Great Couples Counseling in Des Moines, WA. Therapy to heal relationships.

The couple relationship is a dynamic, challenging landscape that requires communication, understanding, and commitment to navigate. Whether you are looking to improve an already healthy relationship or confronting painful issues that have led you to the brink of divorce, I can work with you and your partner to find the most growth and healing possible in your situation.

Every couple is unique- what works for some, does not work for all. In a nonjudgmental and non-pathologizing space, I help couples of all kinds to create the relationship that will meet both partner's needs. Through thoughtful, heartfelt and insightful discussions, we will arrive together at the model that works best for you and your relationship, and together we can resolve old wounds to help you come together again to support one another with love and kindness.

You don't have to be on the brink of break up to get guidance from a professional; it takes consistent effort to maintain a healthy relationship, and it's normal to feel a bit lost when pinpointing exactly how to do that. Therapy provides a safe, responsive place to discuss issues and concerns. Our therapists help couples develop healthier means of relating, use effective tools in communication & restructure a strong foundation for their relationship to flourish.

Do you or your partner suffer from social anxiety and it's affecting your relationship? Social anxiety is a fear of negative judgment from others and it can lead to reduced levels of intimacy, suppressed emotions, feelings of isolation and loneliness and lack of communication. If one or both of you feels anxious socially, your relationship may be suffering too. Contact me for ways in which you can move past social anxiety to a fuller, intimate, richer, relaxed more authentic relationship.

Relationships are difficult and many relationships can be healed if given the opportunity. I believe in addressing core issues in a relationship that address the couple itself. Why is the couple acting in this cycle and what can I do to help you identify your cycle and find a healthy way of interacting. I draw much of my work from Dr. John Gottman's research on healthy relationships and am not afraid of giving frank feedback when I feel couples are being verbally or emotionally abusive to each other. I believe in setting clear boundaries so couples learn to fight fairly so both sides can communicate their needs with each other without feeling shamed, degraded, or criticized.

I am a relationship therapist with years of training and experience helping couples to navigate the most painful and difficult chapters in their relationship. I will guide you with compassion, empathy, and a skill set that is born in working with couples across the country in their relationship challenges. I have been featured in Forbes, the Knot, and other leading media outlets discussing relationships, sex, and communication. I’d love to connect with you and your partner about the unique circumstances that you are facing and how I might be able to help.

Couples come with all sorts of problems. Maybe there's no sex in your life (or not enough). Maybe there's been infidelity (or one or both of you is considering it or suspecting it). Maybe you find it difficult to talk with one another. Maybe it's in-laws or your partner's friends that don't quite mesh well with you. Regardless of what the problem is, I can help you reignite the passion in your life for one another. Come talk to me.

Healthy relationships are central to our well-being in life. Couples in distress are stuck in unproductive patterns that overshadow the love that brought you together. Couples counseling is neutral ground to deal with challenges, from infidelity to finances. Our time together will help you develop communication skills, solve problems, and improve intimacy. I use Emotionally Focused Therapy and Gottman techniques to help you repair and restore attachment bonds in your primary partnership.

I'm trained as an Individual Therapist and have lots of experience providing family therapy, including Family Systems training for nonprofit organizations. I've provided marriage preparation counselling for a Church. I enjoy working with couples to improve communication and achieve goals. It is an honour to participate in helping two people create a beautiful relationship.

Communication problems are listed as the number one reason why couples come into my office. Learning effective communication, how to love and be loved, how to cherish a relationship and enjoy one another, are areas I help couples with. We give love like we like to receive it. Not everyone likes to receive it the same way. Finding out your love language and your partners can make a huge difference in your relationship.

As couples counselors we utilize counseling theories from Dr. John Gottman, Dr. David Schnarch, and Dr. Sue Johnson all of which feature very different approaches to couples work - conflict de-escalation, differentiation and attachment. Depending on the couple we may borrow from one theory more than other. Our goal in therapy with couples is to be a third ear in the conversation and to help encourage my clients to say the things they need to say to their partner. We may begin to point out to areas where one partner may not be hearing the other well. In all cases we try to help clients listen to each other.

Rob and Dori are passionate life-changers. The most desired counseling is for marriages and couples. Both Dori and Rob work with couples and have for 30 years. Dori is the expert in relationships, mending and growing couples with skill-based activities, homework assignments, and practicing skills during sessions. Rob uses the same approach, yet is able to dive into deeper emotional and mental challenges with clientele. Dori uses self-assessments, questioning and inquiry, and evaluates the best steps needed for couples. Dori is also capable of referring individuals or both partners based on their needs. Rob is one of her referral therapists for trauma-related clientele.

Living as a Christian couple can be difficult waters to navigate. There is a desire to honor God while there is also a longing to get to know your partner more intimately. My approach to couples counseling addresses the issues that need to be explored so you can determine if your partner is one that you will likely be satisfied with years down the road while at the same time, exploring the issues that you need to address to be the best partner possible. With a fresh approach that is deeply rooted in Christianity but disentangled from unnecessary traditionalism, you will be pleased with the results of becoming more aware of your relationship.

Having a third party present can make it much easier to talk about what is troubling your relationship without descending into fighting or avoidance. In a supportive environment, your therapist will help you understand how your history as individuals as well as a couple is contributing to your current disconnection, breaches of trust, lack of intimacy, and inability to communicate and reach workable agreements. Learn skills to better understand and respect one another, be able to reach toward each other for love and support, have fulfilling experiences of intimacy and connection, and create a life that represents each of you and both of you.

You can be happy in your relationship. We can help! Being a couple can be hard these days and couples counseling is very helpful in solving relationship problems, teaching positive and effective communication, encouraging intimacy and healthy connections with each other, recognizing and stopping destructive relationship behaviors, and promoting understanding, love, acceptance, and compassion for each other and yourselves. Being a couple takes knowledge, skill, and practice. It takes a willingness to be open and learn new ways of talking with and seeing your partner. For most people change is possible. We can guide you on this journey of discovery and growth.

Relationships are complicated, to say the least. Even healthy relationships experience moments of doubt and hardship. I’ve helped couples overcome a wide-range of issues including mistrust, infidelity, guilt, poor communication, intimacy issues, and life changes. Building a life with someone is difficult. Sometimes it helps to have a mediator who can offer unbiased support and guidance. We’ll talk about your concerns, needs, and future goals. If you’re thinking about counseling, then there’s still hope. You obviously care deeply about your partner. I can offer help undoing negative patterns and behaviors so the both of you can build a happy future together.

If you are tired of the same old argument with your partner, and are ready to make some lasting changes, give me a call at 425 652-1413. I love working with couples and have the unique ability to see both sides of the situation, and to help each partner better understand what the other is trying to say. I bring a sense of humor to the whole process. Call me today.

I specialize in working with couples on their relationships issues, and I am certified in a Couples Communication Program. I work with couples on issues such as: Communication Barriers, Intimacy Issues, Restoring Trust, Infidelity Issues (including sex addiction and internet pornography), Developing Healthy Boundaries, and Preparing for Marriage / Premarital Counseling.

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.

Sharing a life with a chosen, intimate partner can be one of the greatest challenges one can face, and also one of the most satisfying and life giving experiences possible. All couples eventually experience the transition from 'falling in love' to hitting the rocky roads where being a couple is experiencing frustration, resentment, anger, hurt and other painful feelings. It is ironic that these rocky roads are the pathway through which most couples must travel in order to find the love they want. I help couples connect with each other on a level that involves risk and vulnerability, and leads eventually to deep connection as the foundation for a lasting, passionate and satisfying love.

Relationships are a difficult endeavor, everyone wants the “perfect” one but how do we get there? Most often open and honest communication is mentioned. But what happens when communication is the problem? When you are afraid to express yourself given current or past experiences? Often difficulties in communication are indicators of deeper underlying issues. Identifying these issues and working through them can aid couples in coming closer to that “perfect” relationship. I work with couples who are looking for help for a variety of reasons. Whether it is anger, co-parenting, communication, emotional closeness, intimacy, or infidelity; I can help.

You may feel like your marriage is a sinking boat. You also might be very fulfilled in your relationship and you can't help but feeling something in the way you and your spouse relate just doesn't work. So many marriages languish, two people who are legally married, but have begun relationally separating long ago. Our work together will pay attention to the difficulties you have together while also building on the strengths you already have. We will look into communication patterns, relational styles, your individual and collective stories. Whether it is an emergency or a nagging feeling or somewhere in the middle your marriage is worth the care and the work it takes to thrive together.

Relationships can be very difficult at times. It can be hard to communicate your needs and maintain a sense of autonomy while still working with and considering your partner. I believe that with the right tools we can together navigate a way to maintain your sense of self while also strengthening your relationship. I hope to help each individual self-reflect and consider the way they impact their partner while also effectively communicating their needs and ensuring that they are heard.

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.

Our work together encourages open and honest relating • increases listening without judgement and speaking without anger • decreases fighting, bickering and cold shoulders • enhances intimacy, sexuality and satisfaction • dissolves hurtful and dysfunctional patterns of behavior. The process is available to anyone willing to invest time and energy. All that is required is an open mind.