Strengthening relationships through compassionate guidance and proven methods.
“Intimacy is not something freely given. It requires your attention, willingness, and intentional effort.”
Gillian Florence Sanger
Thinking your marriage could use some help, but the thought of couples counseling sounds dreadful? Welcome! You are not alone!
What is couples counseling and what can I expect? When you work with me, we work as a team. I am not a referee, nor is there a winner declared at the end of every session. Couples’ work is challenging, rewarding, vulnerable and of course, sometimes messy. And that is ok. My office is not the place for pristine and perfect relationships, mainly because (contrary to social media) they don’t exist. Conflict in a relationship is
normal. Read that again….normal. Phew!
Please click this FAQs link to find more information about what to expect from couples’ work.
Of course! That is a perfect time to come to counseling to learn basic communication skills and to address any concerns you may have about marriage before it becomes a bigger issue.
Anything! This is your session. Whatever needs you have as a couple can be discussed. (yes, even sex). Deep breath. Whatever we talk about in session is completely confidential.
Most definitely! In fact, it is possible to rebuild a marriage that is stronger after infidelity. However, that requires a lot of work from both partners. I have additional training in infidelity and betrayal trauma. It will require patience with each other and oneself to work through, but trust can be re-established. Infidelity does not have to mean the end of a relationship.
That depends on what the issues are in the relationship, and the effort of the couple. Homework is assigned to help couples work on new skills throughout the week until the next session. The more consistent the effort and practice, the quicker the results. And doing homework perfectly is never expected or realistic.
I understand that concern. Couples counseling can have a negative stigma associated with it. I can promise a judgement free zone in my office. Your issues will never be too big or too shameful. Whatever is shared in my office will be kept confidential. Over time though, don’t be surprised if you start to share with people that you go to couples’ counseling. It is more common than you would think!
If your partner is unable to attend sessions from time to time, you are welcome to come alone. However, the goal is to have both partners there most weeks.
You can come on your own for an individual session and together we can discuss how to share this information with your partner.
Sometimes during a 50-minute session, we are in thick of some good conversations and a-ha moments, and it is time to end our session. Counseling intensives offer us a block of time (2 or 3 hours) to really do a deep dive into what is going on in your relationship. They are more expensive than traditional 50 min. sessions but can be incredibly helpful.
Of course! The 3-hour intensive would be perfect for engaged couples, newlyweds or couples who would like a basic relationship tune-up. I do need to do an intake on every couple that comes into session, so that would account for the first hour. That would leave us 2 additional hours to learn some of the basics covered in couples counseling. You can then decide if that was all you needed or if you would like a little more help.
Awesome! I would love to answer them. Please reach out for a free 20-minute phone or telehealth consultation to see how I can help.
Contact us today to schedule your appointment and begin your journey to a brighter future!
Phone:
Address:
2680 S. Val Vista Dr.
Building 9 Suite 6
Gilbert, AZ
(Located Inside the America's Health Suites Building)
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This is a supervised private practice. It is owned and/or managed by a master’s level, non-independent licensee under Board-approved clinical supervision pursuant to A.A.C. R4-6-211. The Board approved clinical supervisor of this practice is: Kathryn Tiffany, 480-712-5779, katie@eastvalleyptsdcounseling@gmail.com .