COUPLES THERAPY
Couples therapy in Barrie and online across Ontario
For partners who can feel that something is off and are willing to work on it. You do not have to be in crisis to come, and you do not have to be able to explain it yet.
MY PHILOSOPHY
A third person in a conversation
you keep having alone
Most couples arrive convinced the problem is the other person. What usually surfaces is a pattern that both of you are standing inside, which is why neither of you can see it. My role is not to take a side or to tell you whether to stay. It is to slow the conversation down enough that you can each hear what the other is actually saying. I work mainly from the Gottman Method, with psychodynamic work underneath it. I do not keep secrets between partners, because doing so would compromise the work.
COUPLES THERAPY
Sixty minute sessions with both partners. We begin with your goals and the history of the relationship, then move into the patterns sitting underneath the arguments. Couples work is more structured than individual therapy because of the Gottman tools, though I still adjust it to your pace. It is common for couples to need around six months. After an affair it usually takes considerably longer, and you should both know that going in.
Couples therapy is not the right path where there is intimate partner violence. If that is your situation, your safety comes first, and I will help you find the right support.
Inclusions:
A free consultation of 15 to 30 minutes before you commit to anything
One individual session with each partner for history taking
60 minute sessions with both partners, online or in person in Barrie
Ongoing review of how the relationship is actually doing
$200 per session
THE GOTTMAN RELATIONSHIP ASSESSMENT
An assessment developed by the Gottman Institute, completed between your first and second sessions. It shows where your relationship needs support with a clarity that conversation alone takes months to reach. It is optional, and I recommend it, because the act of answering the questions is revealing for both partners before we have even discussed the results.
Inclusions:
Completed online by both partners, in your own time
Results reviewed together in session
Entirely optional, and your choice
Third party fee, paid directly to the Gottman Institute
Ready when you are
We start with a free consultation of 15 to 30 minutes by video, and both of you are welcome on that call. Sessions are available online across Ontario and in person in Barrie.
Frequently Asked
Questions
-
You do not need to wait until it is bad enough. Coming earlier usually means there is less hurt to repair later, and it gives you someone to hold the difficult conversations you already know you need to have.
-
Neither. Two protocols protect this. I do not communicate with one of you without the other, and I do not keep secrets. My role is not to tell you what to decide. If you do decide to separate, I will support you through it and help you find specialised assistance where I am not the right person.
-
If you come on your own, that is individual therapy. We would work on your relational patterns, which may or may not change things at home. Couples therapy needs both people in the room.
-
Yes. This work does not depend on a label or a particular arrangement. I am here to help the health of your relationship, whatever shape it takes and whatever agreements you have made with each other.
FREE RESOURCES
Freebie: The Mental Health Inventory
01/ The Mental Health Inventory
Newsletter: Monthly Mental Health Guidance
