When you're in a relationship, it's easy to get swept up in the excitement of being with that person, but it can be hard to maintain the passion and connection as time goes by. Couples counselling can help you experience a stronger bond with your partner, develop better communication skills, improve intimacy, overcome relationship problems and enjoy a more fulfilled life together.
Couples counselling is a private, confidential therapy session where you can talk about your relationship with a trained professional who will help you identify what's going wrong and figure out how to fix it. The focus of couples counselling is on the relationship between two people. It's a place where you can talk openly about what's going on in your relationship, and get advice from someone who has experience working with couples.
When Should You See a Couples Therapist
Couples therapy is for everyone regardless of their relationship status. Oftentimes, going to a couples therapist before serious issues arise is helpful in sustaining a long and happy relationship. However, if you do feel like something is off, seeing a couples therapist may prevent further erosion of the relationship. Often times, bad behaviours, miscommunication, negative feelings, trust issues, and resentment get worse as time passes. The sooner you address the problem that you and your partner are facing, the more likely you will be able to overcome it and move forward.
Communication
When you're in a relationship, it can be hard to talk about what you want or how you feel. Couples counselling can help you improve the way you communicate, express your needs and resolve conflict.
Broken Trust
If the trust in a relationship has been broken, it can be difficult to rebuild. We're here to help you reestablish trust in each other and rediscover the happiness that brought you together in the first place.
Intimacy Issues
If you're in a dry spell or feel neglected by your partner, counselling can help your bring the spark back into your relationship by addressing any underlying causes that might be getting in the way.
Work Stress
Stress can have a negative impact on your mood and well-being, which makes it difficult to connect with your partner. We can help you better understand each other, so that you can provide support in a healthy way.
No Boundaries
Boundaries are important to set because they help us feel safe and secure in our relationships. We help couples work together as a team to learn how to set boundaries that make sense for you as individuals and as a unit.
Parenting Disagreements
It can be difficult to talk to your partner about parenting, especially when you disagree on how to handle certain issues. Counselling can help parents learn how to work together to find common ground in raising their children.
Conflicting Beliefs
Different religious, political, cultural, or family beliefs can get in the way of an otherwise harmonious relationship. Counselling can help you work through these issues so that you can appreciate each other's differences and grow together.
Lack of Appreciation
Counselling helps couples recognize that there are many different ways to show love and appreciation. Understanding this is important because we all want different things from those close to us at different times in our lives.
All Couples Are Welcome
We provide an inclusive and supportive environment where our couples counsellors work with all kinds of couples including heterosexual couples, same sex couples, monogamous couples, polyamorous couples, those in open relationships, and more.
What Treatments are Available for Couples?
Our team of highly trained and experienced relationship counsellors have helped many couples improve communication, build a strong foundation, and create harmony in their relationship by using Gottman Method and Emotion Focused Therapy. We believe that most relationships can be saved if there is enough love, commitment and willingness to work on them.
Gottman Method
The Gottman Method is an approach to couples therapy that involves a thorough assessment of the relationship and then offering effective interventions designed to help couples strengthen their bond, improve communication, and overcome problems.
Emotion Focused Therapy
EFT is a highly effective approach for couples dealing with trauma, abuse, infidelity, anxiety, depression, or betrayal. EFT helps couples strengthen the foundation of their relationship and builds deeper emotional bonds by focusing heavily on the importance of emotions.
Marriage Counselling
Many people confuse marriage counselling with couples counselling, but they're actually very different. The focus of marriage counselling is on you and your partner as individuals, whereas the focus of couples counselling is on you and your partner as a couple. In marriage counselling, you'll learn about yourself and how to communicate more effectively with your partner, which can help both of you grow in your relationship.
Couple Therapists
Virtual Only
Carla Hett Smith
RSW, EMDR Trained
$200 per hour
Carla works with children (under 13), adults and families who are struggling with ADHD, anxiety, anger, depression, personality disorders, grief, life changes, trauma and more.
David C. Watson (PhD, R. Provisional Psychologist) and Josée Ouellette (CCC)
$300 per 1.5 hours
Josée and David are committed to helping couples with a variety of issues including: loss and grief, life transitions, trauma, affairs, conflict resolution, attachment, communication, goal setting, commitment and trust, emotional expression and understanding.
Emma works with adults and couples living with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, self-harm/suicidal behaviors, sex and intimacy, and trauma. Emma also works with victims/survivors of domestic abuse.
Hailey works with teenagers, adults and couples who need help with anxiety disorders, depression, trauma (PTSD), relationship issues, family issues, sex and intimacy issues, or sexual trauma.
Josée can help individuals of all ages and couples with concerns such as anxiety, depression, grief, life transitions, self-esteem, emotional regulation, trauma, domestic violence, parenting, and relationship issues.
Mark specializes in working with individuals who live with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety disorders, work place problems, anger issues, sleep difficulties, grief, marital issues, and family issues.
Paulette specializes in helping pre-teens (11 to 13), teenagers (14 to 19), adults and seniors (65+) with anxiety disorders, depression, stress, trauma, bullying and more.
Peter works with adults of all ages, couples and families who are struggling with a variety of issues including OCD, anxiety, behavioural issues, depression, grief, trauma, anger, couples issues, 2SLGBTQ+ concerns, and more.
Madison helps individuals and couples with a variety of concerns including anger, anxiety, impulse control, depression, intimacy, domestic violence, trauma, self esteem and more.
