Pasadena Couples Therapy

Do We Need Couples Therapy?

You love your partner. You want to feel secure in a loving and lasting relationship, but you’re at a loss. They offered no class on this in high school. You may be very successful in other areas of life, and yet, despite all the good intentions, your relationship ends up stuck in maddening negative cycles, disconnected, and you feel constantly at odds with the most important person in your life.

Maybe your relationship is in crisis. Maybe you’re in a good place and want help working through a big decision. Couples therapy can address a variety of challenges:

Ready to get started?

Click here to request a free, 20-minute consult for you and your partner. When scheduling the consultation, be sure you both are available to be on the call.

What should we expect from couples therapy?

We need to know what is going on before exploring what to do about it. Each relationship is as complex as the individuals that created it. The process of couples therapy begins with a deep dive into each person’s history and family of origin to understand the unique vulnerabilities and fears you bring into the relationship.

The foundation of my work comes from the PACT model (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy). Using the latest in human attachment, mindfulness, somatic psychology, neuroscience, and emotional intelligence, I collaborate with couples to identify root causes of disconnection, communication breakdowns, and intimacy loss.  We work towards building a collaborative, loving, securely functioning relationship based on mutuality, fairness, trust, and respect. Talking is one important element of the work, but sessions are also active and experiential, including skills practice, play, and moment by moment exploration.

Couples therapy can sometimes move more quickly than individual therapy. Sessions take place weekly and vary in length from 50 to 100 minutes depending on the availability of the couple and therapist.

Do you work with all couple types?

Yes. Whether you’re dating, engaged, married, looking for LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy, or if you are in an ethically non-monogamous or polyamorous relationship, all kinds of relationships can benefit from this kind of work. Yes, the word “couple” is all over this page. My current relationship work focuses on two people at a time. For polyamorous relationships wanting to work with three or more people in the same session, I would be happy to assist with finding a qualified therapist to do that work.