach to couples counseling and marriage counseling is active, compassionate, and focused on helping both partners stay connected to calm, curiosity, and compassion for themselves and each other. When couples can maintain access to these qualities, even in the middle of conflict, they are far more able to understand the deeper feelings and patterns driving their reactions. I help partners interrupt long held dynamics, communicate more clearly, and respond with greater openness and care. By reducing reactivity and restoring positive feelings toward one another, couples can often heal old wounds, strengthen connection, and reignite love, kindness, and trust in the relationship.