In
couples counseling and marriage counseling and psychotherapy, I have found a great opportunity for bringing my deep experience
and training in interpersonal communication together with my experience and
training in clinical psychology and psychotherapy. I have found that
nurturing appropriate open communication while developing and maintaining the
individuality and personal integrity of partners in an intimate relationship
usually leads to very positive outcomes. There are many therapy techniques and
approaches to maximizing good communication and developing mutual respect,
trust, and affection in relationships. However, my approach also includes
the goal of seeing what is realistically possible. This means developing
an honest assessment of each person's feelings, emotions, goals, needs, desires, and
their level of commitment. Relationships endure because we meet each
other's needs and can honestly and accurately know what they are and what we
are willing or able to do to support one another. Not all couples therapy
ends in couples staying together, but good couples therapy ends with people
knowing what is required of them and what they are willing to give to keep a
relationship thriving and growing. Happily, I have seen more
relationships begin to develop a new life through therapy than I have seen them
break up. However, as in all therapy, the work is sometimes difficult and
requires sustained effort, often outside of the therapy sessions and over a
period of weeks or months.
(Psychology, psychotherapy, couple's therapy, couple's counseling, psychotherapist)
