Marriage/Couples Therapy

Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT):

 

EFT was developed in 1998 by Sue Johnson and colleagues and is best known as a cutting edge, tested and proven couples intervention, but it is also used to address individual depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, and to repair family bonds. 

 

EFT holds to the philisophy the relationships are at the core of human experience and that supporting and developing emotional bonds is key not only to relationships but to mental and physical health overall. 

 

Attachment is emerging as simply the best guide we have to who we are and how we connect to others. Lack of secure attachment has emerged as a risk factor for every form of mental health problem, whilst a sense of secure connection with others has been linked to resilience and a more coherent positive sense of self.  EFT uses Attachment science as a map to make sense of problems, simplifying complex narratives of dysfunction and negative relationship cycles. It offers a clear, simple set of interventions that have been shown to create intrapsychic and interpersonal change. 

 

The Gottman Method:

 

Gottman marriage therapy is based on the extensive life-long research and works of Drs. John and Julie Gottman. The goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflicting verbal communication, increase intimacy, respect, and affection, remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy in conflicting situations, and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.

 

Interventions are designed to help couples strengthen their relationships in three primary areas: friendship, conflict management, and creation of shared meaning. Couples learn to replace negative conflict patterns with positive interactions and to repair past hurts. Interventions designed to increase closeness and intimacy are used to improve friendship, deepen emotional connection, and create changes which enhances the couples shared goals. Relapse prevention is also addressed.

 

Each couple will begin their Gottman Marriage Therapy treatment by completing a coprehensive online marriage analysis on the Gottman Marriage Website. (This is included in your marriage counseling fees and paid for by our office).  Your initial appointment will be together and then your clinican will meet with each partner in an indiviual session to continue the thorough intake assessment. Your clinican will then review the results of your previously completed analysis and overall online assessment with you in detail in your fourth appointment. Treatment plans and goals will be set based on the areas this research assessment helps to highlight and based on the information provided by the couple. 

 

Some of the relationship issues that may be addressed in this type of therapy include:

  • Frequent conflict and arguments
  • Poor communication
  • Emotionally distanced couples on the verge of separation
  • Specific problems such as sexual difficulties, infidelity, money, and parenting

Even couples with “normal” levels of conflict may benefit from the Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Gottman-trained therapists aim to help couples build stronger relationships overall and healthier ways to cope with issues as they arise in the future. 

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