Couples sessions are a guided, structured conversation where we slow things down and focus on what’s actually happening between you in real moments. You’ll both have space to share your experience, and I’ll help you understand the pattern you’re stuck in and practice new ways of responding to each other. Most couples leave feeling clearer, calmer, and more hopeful about what to do next. 

Both are respected approaches, but they focus on different things. Gottman is often more skills-and-strategy focused (communication tools, conflict styles, building friendship and rituals). EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) focuses more on the emotional pattern underneath the conflict — the push/pull cycle, the moments you feel alone, rejected, misunderstood, or unsafe — and helps you create a deeper sense of security and connection, not just “better communication.” 

While no therapist can guarantee a specific outcome, the best indicator of success is willingness. Therapy is most effective when both partners are tired of the 'old way' and are ready to look at the cycle they get stuck in, rather than focusing on who is right or wrong. If you are both open to showing up with curiosity—even if you feel nervous or discouraged right now—that is exactly where the work begins.

It is actually very common for one partner to feel more “ready” than the other. If your partner is skeptical, it’s often because they’re afraid of being ganged up on, blamed, or told they are the “problem.”

In EFT, my role isn't to take sides; it’s to help you both look at the cycle that is making you both miserable. Often, once a hesitant partner realizes the goal isn't to find “who is wrong” but to stop the fighting and disconnection, their guard drops. If you can both agree to just three or four sessions to see how it feels at the start, that is usually enough to see if we’re a good fit.

You can still do meaningful work in individual therapy to understand your patterns, get grounded in what you need, and change how you show up in the relationship—often that individual work alone shifts the dynamic. If your partner becomes open to couples therapy later, I can make appropriate referrals to other couples therapists at that time.

To support the health of your relationship, I practice a Limited Secrets policy. This means that while I value your individual privacy, I reserve the right to bring up information shared individually if I believe it is vital to reaching your shared therapy goals. My role is to help you build a transparent, honest foundation. I believe that for a relationship to heal, secrets that sabotage progress must eventually be addressed. If I believe a piece of information you shared privately needs to be discussed as a couple, I will almost always discuss this with you individually first. We will work together on the best way and timing to bring it up. My policy allows me the professional flexibility to help you navigate those difficult conversations safely.

That depends on what you’re working through and how stuck the pattern feels right now, but my goal is never to keep you in therapy forever. We’ll stay focused on real progress, and over time you should feel more clarity, more connection, and more confidence handling hard moments on your own — so you can “graduate” with a plan that actually sticks. 

Contact me to schedule a free consultation with me so we can talk about what you’re dealing with and what you’re hoping will change. If it feels like a good fit, we’ll choose a first session time and I’ll walk you through the next steps from there.