Great Couples Counselling in Lions Bay, BC. Therapy to heal relationships.

Do you or your partner suffer from social anxiety and it's affecting your relationship? Social anxiety is a fear of negative judgment from others and it can lead to reduced levels of intimacy, suppressed emotions, feelings of isolation and loneliness and lack of communication. If one or both of you feels anxious socially, your relationship may be suffering too. Contact me for ways in which you can move past social anxiety to a fuller, intimate, richer, relaxed more authentic relationship.

All couples have a unique and dynamic bond that comes with its ups and downs. I believe any couple can benefit from counselling and therapy to address the issues they have. Counselling helps us to understand ourselves and the other person and can ultimately bring us closer together. Whatever you are struggling with, I can help you come to a better understanding of each other and yourselves. I can help your relationship overcome the challenges and strengthen the bond between you. I offer support to all genders and orientations and believe diversity makes a happy community. Contact me to start strengthening your bond today.

As a Marriage Therapist, Couples counsellor and Sex Therapist, I specialize in helping couples experience more joy and connection in relationship. After completing a relationship assessment which will give you a concrete and very specific blueprint of your strengths as a couple as well as an outline of your individual experience of what isn't working I will help you develop very practical tools so you can change how you communicate, heal trust issues, create emotional safety and address Addiction, Anger or other issues. Resolving conflict and growing the love you have will allow you to develop a deeper intimate connection and rekindle the passion you once shared.

In times of conflict we feel attacked and unsafe. We are flooded with emotions and act out of a sense of being overwhelmed: "Attack," "Run!" "Comply!" and "Hide!" are some of the ways we respond to conflict. In counselling, couples learn to see themselves as separate from each other and therefore less threatened. Once the emotional storm is diffused, couples can learn specific skills and perspectives that heal the relationship. But we do not seek simply to return to the status quo. Couples can then learn to hear, value and enjoy each other. Life with your partner can be fun and every day a day of discovering the pleasure of the person you are with.

I have been trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, the Gottman Method and Family Systems. Typically I meet with the couple together for the first session to get an understanding of the presenting problem from both perspectives. From there I meet with each person individually to take a brief relationship and family history and to form a relationship of trust and safety with each partner. The goal is to identify the negative cycle of communication between partners, identify underlying feelings and fears that drive this cycle and finally to create a more secure bond between the couple. I am very experienced with working with couples where one or both partners have experienced trauma

In my work with individuals, I have noticed folks come to therapy because of challenges in their relationships. I draw on the Gottman Method which focuses on helping folks build stronger emotional connections, improve communication, and manage conflict effectively. We work on strengthening the "friendship system" of the relationship, which includes trust, intimacy, and mutual respect, while also addressing deeper issues like shared goals and values. By using practical tools and exercises, the Gottman Method helps people foster a sense of understanding and partnership, creating a foundation for a more fulfilling and resilient relationship.

I work with couples using Gottman Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy and Attachment Therapy. I will help you identify your maladaptive patterns of behaviour and improve your communication skills. There is no shame in getting some coaching in how we connect with each other and how we can better meet each others needs. I use a strengths based approach to help you see the positives and remember why you fell in love.

Many couples face challenges at some point during their partnership, whether it's communication difficulties, conflicts, or a loss of intimacy. As a level 1 Gottman Couples and Family Therapist, I can help you and your partner navigate these challenges and strengthen your relationship. The Gottman Method is a research-based approach that focuses on increasing understanding, empathy, and communication skills between partners. By working with me, you'll learn how to communicate effectively, manage conflicts, and build a stronger, more fulfilling partnership.

I welcome the opportunity to work with couples, whether married or not, LGBTQ, coupling or uncoupling. My goal is for partners to become more curious about themselves and about each other. We explore how unfinished business in one's family of origin and past trauma can affect emotional initmacy between partners. We will address ways of lessening emotional reactivity in order to work on relationship issues in a calm and respectful way.

Embarking on a transformative journey with Eakin Counselling means recognizing and addressing the conflicts that often surface within relationships. I understand the complexities that can strain even the most loving connections. My relationship counseling services serve as companions on this journey, guiding individuals and couples through communication breakdowns, conflicts, and trust issues, ultimately fostering understanding and love. I believe that nurturing strong and healthy relationships is fundamental to a fulfilling life, and our approach to relationship, couples, and marriage counselling is rooted in deep insights, experience, and a profound understanding of the intricate dynamics

I help couples, friends, and various other dyads work on their connection and experience with one another. Our friends and romantic partners can make us feel certain ways (contrary to common messaging nowadays!) which impacts the relationship as a whole. I work in a systems approach to help you get clarity and reach the goals you would like in your relationship.

IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP DIFFERENT THAN IT ONCE WAS? ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO RECONNECT OR GROW STRONGER TOGETHER? Relationships can be complicated. Despite being in a partnership, you may find yourself feeling lost and alone. You may be struggling with communication difficulties, trust issues, conflicts, or feeling emotionally disconnected from your partner. These challenges can impact your daily life, causing feelings of sadness, frustration, and anxiety. Therapy can offer you a supportive and safe space to work through your challenges, develop healthy communication skills, build trust, and address conflicts in a constructive manner. Learn to set healthy boundaries and develop tools needed.

Most people choose a partner who reminds them in a way of their parent/caretaker with whom they had an unsatisfying relationship. So often they try to re-play the past relationship in the present, and the two different scenarios usually interlock, resulting in re-enactment of the past relations. So, instead of having someone who will help 'heal our wounds', we end up with somebody reinjuring us through defensive behaviors. I use a 'mirroring' technique: it consists of helping the couple to paraphrase each other and then offer attuned empathic responses. What this means is that partner B is invited to make an emphatic statement to A about what he/she imagines A is feeling.

The research around attachment tells us that having a sense of closeness with others is essential to our well-being. When partners feel a lack of connection, it can touch on past wounds that may even exacerbate the present difficulties. All couples go through challenging times, and it is important that both individuals remain allies, even through trouble. Skilled couples counselling can support this, and help the relationship become stronger than ever before. I draw from a number of approaches when working with couples, especially Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and communication approaches such as Non Violent Communication.

Couples therapy. I am trained in solution focused couples therapy to bring the issues at hand right out at the first appointment. I ask clients to prepare for their first appointment by bringing in a wish list, what each partner wants the other to get better at, to stop, to do more of, and to do less of. These take us right to the couples' goals and then we begin to work on the most important issues on their list. A successful, peaceful relationship can bring great joy to our lives.

In couples counselling, I would use a combination of an EFT approach as well as the Gottman Method which validated extensively couples, and has been shown to be two of the most successful approaches to help manage couples problems. Using these evidence-based techniques, we would explore the attachment style of each partner, determine the patterns of behaviour between the two individuals and the negative cycle that they are in. We would evaluate cultural factors if there are any, and of course focus on the core issues that the couple presents with. As a marriage counsellor, I would also use EFT and Gottman techniques to identify keys interactions and cycles in the relationship.

Couples come together in love and many expectations too. Often, after the honymoon phase has passed couples experience a loss of the tight and sacred bond that they once had. Sometimes affairs have happend or fights and arguments are destroying the relationship. Yet couples are attached and want to re-build the relationship and find a way to stay together. I work hard with the couples I see to help them understand the dynamics of their unique partnership, using Emotioally Focused Therapy and Satir Model I help couples get back to where they want to be. Regardless of the issues bringing a couple in to therapy the most significant measure of their sucess is how much they want to be there !

Relationships usually start with lots of love and passion. After a while, however, the miscommunication between partners, their previous traumas, and the everyday stresses of life lead to an unhappy couple. With training in evidence-based approaches to helping couples, I help my clients become mindful of the repeating patterns in their relationship and their roots. We will then work together to change these patterns and create new loving healthy patterns. We will work on helping you communicate your true feelings to your partner without blaming, stonewalling, or criticizing. We will focus on helping you become more vulnerable with your partner so that your emotional bond becomes stronger.

Couples counselling offers a safe environment in order to begin the process of making decisions for the future of your relationship. Many people often find it easier to say the things that they need to in front of a counsellor. Sometimes it is impossible to step back from the problems in the relationship with a view of moving forward when you are embroiled in turmoil. Having an objective helper in the room can allow each party to release themselves for healing and growth. Whether you have a specific problem or are just feeling disconnected, counselling can help.

My role as a couple's therapist to create a safe haven, a calm bay, for you to make the repairs as needed, for you to re-embark on your journey together, stronger, more connected and back on the same team. The storminess of relationships is as natural as waves in the ocean, our ability to stay connect during the swells and crashing waves is what makes or breaks a marriage, not the wave itself. Our work together focuses on identifying our patterns and our partners patterns as we run for cover in the tumult of the wave. We then work on understanding, supporting and staying reconnected.

Relationships can become tense, defensive, and hostile. Sometimes, ruptures in trust occur that leave us questioning "should I still be with you?" When our relationships feel insecure, we react often through becoming critical/nagging, or shutting down and checking out. I practice a form of evidence-based couples therapy called Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT). Through EFT, we identify the negative cycle that has come to define your relationship, and work to repair this ruptured attachment bond, helping partners feel safer and freer around one another. This leads to improved intimacy, better communication, and a stronger emotional connection.

If you're looking to improve your relationship, we'd work together to create a supportive environment for discussion, allowing each of you to share your perspective and experience. With important conversations and empathetic questions, there's opportunity to truly see each other and to collaborate to resolve the issues rather than engaging in blame. Together, we'd uncover experiences that promote mutual understanding, empathy and appreciation. Through this process you'll gain insights, develop new ways of communicating, strengthen your connection and establish a more fulfilling and harmonious relationship.

Individual therapy is complementary with couple therapy. Clients come in to get individual therapy and then feel the need to bring their partner/spouse to overcome obstacles that are causing stress. I work with both people to create unhealthy and equally respected environment in the home. Each household is different thereby each need of each person is different, I help clients address their needs with their partner. The clients work through worksheets, role playing, make lists and do other exercises that encouraging positive change and healthy communication skills.

Relationships are work, and each person in a relationship brings their own unique set of baggage to the relationship. Some of it is good and some of it is challenging. Depending on the type of couple (married, dating, common law, heterosexual, homosexual) the goals can be quite different. In counselling we can explore what those goals are and what baggage, or different values are contributing to the challenges. Even though relationships are work, they should also be the greatest place for reward. Working through understanding the goals, expectations, values, emotions and areas of conflict in the relationship, the reward can be achieved.

My Approach to Couples Counselling includes - Providing you the tools for: Resolving Conflict and misunderstandings Effective problem solving Healthy ways to listen, talk and be heard Have a win-win relationship Moving past anger, resentment and bitterness Successfully changing self defeating behaviours Explore how your past affects your relationship/s Discover new ways to assist your life, It’s not just about your relationship, it’s also about you by building: Self-Esteem Love Intimacy Self worth Confidence Value Discovering how your personal past and baggage affect you Understanding what you need and your partner needs in a relationship And much more. Call now 604.290.1336