Great Couples Counselling in Devon, AB. Therapy to heal relationships.

Couples often need a little support as they navigate the challenges that exist in every relationship. There are many complicating factors that impact the success of a relationship - children, finances, and different childhood experiences can all create a rollercoaster ride of emotions that can add confusion to the love that two people feel for one another. Learning how to communicate clearly, how to argue appropriately, and how to demonstrate appreciation and value for one another are the essential building blocks to a loving and intimate relationship that will last.

I have a significant caseload of relationship therapy clients. I am comfortable with essentially any type of relationship taking place between consenting adults. I accept the orientation(s) of the parties to a relationship, and am as a rule able to come from there. If I have a bias, it is to preserve the being of the relationship, the "we" that emerges when one and another form a bond. My bias notwithstanding, I am able to assist parties to a relationship to achieve a more peaceful separation/termination when that is their choice.

My therapy is focused on helping Couple's relationships improvement. My commitment is to listening closely and finely adapting mine counseling to the individual coming in for help. I am trained in CBT, and family systems therapy andI I enjoy working with people of diverse cultures and background. Many troubling issues in current Couple's relationships are rooted in patterns established in their childhood. In my counseling sessions, I look at the lifestyle you learned to relate as a child and how that behavior interferes with experiencing freedom and intimacy today. I guide my clients to begin a trusting relationship where they can speak honestly with their partner of the issues that most crash them and the events where they have felt anger, fear,...(view profile to read more)

When working with couples, my focus is the "relationship". It is my goal to understand the relationship that two people have created; to explore what works and does not work in the relationship. My focus is to create awareness for a couple as to how they maintain and reinforce the existing relationship patterns that may not necessarily work. A new way of relating can then be formed once the relationship is understood. The goal in couples counselling is to create Intimacy in a relationship, yet this can only be formed with safety and vulnerability.

I have been told that I have well accepted and a results oriented approach with my clients. This approach moves beyond the conventional session structure providing you, the client, a greater opportunity to utilize the tools and insight gained in session. My goal for clients is to move through counselling in the most efficient way without a requirement for long-term, ongoing therapy. My methods will give you the opportunity to become free of the chronic stress and emotional drain of the issues that you are facing. This solution focused approach helps you to resolve issues and move forward to fully enjoy your life and purpose. I am also a trained Gottman Method Couples Therapist; well known Psychol....

Working with couples is a particular love of mine. Being in a relationship that continuously grows and evolves I know the value of a good relationship. When it does not thrive it can be miserable. Having an objective outsider who is skilled in pointing out negative patterns and helping you work through hurts and grievances can often save a relationship that appeared doomed. We always need to be able to express our wants and needs and feel heard and equally we need to do the same for our partners. The latter is not always so easy but that can be where the gold is! Of course we often feel its a one way street and then different strategies have to be applied.

Loving, successful relationships need to be carefully and skillfully nurtured in the following five areas: Emotional, Intellectual, Spiritual, Sexual, Financial. Couples who are ready to do ongoing work on their relationships are richly rewarded with a loving, meaningful and joyful life together. Committed relationships that have the possibility of morphing into long term relationships benefit greatly by being guided by the Gottman research on relationships as well as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Premarital Counselling prepares a couple for a new stage in their relationship by identifying potential areas of conflict and strength and developing tools to create a strong foundation.

We offer couples counselling from both an Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) approach as well as incorporating the Gottman Method. Our focus incorporates understanding attachment histories and how they influence current relational patterns. We also support couples to more effectively express themselves, understand where their partner is coming from, as well as strengthen their skills in navigating conflict.

Although relationships ebb and flow, the experience of pregnancy and parenthood can impact a couple greatly. As you and your partner navigate your new roles and identities, it is not uncommon to be navigating changes in your relationship. Our therapists can help you and your significant other navigate these changes together and work to strengthen your relationship.

In my work I am enabling couples to resolve disagreements, or agree to disagree, without becoming disconnected or abusive. Given that different couples might need different types of intervention, the mechanisms of change vary accordingly. Therefore, in order to achieve change and enable growth, I am using an integrative approach, which I tailor to suit the needs, experiences, and personal circumstances of the couple.

I often work with couples who are struggling in an effort to develop effective communcation, express feelings appropriately, overcome infidelity, deal with parenting conflicts, address unresolved issues, establish more of a connection with one another, adjust to various life transitions (such as having a baby), and deal with day-to-day struggles (such as housework). I use a variety of techniques to address these difficulties, with the ultimate goal of establishing a sense of goodwill and connection, so that each partner has empathy and support for the other, and they can create a sense of being a true team as they navigate life together.

One of the biggest problems with marriage counselling today is that counsellors use methods that haven't been proven effective by research. Many marriage therapists have worked with systems of therapy that they thought would be effective, but unfortunately they are not. This can then leave couples feeling like 'its them' when really it's just the therapy. Both Jennifer Watts & Dr. Patrick Keelan use Gottman-based marital counselling, which is based on 40 years of research and is proven to yield results. For more information on Jennifer or Pat go to http://livingwellcounselling.ca/our-therapists

It is within our relationships that we experience the most joy and the most pain. Most relationships begin with a deep connection and people anticipate a future that continues to be passionate and fulfilling. It is inevitable, however, that disappointments and misunderstandings arise. Learning to communicate in an effective way that bridges differences and leads to respect and understanding are essential to a happy relationship.