Couples therapy for partners who want to communicate better, rebuild trust, and find their way back to each other.
Couples therapy is not just for relationships in crisis. Many couples come to therapy because they want to communicate better, deepen their connection, or address patterns that keep showing up before they become serious problems.
Many couples come in believing their problem is communication. In my experience, communication struggles are rarely the root issue. They are most often a symptom of something deeper around connection, emotional attunement, and attachment. When partners feel truly seen and emotionally safe with each other, the communication tends to follow.
I also want to be honest about something that not every therapist will say. All couples have a handful of persistent challenges, and some of those challenges may never fully resolve. That does not have to be a reason to let go of a relationship entirely. Couples who are willing to work together can learn to have different and more productive conversations about even their most stuck places. The goal of our work together is facilitating change where change is possible, and building acceptance and understanding where it is not.
Many couples come in believing their problem is communication. In my experience, communication struggles are rarely the root issue. They are most often a symptom of something deeper around connection, emotional attunement, and attachment. When partners feel truly seen and emotionally safe with each other, the communication tends to follow.
I also want to be honest about something that not every therapist will say. All couples have a handful of persistent challenges, and some of those challenges may never fully resolve. That does not have to be a reason to let go of a relationship entirely. Couples who are willing to work together can learn to have different and more productive conversations about even their most stuck places. The goal of our work together is facilitating change where change is possible, and building acceptance and understanding where it is not.
I work best with couples who are not currently in an acute crisis and who both come with a genuine willingness to look honestly at their dynamic and do the work of changing it. If there is a history of domestic violence in the relationship, this is not a service I am currently trained to provide safely.
Sessions are 53 minutes and available in person at my Hamburg, NY office or via secure telehealth throughout New York State and Michigan.
Per 53-minute session
Insurance is not billed for couples therapy. HSA cards and all major credit cards are accepted.
My approach to couples work is grounded in the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy, both of which are among the most rigorously researched approaches to couples therapy available.
The Gottman Method focuses on building friendship, managing conflict constructively, and creating shared meaning. Emotionally Focused Therapy, informed by Dr. Sue Johnson's Hold Me Tight framework, focuses on attachment and the emotional bonds that hold couples together or pull them apart.
Together, these approaches help couples stop fighting about the surface issues and start addressing what is actually happening underneath.
Couples therapy works best when both partners arrive with at least a small degree of openness, even if one of you is more uncertain or more reluctant than the other. You do not have to agree on what the problem is, feel equally ready, or even be sure this is the right step. What matters most is that both of you are willing to show up and try. If you have questions about whether this is the right fit for where you are right now, the free consultation is a great place to figure that out together.
One of the most common and least talked about sources of relationship strain is the unequal distribution of domestic and childcare labor. Not just the physical tasks but the invisible mental load of tracking, planning, anticipating, and managing everything that keeps a household running. When this goes unaddressed, it quietly erodes connection, equity, and goodwill between partners.
I offer a dedicated, solution focused Mental Load Assessment and Planning Package for couples and individuals who want to address this directly. It is a separate, structured process with its own process and deliverables, and it is different from ongoing couples therapy.
I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation before any commitment. It is a chance to share what is going on and see if we are a good fit.