Services for Couples at All Stages of Their Relationship

In our complex and diverse society with its multiple stresses, many couples need help to build and maintain a successful relationship. Some may need assistance about making a life-long commitment, others about raising a family, still others about issues related to middle or old age. Regardless of how long they have been together, it is not unusual for couples to experience stress, frustration, disappointment, and pain as a consequence of the difficulties in their relationship. 

Differences may have to do with depression in one person, or with multiple stresses from work, childrearing, extended family relationships, substance abuse, relocation or other external pressures. Often couples do not know how to deal with stresses together and can get into a cycle of misunderstandings that can become increasingly frustrating and hurtful. 

Couples' difficulties can escalate to frequent intense arguing (in some situations, physical abuse), and/or emotional distance. We have heard many stories about how lonely a marriage can become. Partners may see separation and divorce or a covert affair as the only way out of an intolerable situation.

We help define the problems, set goals, understand the patterns that couples repeatedly find themselves in and assist in finding solutions. As with family and individual therapy, our work is problem focused, solution-oriented and resource-based. That means we help couples solve their problems drawing on their resources as individuals and as a couple, i.e. on strengths that may have gotten off track because of stress, hurt and disappointment.

If the couple decides to separate, we can help to make this process less destructive, especially for the children, and less costly by mediating differences and by preparing with the couple a mutually respectful and satisfactory resolution of the conflict, sometimes together with attorneys and other professionals.