Great Couples Counselling in Summerland, BC. Therapy to heal relationships.

As a married individual in a long-term relationship, I know how challenging it can be! However your partner is worth the work. By learning how to identify and share your feelings with one another, it can strengthen your relationship and create a bond that will last the toughest of times. Even if it seems your relationship is too far gone to save, if both partners commit to change there can be a path forward to flourishing!

Relationship counselling is for individuals and couples who need to make some changes in their present situation. Distress can be caused by a breakdown in communication, too much conflict, difficulty acknowledging and expressing feelings, sexual problems, family patterns etc. Often our family of origin issues have been activated and we have raw spots in a relationship. As a counsellor I meet with couples individually for their first session (to explore history and listen to their experience of the problem) and then I bring them together. I help create a safe space to be emotionally honest and explore ways to overcome your patterns and find connection.

Our training includes the Gottman Model for couples therapy, which is well-grounded in research. Couples learn how to rebuild their friendship, communicate in a way that does not make the conflict worse, and build emotional intimacy. Relationships are like plants; if we forget to feed the plant every day, it starts to wilt and will eventually die. Indeed, with the demands of our daily lives, our relationships tend to take a back seat - at first, our relationships seem to endure; however, over time, the lack of priority starts to show. We will give you the tools and skills needed to feel satisfied in how you communicate with your spouse, and increase your commitment to one another.

Do you find yourself caught in a negative cycle of interactions with your partner? Are you wanting to reconnect and have more intimacy and joy? Together we can map out your patterns and make the negative cycle the enemy, not the other person. Life is tough enough--our relationships should be our refuge and the place we feel supported and inspired by one another. We can focus on communication, understanding for one another, emotion regulation, boundaries, or how to reconnect meaningfully as a couple.

The challenges couples face, including difficulty communicating, conflict, trust issues, blended families and work rotations can precipitate significant relationship distress. Support in addressing these issues can have a signifiacant positive impact on overall relationship functioning. The fact that relationships are one of our primary coping mechanisms multiplies the potential distress when these are present as it impacts the very mechanisms we use to cope.

Many couples struggle with communication and "feeling heard". Over time a once happy and vibrant relationship can begin to decay through hurt feelings, anger, lack of attention, feeling valued, infidelity, the strain of children, childhood issues, and much more. We focus to heal the wounds of the past and rebuild the love and trust within the relationship. We work to equip both partners with a voice and ability to effectively listen and hear one another. We will work together to establish individual boundaries within the relationship, while creating a stronger and healthier connection. Our goal is to equip each couple with the tools they require for success, independent of counselling

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.

I work with communication between couples as well as the individual self talk that is sometimes a factor underlyubg discord. Recognizing Anger and Guilt as valuable emotions that can act as 'warning lights on the dashboard', I help uncover the deeper root feelings that are often more vulnerable but also more grounding and connecting. Using a Debriefing flow sheet based on Nonviolent Communication, a model authored by Marshall Rosenberg, I help couples to identify the things that are really important to them and reconnect with a sense of clarity, understanding and compassion for themselves and each other.

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.

The first step with my approach to couples therapy is for us to establish rapport as you inform me of the problem that has brought you to therapy. I use a Choice Theory approach which includes defining more closely what each of you want for yourselves as individuals and the relationship as a whole. From there, we get to work on rebuilding trust in the relationship by enhancing communication skills so each of you feel listened to, heard, and respected. Then we can build on trust to establish the changes needed to restore the happiness that brought you together in the first place.

Sol and Robin Menard are trained in using Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). EFT is reasearch proven to have a 75-90% success rate with couples. It is one of two therapies for working with couples that is approved of by the American Psychological Association. There are many benefits to undergoing couples therapy using the EFt model. Benefits include: increased closeness/emotional intimacy, increased sexual intimacy, ability to communicate and express feelings and needs, increased safety, increased trust, more flexibility in the relationship, less fears of abandonment, and overall peace and security.

Relationships are hard at times. Feeling disconnected, seemingly going around in circles, unsure of how to break the cycle can be so distressing, especially when it is with someone you care deeply for. Using the Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) model, I support couples to make sense of where and why they are feeling stuck, the safety to courageously express their needs and emotions, and a renewed feeling of connection to grow together in a more fulfilling way.

Couples can benefit from therapy regardless of their marital status. Couples work can involve enhancing communication, exploring intimacy issues, and working towards creating an open, safe, and trusting relationship. Couples therapy can include sessions to address premarital issues, parenting issues, or help a couple to explore a separation. Couples therapy can also help a couple to end a relationship and begin the healing process.

Couples counselling focuses on developing strong communication skills, conflict resolution techniques, forgiveness, and effective dialogue. Many couples experience frustration at some point in their relationship where they feel they are not heard, valued or even loved any more. A toxic cycle of blaming, fighting and pulling away begins to form, creating distance and fatigue. For others an affair has shaken the very core of the safety and love they once felt in their relationship. It can be an agonizing and terrifying discovery for the partner who has been betrayed, and strong feelings of guilt, shame and a lack of understanding to how it even happened for the offending partner. Whether you are looking for a tune up to build back the excitement and...(view profile to read more)

South Okanagan Counselling has multiple options for Couples Counsellors offering both online and in person sessions at flexible times from daytime, evenings. The trained approaches utilized within their practice include Gottman Theory, Emotion Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Narrative therapy, Person Centered Therapy. Couples find that finding the right fit in both the therapist and the modality can help improve communication within the relationship, find deeper understanding and compassion, overcome the feeling of 'stuckness' in the relationship, move past traumas, heal broken trust, get back onto being on the 'same team', come together on decisions and much more

Have you begun to wonder if there is even hope for your relationship at all? Have your questioned if it's even worth it? Or long forgotten what you and your partner ever saw in each other? You are not alone! And I can assure you, there IS hope! Relationships are like gardens...they never grow well on their own. If yours is hurting, there IS a reason. And I can not only help you find it, I can help you to heal and restore what you both have lost. You have struggled long enough. Let me help you find each other again.

Many relational patterns develop over time and become entrenched resulting in continual gridlock and conflict. Slowing down a couples communication to address the underlying emotion assists in bringing a greater understanding of your partners desires and needs. Adult attachment styles can also impact relationships and exploring attachments needs can bring about clarity and enhance emotional intimacy. Sheila has completed training in Gottman Relational Training and advanced level trainings in Emotion Focused Therapy for couples.

Couples counseling with me is a transformative and personalized experience that focuses on the unique dynamics and challenges faced by couples. With a compassionate and unbiased approach, I aim to create a space where partners, in individual separate individual sessions, can openly express their, emotions, and concerns. Through active listening and effective communication techniques, I help identify underlying issues, improve their understanding of each other, and develop strategies for resolving conflicts. Whether couples are seeking to strengthen their bond, navigate major life transitions, or heal from past wounds, my goal is to facilitate growth, enhance their connection, and empower them

I have advanced training in the Gottman method of couple counselling. This is the most highly researched therapy for relationships. It uses the sound relationship house model: We build on emotional connection, showing fondness and admiration, and turning towards. This creates a positivity in the relationship. Upon this foundation, we can work on conflict management and communication skills.

For a couple, therapy can be a significant source of support, whether for couples who are just looking for guidance to go through a rough patch or to sift through a few miscommunications or for couples frustrated and about to give up after struggling with major conflicts, communicational issues, infidelity or sexual issues. You don't have to be on the brink of divorce to seek out support. No matter where your relationships stands, take it to the next level.

Every relationship is unique. It also comes along with it's unique difficulties. Allow each party to express their concerns. Help the Clients see how they can find solutions on their own. This will bode well for their future together. Ask each what they see as essential to having a healthy relationship. If Respect, Trust & Good Honest Communication are not brought up, gently help the Clients to come to those realizations. Do not be judgemental in any way. Offer both a safe & supportive environment to express themselves.

I offer couples therapy based on the Gottman method. The Gottman method is a personalized style of couples therapy based on the relationship work of John Gottman, PhD and Julie Schwartz Gottman, PhD. Their method aims to help couples improve communication, address conflict and other relationship problems, develop more understanding and awareness, and foster growth and intimacy. The Gottman method is establish on the belief that problems can either be resolved, or they are perpetual, which means they will be part of your lives forever, in some form or another.” Using this method, I will help you developing better communication styles and the skills to manage perpetual problems.

Healing and growing in our sexuality & eroticism can help us understand ourselves and our partners in ways we may have never been privileged to before. It opens us to the appreciation of the full depth and breadth of human erotic expression. I work with individuals and couples. My approach is informed by training as an Erotic Blueprint Coach, somatic attachment and conscious kink. All forms of love, relationship structures, and sexual expression (from the most sensual "vanilla" to the raunchiest kink) welcome.

Couples counseling provides a supportive space to strengthen your relationship, enhance communication, and resolve conflicts. My approach focuses on understanding each partner’s perspective, identifying patterns that may be causing tension, and fostering deeper emotional connection. Together, we work on building trust, improving intimacy, and developing tools to navigate challenges constructively. Clients benefit from a renewed sense of partnership, greater empathy for one another, and the skills to create a more harmonious and fulfilling relationship.

I understand that navigating relationship issues can be incredibly challenging, affecting both your emotional health and the quality of your partnership. In our couples counselling sessions, we'll establish a safe environment for open dialogue, employing the Gottman Method to identify and address the root causes of your conflicts. This evidence-based approach focuses on improving communication, building empathy, and fostering mutual respect. While the journey to a healthier relationship may take time and commitment from both sides, there's genuine hope for renewal and happiness. Together, we can work towards a more harmonious and fulfilling relationship.