I have extensive education and experience in this area, and have taught couples therapy to psychiatric residents at UCLA, as well as doctoral students at other higher institutions. I work with gay, straight and polyamorous couples who feel stuck and are struggling to maintain intimacy, communicate honestly, and negotiate the emergent changes that relationships face over the years. Couples counseling provides you and your partner with the tools and support to create a shared vision for your future and experience your best relationship possible. This is the most useful gift a new couple can give one another, because it sets the foundation for a healthy relationship.
More often, though, I hear from couples who are in despair – frightened that their relationship is beyond help. Their communication has broken down, with poor boundaries and eroded trust leading to fighting or anger problems. They desperately want to be understood by the other, but are missing the skills and empathy necessary for that level of vulnerable closeness. If this sounds familiar, you could benefit from couples counseling. Working as a team, we’ll identify how your current communication may be undermining your relationship, and then teach you new skills & solutions to repair old wounds and re-establish a sense of connectedness and intimacy.