“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
This Benjamin Franklin axiom has been utilized for generations to quantify the importance of being prepared; yet perhaps, never more aptly applied, than in describing the value counselling/therapy can bring to our most intimate relationships.
So whether you're a newly minted couple, preparing for marriage/long-term commitment, or been together for years, the benefit of regular sessions and interval check-ups, can surely help protect, and strengthen your relationship, while helping you thrive as a couple! From relationship repair and restoration as a result of crisis, to empowering you to grow deeper or fly higher than ever before, I can help you and your loved one build a loving connection that's truly enjoyed rather than purely endured.
To help determine whether or not I'd be a good fit in helping you pursue your therapeutic goals,
I invite you to book a FREE 15min consultation using the button below.
*If you already feel comfortable enough with me and are ready to begin your journey towards health and wholeness,
head on down to the bottom of this page and book your first appointment!
Looking forward to helping you heal, hope, and thrive!
There's little denying that we each possess some inherent need/desire for human connectedness. Becasue of this, I can say with relative certainty that nobody initially enters a marriage/relationship wanting, or expecting it to fail; nor do they engage with another deliberately harbouring ill will or intention towards their perspective partner. Rather, I tend to believe that the lion's share of our relational conflict is typically rooted in "expectation", based largely on unresolved trauma in our lives prior to becoming involved.
Unfortunately, this means that when things go wrong, the most effective method of how to fix it is not always clear or easy because the emotional receptors in our brain, when activated, actually inhibit the logic and reasoning sections of our brain from functioning at their full potential. This typically results in a clouding of our judgment, and increased combativeness in our approach to problem-solving; neither of which is conducive to breeding a healthy atmosphere.
This is why couple therapy is so incredibly vital to long-term success in committed relationships. Whether still in the dating phase, within the season of engagement, euphoric newlyweds, or a couple that's been each other's mainstay for years, regular check-ups/visits with a couple's therapist is one of the most effective ways to get, and/or keep both of you on the same page. By actively, and objectively listening to each of the people involved, a skilled counsellor is able to look beneath the surface of the "symptoms", and offer suggestions as to how to either boost a relationship that's relatively stable, or help restore one that's found itself in a difficult season; ofttimes without any further deterioration of the relationship.
And while it's true that relationships can begin without much exertion, it is virtually impossible for them to last without the intentional effort of all. This is because the basal requirement for success in relationships is intimacy(or as I like to think of it "into me see"). True intimacy however, is only attainable when the core tenets of vulnerability, honesty, and trust are incorporated and generously applied in our relationships. This is because:
Vulnerability - not only mitigates power struggles and helps foster a posture of complementarianism/teamwork in the relationship, it is also the safety net which affords us the ability to "give up" control in favour of a unified approach.
Honesty - builds closeness and demonstrates a level of care and concern which grants access beyond superficiality and into deep and tender recesses of ourselves where the real person, as well as our most guarded fears and hurt(s) exist; and
Trust - is something that continues to grow and deepen as the relationship is aged and strengthened. Initially, it speaks respect to your partner and is often the catalyst for further growth in the relationship, whereas over time, trust becomes the foundation for relational success and fulfillment because it fosters greater honesty and vulnerability when discussing our fears, concerns, and apprehensions.
The best thing however, is that together, we can enhance and further the positive aspects of your current relationship, while also correcting any negative ones which may be impeding your abilty, and/or desire, to build the healthy and fulfilling marriage/relationship you likely envisioned at the outset!
Getting started on the right foot is incredibly important in couple's therapy because unfortunately, in many cases, it isn't until the relationship is in crisis/dire need, that help is typically sought. This commonly results in its members arriving at the initial session so fully chocked of emotion that just by asking the first few questions, the figurative "dam" is breached and thus comes forth a tsunami of pent up feelings and buried burdens.
Because of this, I've found that a regular 50min session simply isn't sufficient in onboarding a new client couple. Therefore, in order to ensure a solid understanding of the presenting issues; as well as to make time and space for each partner to be sufficiently heard, my standard intake session for couples is 80mins in duration and can be extended if required. (see note)
This approach has been shown to be extremely effective in helping address, and often diffuse, this initial wake of emotion, and in turn, helps move the couple into the more in-depth stages of the therapeutic process with a more logical and understanding manner, with partners who behave in a demenor that's more collaborator than combattant.
Come begin your journey together today!
This fee is based on a standard 80min session, but may vary based on the couple's needs/requirements.
****IMPORTANT****
Longer sessions WILL NOT be booked until the couple has been fully briefed as to the reasoning for it, and both memebrs have consented to the extension.
Although being "couple's" therapy, once the intake session is complete, I've found it valuable to meet with each of the partners individually, in order to provide them an opportunity to share any concerns they may have which might be pertinent to the issue(s) at hand. This may be something unique to themselves and/or their own role in the relationship; or perhaps, it may be something that affects the other partner(or union as a whole), but they are not yet ready to address it in a collective setting.
Either way, as a therapist, I have found this to be an invaluable tool in helping couples move towards healing and restoration, because not only does it afford me an opportunity to acquire a better understanding of both the relationship dynamic, and the presenting issue(s) as a whole; it also allows for any residual feelings/emotions from the intake session to be raised, and addressed in a safe environment. This additional info can also help me better decide which method/modality would best serve the couple in moving forward in the most productive, supportive, and encouraging manner possible.
****IMPORTANT****
Rest assured that NOTHING shared in these individual sessions will EVER be shared in a joint follow-up session, until the confiding member is ready to have the topic shared with the other, and has provided me with EXPLICIT CONSENT to do so; full-stop!
This fee is based on a standard 50min session, but may vary based on individual needs/requirements.
****IMPORTANT****
Longer sessions WILL NOT be scheduled until the individual has been fully briefed as to the reasoning for it, and has fully consented to the extension.
Having done our intake, and subsequent individual session(s), the collective follow-up sessions are meant for us to "dig-in" to the reason(s) for having sought counselling at this time. These also become the structural basis for which we will build the strength and stability required to grow the relational bond(s), and enhance/restore the cooperative nature within the relationship as a whole. When done with comittment and intention, this naturally precipitates deeper connection and greater intimacy into the alliance; not to mention the heightened ability to effectively troubleshoot and efficiently problem solve as the couple learns to work in a more unified manner and strive as one cohesive unit!
This fee is based on a standard 50min session, but may vary based on the couple's needs/requirements.
****IMPORTANT****
Longer sessions WILL NOT be booked until the couple has been fully briefed as to the reasoning for it, and ALL have consented to the extension.
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