Great Couples Counselling in Rocky View County, AB. Therapy to heal relationships.

I offer mediation and communication techniques and strategies designed to help couples navigate difficult events and situations. I will work with you to gain a deeper understanding of your partner's and your own experiences which may be contributing to miscommunications within the relationship. We will work together to identify common goals and develop a treatment plan specific to your relationship concerns and challenges.

Couples and relationship counselling is about: using curiosity to discover each other, deepening your understanding of each other, cultivating empathy and compassion for each other, and communicating to each other that you are there for them. Research shows that friendship is the foundation of of a solid and healthy long-term relationship. During counselling with me you will learn the attitudes and skills needed to curate and participate in exciting, unforgettable and life-long friendships and intimate relationships.

Gerard has diverse experience as a psychologist and leader in social services, schools, university, workplaces, and his private practice. Using a theoretical foundation of social learning and cognitive-behavioural training, he is well-versed in various kinds of formal and informal assessment and solution-focussed approaches. He listens carefully to understand your needs and relies on his extensive experience to help you find solutions.

Most relationships and marriages begin wonderfully! Unfortunately, many gradually decline. It does not have to be this way--there are methods and tools which can be learned and used which can help couples develop stronger friendships, resolve conflicts through understanding each partners dreams beneath the conflict, and eventually, develop meaningful and mutually authentic shared meaning. I use the Gottman Method for couples therapy which is evidence-based.

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.

In a relationship, each member is responsible for an equal share of the dynamic. In a family, that means it splits between the amount of people, and in a couple it’s 50% created by each partner. This 50% is the result of the individual’s needs- both functional and dysfunctional. Functional needs relate to biological drives, culture, relationship goals, values, etc. Dysfunctional needs come from limiting beliefs, which are internalized in our childhood. They create needs like: the need to be in control, or the need to protect oneself. The needs, whether functional or dysfunctional, can balance each other out, creating a “stabilizer” or they can become unmet needs.

I perceive a couple as a group that is formed by practices/language that are used. In this context, I view a problem as ‘couple’s problem’ that is situated in the relationships/language between partners. Therefore, helping couples to address their problem(s)--I focus on addressing the language and relationship patterns that the couple has developed overtime. I use narrative and solution-focused therapy that is brief and effective. I discuss individual’s and couple’s needs, as well as relationship needs. I encourage my clients to effectively communicate their needs in a peaceable, positive and productive manner between one another.

Precious few of us are naturally equipped with adequate relationship skills. All too often we find ourselves adrift in unhappy love relationships where unresolved issues and resentments have built seemingly impenetrable walls between partners. My model of choice for couples is relational therapy. I teach the partners how to become a safe, healing and loving presence for each other, building skills that allow the partners to reconnect through empathy and compassion (and let go of contempt and anger). It advocates self-leadership (i.e. each partner takes responsibility for his/her own feelings and to understand how each partner contributes to the conflict). My concept of relational therapy end....

With marriage therapy, I will help you: - Find forgiveness and healing from painful hurts so you can move forward with a renewed commitment to each other - Develop a sense of security and confidence in yourself and in your partner - Reignite the passion and intimacy you had in the past - Discover techniques to help you better manage stress and conflict in your relationship. - Become more understanding and compassionate towards each other - Create an even better relationship than you once had - Gain a renewed sense of hope for your future together

Drawing from the Gottman Method, I work with couples (married or not; in open or closed relationships), to assess and build upon the strengths of the relationship, and to develop ways to address challenges unique to you and your partner. We will find what's getting in the way of you and your partner trusting each other, or rebuild trust after it has been compromised.

Creating stronger relationships through the research- based Gottman approach. Couples who wish to develop a deeper awareness and connection in their relationships will benefit in using E- Counselling to enhance communication and bonding. Often when we are in a face to face conversation we are thinking of our next response rather than allowing the other person to be understood. Using a secure and completely confidential web based Gottman trained counsellor will help break down the barriers of communication and improve relationship dynamics. Couples can expect more understanding, respect and intimacy in their relationship. LGBT relationships are welcome.

Are you an emotionally-intelligent couple, or do you allow your negative thoughts and feelings about each other to overwhelm the positive ones? Let Dr Mervin (Paraklesis Counselling) make an innovative assessment of your relationship that will give you an in-depth analysis and inform you as to what it will take (effort and change required) to reach your goals. Dr Mervin’s contemporary therapy approach exposes the myths of outdated methods of couples counselling, and explores post-modernity models that work for you.

I offered structured and effective methods for working with couples whether the goal is to improve the relationship or successfully separation. I use assessment tools that highlight what is working and not working in troubled relationships where couples want to stay together. Strategies to target problem areas are chosen and practiced in sessions and at home. By improving communication skills, conflict resolution skills and deepening couple intimacy, couples are able to feel more successful in their relationships. When there is closeness and comfort in our most important relationships it can positively impact our overall wellbeing.