Embarking on the journey to marriage is an exciting yet sometimes daunting experience. Pre-marital therapy offers couples a meaningful opportunity to explore and strengthen their relationship before making this significant commitment. 

Often, couples will spend a tremendous amount of time and money planning for their dream wedding but not give a lot of thought about what kind of marriage they want with their partner. It might feel too difficult or scary to have honest and open conversations that could risk discovering a value difference or misalignment in their visions of the future. However, by addressing potential issues early on, couples can enter marriage with confidence and a solid foundation for a lasting and fulfilling partnership.

Through guided discussions and exercises, I help partners address topics such as shared values, financial planning, family dynamics, and future goals. This proactive approach not only prepares couples for the challenges that marriage might bring but also fosters deeper understanding and connection.

Navigating neurodiverse relationships can be particularly challenging due to the unique ways in which neurodivergent individuals perceive and interact with the world. These differences in how information is processed can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, miscommunications, and stress within the relationship. With my training and experience, I help partners develop strategies to better understand each other’s perspectives, enhance and clarify their communication, increase self-regulation skills, and create a more harmonious and supportive partnership. Providing neurodiverse couples with education on common differences that may lead to misunderstandings—such as difficulty in interpreting non-verbal cues, low tolerance for frustration, sensory and emotional overload, or challenges in managing impulsivity—can often bring significant relief to both partners. By fostering empathy and respect, I assist couples in building a strong foundation that acknowledges and celebrates their neurodiversity.

The decision to become parents is one of the most profound and life-changing choices a couple can make. Therapy can provide a supportive space for partners to explore the emotional, practical, and relational aspects of this journey. Through structured sessions, I guide couples through the necessary but often overlooked topics that will likely become important should they choose to become parents. 

By discussing parenting styles, gender roles, financial planning, extended family involvement, and religious beliefs, and more, in a relaxed setting with knowledgeable guidance, couples will be better equipped to make clear decisions about parenthood, if it is right for them, and how to be better aligned as a couple throughout the process.  

Investing in couples therapy prior to becoming parents can be incredibly valuable in building some of the tools needed for good communication and mutual support, that couples can later rely on and come back to as they navigate some of the new challenges ahead as parents, allowing them to approach parenthood with confidence and a shared sense of purpose and meaning. 

In therapy, sexual differences and the desire to deepen intimacy are common yet profound topics that couples often seek support for. Every individual brings their own unique set of experiences, preferences, and comfort levels into the relationship, which can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or unmet needs. Through compassionate and non-judgmental guidance, I assist couples in navigating these sensitive areas.

In our sessions, I create a safe space where partners can openly discuss their desires, boundaries, and any concerns they may have about their sexual relationship. By fostering honest communication, I help couples understand each other's needs and preferences better. We also explore ways to enhance emotional and physical intimacy, which might include slowing down and mindfully noticing any helpful information (sensations, images, feelings) that shows up in our bodies when we are in close connection with our partner. We have the opportunity to learn more about our real wants and desires when there is more access to our own felt experience in our body. By working through the barriers to connection together, couples may achieve a deeper level of intimacy and a more fulfilling sexual relationship, ultimately strengthening their overall bond.

The decision to start couples therapy comes for many couples comes when they are at an impasse in their communication and when despite their best efforts they keep repeating the same painful patterns and fights. Often in this stage, the process of repair from these conflicts becomes more difficult and takes longer and neither partner wants to give up on the things they so desperately want and need in their relationship, and yet the more they demand this from their partner, the farther apart they become.

If this all sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. 

Luckily, there are therapeutic models that I use as a couples therapist that are dedicated to providing couples with tools, resources, and most importantly EXPERIENCES that will in real time shift and change some of the baked in habitual patterns and fights that cause separation and resentment between partners. With effective coaching, experiential role plays that promote empathy, and occasional active interruptions of harmful patterns, I help partners identify and overcome the barriers to clear and compassionate communication. These barriers can include differences in communication styles, unresolved conflicts, past traumas, or simply the fast-paced nature of modern life which leaves little time for meaningful conversation. I encourage partners to express their thoughts and feelings openly, while also supporting the development of their capacity and ability to listen without judgment or armoring. Additionally, I work with couples to recognize and address any negative communication habits, such as criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling, which can erode trust and intimacy. By replacing these harmful patterns with more positive and supportive interactions, couples can build a more resilient and loving relationship.

You may struggle with boundaries or maintaining a strong connection to your self within your relationship if you often notice the urge to pull away or retreat when even minor conflicts arise, or alternately if you feel an urgency to move as close as possible to your partner when you sense them pulling away or expressing dissatisfaction.   

I specialize in helping partners who struggle to establish good boundaries, uphold a strong identity, and stay connected to their wants, desires, and preferences within their relationship even and especially when conflicts arise. 

You may also often feel that when “challenged” or questioned by your partner you quickly abandon your preference or opinion about something. You might even tell yourself that it is not a big deal, as it is such a minor thing and that you are pretty easy going anyway. Over time though these moments of failing to speak up or risk a conflict accumulate and the seeds of resentment have been planted, wherein you feel as if your partner doesn’t really know or care about who you are and what is important to you. You feel as if you are always doing what they want, while you don’t receive the same consideration from them in return. 

One of the main practices I assist couples in developing is the ability to identify and maintain their own sense of safety and security within themselves, in order to transform these harmful patterns. 

This may involve supporting each partner to develop or rediscover their own interests, goals, preferences, and self-care routines, while still maintaining a strong emotional connection. By doing so, partners can simultaneously nurture their own individuality and also encourage their partner’s growth and development, which can ultimately lead to a more mutually satisfying and secure relationship overall. 

We also work on establishing clear boundaries and limitations which are essential for a balanced and respectful partnership. Setting clear boundaries helps partners understand and respect each other’s limits and allows partners to become more attuned to their own needs and better able to communicate them effectively.