Great Couples Counseling in Spirit Lake, ID. Therapy to heal relationships.

Your relationship with your partner is one of the biggest determinants of your overall happiness and wellbeing. I provide integrated Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (attachment style focused) and Gottman Method couples therapy. I am trained and have over a decade of clinical experience in providing couple's therapy. You and your partner will be supported in identifying the patterns in your conflicts, getting confident in creating solutions to old unresolved issues or injuries, and making sustained connection a part of your relationship. Living resentment-free and moving past old hurts is possible. I also provide pre-marital sessions for couples preparing to get married.

Couples can bring out the best in us (and, sadly, the worst). Dr. Ray's approach builds up each of the partners, as well as the interpersonal relationship between them. Some of the research from John Gottman's "Love Lab" in Seattle can help couples avoid the worst corrosive behaviors, and improve their lives. For assessment and treatment, call Dr. Ray at 509-466-6632, or send an email to DrRay@DrRaySmith.com.

There are countless models of healthy romantic relationships, from monogamous to polyamorous, and unique variations between partners. The scripts for dating and longterm relationships of our parents’ generations may not be applicable to your relationship, and there is no formal education in how to be a good partner or how to identify unhealthy relationships. But there is psychological research that shows that effective communication, emotional openness, intimacy, and other factors contribute to healthy relationships. Creating these conditions are skills that can be learned. I practice brief humanistic and emotion-focused therapy (EFT) to help my LGBTQ and hetero clients learn these skills.