Couples Therapy and Relationship Counseling
Are you stuck having the same arguments over and over?
Has change put a strain on your relationship (birth of a child, move, marriage, loss of job)?
Are you or your partner apprehensive to come to talk with a therapist?
Sometimes it just feels easier to jump ship from the relationship or pretend that everything is fine even though you may feel bored, misunderstood, lonely, angry etc because change or talking to a therapist feels scarier. It does not have to.
Contact me at 415-520-5567 or for a 20 minute free consultation in person or by phone to answer your questions so you both feel comfortable about taking the next step.
I work in a very active way with couples to set some clear goals for therapy, work at a pace that feels safe and doable, and help partners learn how to connect in new ways that get to the root of the issues they are dealing with. My job is to help you; get clear on what kind of relationship you want, see your patterns and, where helpful, address things from your past that make getting what you want hard, and work from a set of goals you set for yourselves each week to achieve the relationship you say you want. As part of this process you will; improve the quality of your communication, increase your ability to tolerate feelings, improve your ability to make decisions and handle change together, learn to be more flexible about your own and your partner's humanness and ultimately deepen your intimacy and fun.
Couples work is a passion of mine. What makes my couples work unique is that I leverage all the newest research on attachment and the brain and artfully combine it with my own training in body-centered therapy to get out of the "talking about our latest fight" kind of therapy. I am deeply influenced by Pat Ogden's Sensorimotor Psychotherapy work and Sue Johnson, Ellyn Bader, Stan Tatkin and Esther Perel's couples work. Active, in-the-moment, embodied therapy helps you get to the roots of the relating dynamic you are stuck in so you can shift in the ways you can and accept the ways you cannot. Couples who are motivated to look deeply at their own individual part rather than blaming their partner get the most out of couples therapy. I know it is hard to hear that for some and in my experience, reaching this place of self responsibility is what ultimately makes couples therapy successful or not. Learn more about "How to Get the Most from Couples Therapy" by Ellyn Bader and Pete Pearson from the couples institute.
I have experience working with straight and gay couples. I am a registered Marriage and Family Therapist with over seven years of counseling experience and sixteen years of my own personal growth training. My fees are $120 per 50 minute session.