Couples Counseling

Couples therapy is different from individual therapy in that you and your partner are treated together and focuses on the best interests of the couple, not the interests of one partner. Relationship counseling helps you and your partner learn how to communicate openly, resolve conflicts effectively, and ensure each of your emotional needs is met. Ultimately, the goal is to improve your relationship so you function as an effective, loving couple.

At times, your couples therapy may include individual sessions so your therapist can get to know you as an individual and how that impacts your relationships.

Couples counseling is for any couple! Any type of relationship or partnership can benefit from couples or marriage counseling. It doesn’t matter if you’re married, living together, single, gay, bisexual, polyamorous, or straight.

Many couples seek counseling when they experience relationship issues and aren’t sure how to improve and repair it or when things are “bad enough” that they’re thinking of breaking up. But couples therapy also works for partners who want to “tune up” their relationship and remain on a healthy path, before a major relationship breakdown.

Is Couples or Marriage Counseling Enough?

Couples therapy is about working on issues together. But sometimes one partner has mental health issues that cannot be addressed in couples therapy, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and other disorders.

If this is the case, we recommend both couples therapy and individual therapy so you can use the practical tools, techniques, and learnings from both types of counseling to improve your relationship.

Every couple’s relationship dynamics and goals are different. High-conflict couples may need to understand the root cause of their problems and learn strategies for effective conflict resolution and healthy communication skills. Other couples may need assistance working towards a specific goal or getting through a major life transition, such as the birth of a child or the loss of a job. Some couples desire a deeper connection with one another or the opportunity to address intimacy issues.

Sometimes we help couples gain clarity and understanding that the relationship is not sustainable. We’ll work with you to help you let go in a healthy way, end the relationship on a good note, and learn to work together as co-parents outside of a romantic relationship.

You and your therapist work as a team to identify and reach your relationship goals. As you and your partner evolve and gain more insight into yourself, each other, and your relationship, our experienced therapists adjust to keep you on track. No matter what your goals are, relationship therapy will help you learn new skills to help improve your relationship.

Our couples and family therapists are trained in a variety of modalities and techniques to ensure you receive the care and support you need. We take an individualized approach to every treatment plan and create a supportive, objective, and compassionate environment where you can feel safe discussing sensitive topics and break down the barriers that may be getting in the way of a happy, fulfilling relationship with your partner.

Some of the techniques we may use are:

• The Gottman Method
• Relational Life Therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
• Talk therapy
• Emotionally focused therapy (EFT)
• Narrative therapy
• Weekend therapy
• Solutions-focused therapy
• Psychotherapy

Learn more about what to expect during couples therapy.

We begin with an assessment phase, including four therapy sessions and an online assessment. After the first three sessions, your therapist will create a long-term treatment plan.

Couples therapy in Seattle is a financial and time investment that creates space for both of you to experience healing and transformation.