Good marriages are the foundation of a strong society, of happy people, and of healthy children. But strong successful relationships take hard work – and sometimes an objective perspective. Having a trained therapist come alongside you to identify and work through areas of hurt, trauma, or conflict can help you and your partner break out of old patterns and bring life and healing to your relationship.

Approaches

Gottman Method Therapy

The Gottman Method is a type of couple’s therapy developed by Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman. Decades of relationship research led to the development of the Sound Relationship House theory, which uses a house as a metaphor for a secure marriage. The theory identifies seven floors that a couple can move through to improve their relationship, along with two weight-bearing walls, which are essential to holding the couple together. 

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) is a type of couple’s therapy that is used to improve attachment and bonding in adult relationships, focusing on helping both partners in a relationship feel secure and emotionally connected. This approach was developed by doctors Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg in the 1980s and is rooted in research on love as an attachment bond. EFT regards the security of partner connection as the best lever for change in a dysfunctional relationship and a necessary source of both couple and individual growth. Restoration of the emotional ties enables partners to be physically and psychologically open and responsive to each other so that they can construct a mutually supportive and satisfying relationship. 

Four of the most common issues that cause distress in marriages are: finances, communication/conflict, sex, and in-laws. Pre-marital counseling is a great way to identify potential problem areas in your relationship and work through them before you head to the altar.

In our fast-paced, crazy world that is filled with bad news and broken relationships, it’s easy to get trapped in pain, bad habits or dysfunction. An insightful therapist can help you identify “stuck” areas and work to resolve them in order to bring freedom and healing…so you can be the person you were intended to be!

Approaches

Lifespan Integration Therapy

Lifespan Integration (LI) is a therapy that relies on the innate ability of the body-mind to heal itself. LI utilizes repetitions of a visual timeline of memories to facilitate neural integration and rapid healing, particularly in people who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, or other difficult experiences in their lives. This timeline of memories and images proves to a client’s body-mind system that time has passed and life is different now. This “proof” occurs at a deeper level than is possible with commonly used cognitive behavioral (talk therapy) methods. 

Let’s face it: no family is perfect. We all carry some dysfunction in the way we interact with those closest to us. If one member of a family has issues, the entire family suffers; a family can also be the greatest source for healing. A therapist working with your family can improve communication, bring insight and understanding, and help your family learn to like each other again.