There’s no doubt, relationships can be challenging at times… 

Arguments may explode into big fights or you feel like you have to bite your tongue frequently just to keep the peace. 

The same issues erupt over and over again with seemingly no possible resolution.  

When you try to have a calm discussion over a problem, all you get in return is defensiveness and anger. 

Perhaps you avoid discussing problems hoping they’ll magically go away… though they never do. 

Feeling unappreciated, misunderstood, or disrespected by your partner is resulting in anger, frustration, and / or resentfulness

Your efforts to connect with your partner have either not worked or made things between you even worse

Maybe you just want to regain that lost love, affection, passion, and appreciation for each other that you once knew and long for again but don’t know where to start.

Whether you’re participating in relationship counseling alone or with your partner, you both must recognize that you won’t be able to change or “fix” the other person… only yourself.  And each of you needs to recognize your own role in creating your relationship challenges and conflicts.  While I realize is it much easier to point fingers and blame the other, I have never seen a relationship where all of the problems are the fault of one person.

In many ways, couples counseling involves basic conflict management.  One of the major problems in relationships is that each of us handles life’s inevitable difficulties a bit differently than others.  Counseling will help you identify your negative interaction patterns, recognize your individual roles in them, and together we can develop solutions to change them.  When the emphasis is on having a good relationship rather than “being right” or winning an argument, couples stand a much better chance of working through their differences.

Together we will create an environment in which you will both feel heard, respected, and understood where conflicts can be resolved with win-win solutions using improved listening and communication skills.  These problem solving tools and techniques will help you work toward and maintain peace, harmony, and a healthy, loving relationship that is even better than before.

Even in the strongest marriages, couples go through rough patches.  Often these times revolve around common life transitions such as the addition of a child, a new job or career change, moving to a new city.  Relationship tune ups can provide guidance and helpful tools for deepening a healthy relationship.  All too often, life’s demands, such as kids, careers, parents, and bills, seem to take precedence over the nurturing of our relationships.  Much of the time, we don’t even realize it’s happening.

I’ve heard too many stories of a partner, seemingly out of the blue, asking for a divorce and moving out without so much as a crass word or discussion, taking the other completely by surprise.  Don’t let this happen to you!  Just as your car needs regular maintenance checks, so does your relationship.

Whatever unhealthy or disappointing pattern you’re stuck in, together we can rebuild your relationship when you:

• Understand your respective roles in creating and perpetuating your loss of connection and growth of conflict
• Effectively resolve your recurring issues and accept that which you cannot change
• Respectfully communicate your needs and concerns with one another
• Move beyond and heal from past hurts
• Re-establish happiness, love, and affection in your relationship
• Restore your physical and emotional bonds through intimacy and trust

Our relationships can certainly challenge us in major ways, but at the end of the day, our relationships are what matter the most.  Don’t take them for granted.  I can help you and your partner repair the damage and create a happier, healthier life together.

I invite you to contact me via phone or email if you have any questions or would like more information about how we may work together.