Couples Therapy at White Pine Recovery

Relationships matter deeply—and when a relationship is struggling, it can affect nearly every part of life. At White Pine Recovery, we help couples slow things down, understand what is happening between them, and develop more effective ways of connecting, communicating, and working through difficult moments together.

You don't have to wait until your relationship is in crisis to seek help. Couples come to us for many different reasons, including: communication difficulties, recurring conflict, feeling disconnected, changes in intimacy, parenting challenges, or recovering from betrayal. Whatever brings you in, our goal is to help you better understand one another and build a relationship that feels safer, more connected, and more satisfying.

We Help Couples With

• Recurring arguments or patterns of conflict
• Communication difficulties
• Feeling disconnected or like the relationship has lost its vitality
• Betrayal and affairs
• Parenting challenges and differences
• Differences in sex, intimacy, and affection
• Difficulty feeling understood, supported, or emotionally connected

A Different Kind of Couples Therapy

All of our therapists have completed Level 2 training in PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy) and participate in ongoing education and consultation. PACT gives us a framework for helping couples stay present and emotionally regulated while working through difficult issues.

Rather than simply talking about problems, we help couples understand the patterns that keep getting them stuck and practice new ways of responding to one another. Each session we will help you both see and feel what works and doesn't work in your relationship and help you both make the shifts together that will make your relationship work better.

Our work emphasizes fairness, sensitivity, mutual protection, shared power, and learning how to be good partners to one another.

We Give Couples the Time They Need

Couples therapy can be very different from individual therapy. A 50-minute session can sometimes be enough time to uncover a difficult issue—but not enough time to slow things down, understand what happened, repair the rupture, and leave feeling more connected.

For this reason, we generally recommend 100-minute sessions for couples. The additional time allows us to do more than simply discuss the problem. We can work through difficult moments together and help you leave with a clearer understanding of how to move forward.

Think of couples therapy less as a place to simply talk about your relationship and more as a place to practice and experience having a healthier relationship.

Learning to Work as a Team

A relationship is more than two individuals sitting side by side. It is a system that the two of you create together.

We help couples learn how to advocate for their own needs while also understanding and responding to their partner's experience. The goal isn't for one person to "win" an argument or for the therapist to decide who is right. Instead, we work toward solutions that respect both people and strengthen the relationship.

Practical, Experiential Therapy

Knowing what you should do differently isn't always enough to change a relationship.

When we're stressed, hurt, afraid, or overwhelmed, our bodies and nervous systems become involved in how we respond to one another. That's why we focus on more than giving couples lists of communication techniques or things to remember.

During sessions, we help you slow down, recognize what is happening in the moment, understand one another more clearly, and practice responding differently.

Our goal is for each session to create meaningful movement in your relationship—not simply to talk about what isn't working.

Our Approach

PACT — Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy
Developed by Stan Tatkin, PACT helps couples understand the biological and relational patterns that influence how they interact. It gives us a way to address difficult issues while helping both partners remain present, regulated, and engaged. We use PACT to help couples learn how to care for one another and work collaboratively toward outcomes that work for both partners.

Mind-Body Bridging
This approach can help couples recognize and safely work with emotions that can sometimes feel overwhelming or take over in the moment. It can create more space to understand what you are experiencing rather than simply reacting to it.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Sometimes the thoughts and feelings we are most afraid to talk about are also the things getting in the way of connection. ACT helps couples make room for difficult thoughts and emotions and bring important truths into the conversation in a way that protects the dignity of both partners and creates an opportunity for constructive change.

Our therapists also have training and experience with Gottman Couples Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), EMDR, ACT, and Mind-Body Bridging.

What You Can Expect

Our therapists hold master's degrees in disciplines that qualify them to provide therapy and are licensed in Utah to work with individuals and families. Associate therapists who are completing their supervised hours toward independent licensure work under the close supervision of fully licensed therapists. This means you get the attention and sharp minds of our associate therapists in session and the experience of our seasoned supervisors behind the work we do.

All of our staff have completed PACT Level 2 training and participate in ongoing education and consultation.

Most importantly, we want couples to feel that therapy is a place where both partners can be heard, understood, and supported. You don't need to know exactly what is wrong with your relationship or know how to fix it before you come in. That's part of what we're here to help you figure out.

Sessions, Insurance & Location

White Pine Recovery is not in-network with insurance plans. If your plan provides out-of-network benefits, we can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement or application toward your deductible.

White Pine Recovery
1464 E. Ridgeline Drive, #100
801-784-3337

Contact us today for your free 20-minute phone consultation. We look forward to helping your marriage thrive!