Strengthen Your Bond: Couples and Relationship Therapy

Rebuild Connection, Trust, and Intimacy Together

Couples and Relationship Therapy

Are you feeling disconnected from your partner?

Even the strongest relationships face challenges. Whether you're dealing with communication breakdowns, trust issues, intimacy concerns, or simply feeling like you're growing apart, you don't have to navigate these difficulties alone. Couples therapy can help you rediscover the love and connection that brought you together.

What brings couples to therapy?

Many couples seek support when experiencing:

  • Communication Problems: Frequent arguments, feeling unheard, or shutting down during conflicts
  • Trust and Betrayal: Affairs, emotional infidelity, or broken promises that have damaged the relationship foundation
  • Intimacy Issues: Loss of physical or emotional closeness, mismatched desires, or feeling like roommates rather than partners
  • Life Transitions: Stress from major changes like new parenthood, career shifts, illness, or loss
  • Financial Stress: Disagreements about money, spending, or financial priorities creating ongoing tension
  • Family Conflicts: Challenges with in-laws, blended families, or differing parenting approaches
  • Past Trauma: Individual or shared traumatic experiences affecting the relationship
  • Growing Apart: Feeling like you're living separate lives or have lost your connection

How can couples therapy help us?

Couples therapy provides you both with:

  • Safe Space for Communication: Learn to express your needs and feelings without blame or defensiveness
  • Conflict Resolution Skills: Develop healthy ways to navigate disagreements and find compromise
  • Deeper Understanding: Gain insight into each other's perspectives, triggers, and love languages
  • Trust Rebuilding: Work through betrayals and develop strategies to rebuild security in the relationship
  • Intimacy Enhancement: Reconnect emotionally and physically in ways that feel meaningful to both partners
  • Relationship Maintenance: Develop ongoing practices to keep your relationship strong and resilient

What's your approach to couples therapy?

I use two primary evidence-based methods proven effective for relationship healing and growth:

Gottman Method Couples Therapy: Research-based approach focusing on building friendship, managing conflict, and creating shared meaning. This method helps couples:

  • Break negative communication patterns (criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling)
  • Build emotional connection and intimacy
  • Develop effective problem-solving skills
  • Strengthen the foundation of friendship in your relationship

EMDR for Couples: When individual or relationship trauma is affecting your bond, EMDR can help process painful experiences that create barriers to intimacy and trust. This approach is particularly effective for couples dealing with:

  • Past betrayals or infidelity
  • Traumatic events that have impacted the relationship
  • Individual trauma histories affecting relationship dynamics
  • Trust issues and emotional wounds that need healing

Do both partners need to attend every session?

While couples therapy is most effective when both partners participate, I understand that sometimes one person may be more ready to start the process. I can work with the willing partner initially to:

  • Explore relationship dynamics and personal patterns
  • Develop communication skills
  • Address individual issues that may be affecting the relationship
  • Create strategies to encourage partner participation

The goal is always to eventually include both partners when possible, as lasting relationship change typically requires both people's engagement.

What if we're not sure our relationship can be saved?

Many couples come to therapy feeling hopeless or uncertain about their future together. This is completely normal and doesn't mean your relationship is beyond repair. Couples therapy can help you:

  • Determine if your relationship challenges are workable
  • Explore whether you both are willing to make necessary changes
  • If staying together, develop a roadmap for healing and growth
  • If separating, do so with respect and minimal harm, especially important when children are involved

Can therapy help if we're already considering separation?

Yes. Even when separation feels inevitable, couples therapy can provide valuable support by:

  • Helping you make informed decisions about your relationship's future
  • Improving communication for co-parenting if you have children
  • Processing the grief and loss associated with relationship endings
  • Ensuring both partners feel heard and understood before making final decisions
  • Sometimes helping couples rediscover their connection and choose to rebuild

What about privacy and confidentiality?

All couples therapy sessions are completely confidential. I don't share information from your sessions with anyone outside of therapy without your explicit consent. This includes:

  • Individual conversations that may occur during couples sessions
  • Any personal information shared during the therapeutic process
  • Details about your relationship challenges or progress

How long does couples therapy take?

Every couple's situation is unique, but many couples begin seeing positive changes within the first few sessions. The duration of therapy depends on:

  • The complexity and duration of your relationship challenges
  • Both partners' commitment to the therapeutic process
  • Your specific goals for the relationship
  • How actively you practice new skills between sessions

Some couples benefit from short-term intensive work (8-12 sessions), while others prefer longer-term support as they navigate ongoing growth and change.

Can we do couples therapy online?

Absolutely. I offer secure online couples therapy sessions for couples throughout Alberta, Quebec, and Nunavut. Online therapy can be particularly convenient for:

  • Busy couples with demanding schedules
  • Those living in rural or remote areas
  • Couples who prefer the comfort and privacy of their own home
  • Situations where travel or logistics make in-person sessions challenging

What's the first step?

Starting couples therapy takes courage, and I honor the vulnerability it requires to seek help for your relationship. Contact me to schedule an initial consultation where we can:

  • Discuss your relationship concerns and goals
  • Determine if couples therapy is the right fit for your situation
  • Create a plan for moving forward together
  • Answer any questions you may have about the therapeutic process

Ready to rebuild your connection? Your relationship deserves the investment of time and effort it takes to heal and grow. Contact me today to take the first step toward a stronger, more fulfilling partnership.

Available in-person in Calgary or online across Alberta, Quebec, and Nunavut.