Great Couples Counselling in Port Moody, BC. Therapy to heal relationships.

I have been in practise for a long time and much of my training and experience is in couples counselling. It is a privilege and opportunity to work with couples and more often than not we see successful outcomes. There is never a more satisfying feeling than seeing couples making important decisions for their future while keeping a priority of each person's own emotional well being!

I'm a down-to-earth, client-centered counsellor that can bring new hope to you and new life to your relationships. I specialize in marriage and couples counselling. I'm trained in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and Gottman Couples Therapy. With over ten years of experience, I have the tools to get your relationship back on track. I also offer intensive therapy for highly distressed couples. I'm here and ready to listen with warmth, kindness and compassion, without any judgement or criticism.

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

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.

Most couples get stuck at some point in their relationship. Intimacy is challenging for most us! I have a 2 pronged approach: I teach communication and conflict resolution skills as well as going deeper to discover the driving forces which lead to conflict. Conflict, once resolved, can lead to greater intimacy. The struggles you are facing now are the key to future deeper happiness and fulfillment and an opportunity for growth. I work with all types of couples.

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.

We specialize in providing essential support to couples through the effective utilization of evidence-based therapeutic approaches. We employ Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Attachment-Based Therapy, and Gottman Therapy to assist clients in recognizing and understanding the unique dance and patterns within their relationship dynamics. By fostering awareness, we enable clients to break free from ineffective communication patterns, promoting healthier and more fulfilling connections between partners.

Charlene has over 10 years experience working with couples. Couples counselling can help to identify the problem issues that each couple is facing and provide them with effective tools to work through these issues. Couples counselling can improve communication between couples, teach couples how to fight fairly and to work together during difficult times. Call Charlene to discuss how she can help you and your partner find your way back to love.

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.

Couples counselling focuses on the important structural aspects of your relationship, and builds on your relationships strengths to overcome challenges together and reduce conflicts. Couples that develop a strong sense of attunement towards each other are better able to empathize with each other, stop anger and resentment before a boiling point or a barrier is reached. There will always be disagreements and conflicts; being a successful couple is about using productive skills and tools to resolve these conflicts without going to war. Doing so helps bring couples closer together. Imagine your next disagreement making you two fall deeper in love!

I utilize Gottman Therapy, having completed Levels 1 and 2 training. Our sessions begin with an assessment to identify the specific issues affected the relationship whether it was an affair , lack of communication and connection or other challenges. The assessment allows us to implement the most effective interventions. Through Gottman Therapy, we can enhance the relationship between partners and foster a stronger connection in a relatively short period.

Angela supports couples to develop positive new perspectives of their relationship/marriage. Angela has completed advanced (Level 3 training) in the Gottman Method and is committed to helping couples gain renewed hope and connection through the use of activities targeting problematic patterns within the relationship. Couples gain new communication skills, self-awareness & understanding of their partner, conflict resolution skills that foster increased trust, friendship, and intimacy! Bring peace to your relationship and call today!

My aim during couples counselling is to create an impartial and comfortable environment for both partners to equally share their experiences, thoughts and emotions. Through cultivating a better understanding of one another, couples I have worked with have shared that they experience more connection, patience, intimacy and appreciation for each other after our sessions. My aim is to improve communication by offering practical techniques, to explore the deeper rooted cycles of conflict and dissatisfaction and to help couples understand their own and their partner's past traumas and childhood experiences that may impact the relationship. I draw on approaches such as EFT or the Gottman method.

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.

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.

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.

I come from a perspective of strengthening the emotional bond and understanding protective parts or modes that we can all go into. Working with couples, I work with the relationship as the priority. Some individual work can be helpful, but the relationship is first. You have to decide for yourself whether the relationship is right for you; from there I'm confident we can find a way out of the current cycle together.

Intimate relationships are not easy. To have a fulfilling relationship, it takes the work of two people to build and sustain a loving, caring & harmonious relationship. I can help you to understand that there will always be arguments, but the arguments don't need to destroy your marriage. Together we can work on ways to resolve the reasons why you fight and to learn to talk to each other in ways that can help you understand each other. You and your partner have your unique views, beliefs and values. These will need to be discussed so you can both go forward creating the relationship you want. My approach is to work with you in a sensible & practical way to help you get a meaningful outcome.

Most couples, at some point, go through times when communication seems difficult and patterns of engagement are causing frustration and disconnect. Ruptures happen in ever relationship but closeness and attachment come about in the ways in which we seek to repair them. Counselling can help couples explore how their own individual past experiences have informed their current emotions and behaviours when conflict arises. It aims to help couples work together to heal, understand their partner and be each other's safe haven and comfort.

Real Solutions to Real Challenges. Common Sense Techniques. Short-term & Cost Effective. All couples are exposed to challenges such as; traumas, accidents, sickness, infidelities, job loss, grief, and unproductive communication cycles. Individuals histories contain our unique interpretation of ourselves and our world and how we currently cope and function. Understanding more about our selves, recognizing unfulfilled intentions, and discharging umcomfortable feeling will produce greater self-acceptance and communion/ imtimacy with our partners

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.

I have extensive experience in marriage and couple therapy. In any relationship, both people play a role in the problems and concerns, and it take two to find solutions. I work with couple dealing with communication issues, fidelity, divorce and separation, co-parenting and commitment issues. I promote mutual support, and a collaborative approach to problem solving which builds trust in the couple and the counselling process. I help couples move through the old, repetitive cycles of arguing towards new and healthier communication and connection.

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.