Have you seen or caught wind that I offer Couples Counseling? Maybe contemplated it but have no idea what it is, what it looks like, or what the point is? Here are my top 5 things to know about Couples Counseling.

**The majority of sessions will be together as a couple.** I know what you are thinking- isn’t that obvious?! I would hope so, but there are points in the course of the counseling where we will actually meet individually. Per my training from the Gottman Institute, it is best practice to meet all three of us together, then have at least one individual session with each partner. The goal is always to come back to sessions being held with all three of us.

2. There’s a good chance that I will interrupt you in a session. It’s not my favorite thing to do, I am that “Midwestern Nice” person who hates interrupting people, but since most couples are seeking counseling for communication concerns, I use interruption as a tool to assist in getting to improved communication.

3. I am NOT a secret keeper. Secrets are not safe with me in couples counseling. Now will I blurt out something in a session? Probably not. But if something comes up in our individual sessions that will need to be addressed as a couple, I pinky swear that I will address it in a safe and therapeutic way.

4. It will probably feel hard or worse before it gets better. In all honesty, most counseling feels this way. It’s a really vulnerable time for clients! My goal is to get you, your partner, your relationship to a place that feels better- however it is you define “better” for your relationship.

5. Couples Counseling is shown to be super effective. According to The American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists reports an overall success rate of 98%. 98%! Does that mean we are going to solve every concern in your relationship? Not at all. That would be a really big feat. So what does “success” mean then? It means you and your partner are going to learn tools to address the concerns as they come up. It means your friendship is going to improve. Think the ‘spark’ is gone? We’ll work on reigniting it.

Couples Counseling is pretty great. It is actually helping the divorce rate in the United States to go down! I really enjoy working with couples. Helping couples address concerns around communication, intimacy, supporting each other, trusting again, being friends- that’s my jam.

Statistic in point number 5 from: https://nyctherapy.com/therapists-nyc-blog/what-to-expect-from-couples-counseling/