Relationship to Others - Couples Therapy *

Issues I encounter with Clients in Couples Therapy *

Clients come to me for couples therapy * to overcome various roadblocks in their relationships. Some of these hurdles are listed below.

 
  • We don’t know how to communicate to each other any more
  • I have trust issues due to infidelity, abuse, trauma, etc.
  • We can’t seem to sustain our desire for each other over time
  • Adjustments within an arranged marriage
  • Our levels of desire are different
  • The children have taken over our lives. I want my partner back.
  • I feel overwhelmed with work, children, etc. I have nothing left to give
  • We are trying to negotiate a long distance relationship
  • We are trying to design a polyamorous or open relationship
  • I need help navigating how to tell my partner I am gay/lesbian/bisexual
  • My partner came out to me
  • How do we regain the spark we once had
  • We have changed and I feel distant
  • I don’t know how to deal with attraction to other people
  • Jealousy in the relationship
  • I feel undervalued or invisible

“How can I begin anything new with all of yesterday in me?”

Leonard Cohen

“It takes two people to create a pattern, but only one to change it.”

Esther Perel

“Today, we turn to one person to provide what an entire village once did: a sense of grounding, meaning, and continuity. At the same time, we expect our committed relationships to be romantic as well as emotionally and sexually fulfilling. Is it any wonder that so many relationships crumble under the weight of it all?”

Esther Perel

F.A.Q.

Couples Therapy *

Relationships are challenging. We are individual and come from different family cultures, in which we developed different needs and expectations.

 

I  take an Intersystemic Approach, which is an integrative way of viewing relational issues.  I use Systemic applications, which explore how individuals, couples, family systems and communities function in the relationship with self and others, and address the cognition, emotions, behaviors and sexuality within the  relationship rather than using interventions that only look at one of those areas.

 

I employ the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy *, which utilizes questionnaires to help determine which areas of the relationship need help. I look at each person’s attachment style (John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth), and also use Imago Relationship Therapy (Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt) to foster understanding and empathy while transforming conflicts between couples into opportunities for growth.  

Couples sessions are 90 minutes or longer. Sometimes, once you are getting close to the completion of your treatment plan, the sessions can be reduced to 60 minutes.

 

I also recommend a refresher session every six months to a year to brush up on your relationship skills.

This can not be answered in a blanket statement because it depends on so many factors. What are the issues? How committed are you to working with me and on your own to have the relationship you long for? Depending on the level of distress in the relationship, we may begin with weekly sessions or sessions every two weeks, and then gradually reduce down to  once a month and so on until sessions are no longer needed.

The first session is usually as a couple. After the questionnaires have been completed, I usually see you once individually, and thereafter on out together.  Please note these are strictly confidential, as are all sessions, and will not be shared with anyone without consent.

A 90-minute couples session costs €160. The 1:1 session costs €90 for 60 minutes, or €120 for 90 minutes.

Online bank transfers, Paypal or cash payment. I do not accept insurance.

Our lives are busy and things happen, especially when coordinating the schedules of two people. Of course you may cancel or reschedule the appointment more than 24 hours in advance for no charge. However, if you cancel less than 24 hours in advance you will be charged for half the session fee.

I use Zoom because it is password protected but I can use another platform of your choosing, as long as it can ensure your privacy.