Intimate relationships can bring out the best in us - and also the worst. When things are running well, the sense of "being a couple" can be truly awesome. Yet when things are not tracking so well, a partner can seem more like a foe than a friend. From the delightful highs as a relationship begins to the painful lows of a relationship ending - and everywhere in between - every intimate relationship is unique and complex.

Whether married or partnered, relationships can sometimes lose their way: constant conflict over the same old problems, the feeling of being stuck in a rut, the loss of passion and romance, the pressures of life, a losing of interest, a slow drift in different directions, a growing sense of disconnect, an "anywhere else but here" longing, a desire for someone else....Whatever the experience or the reason, many couples wait years before trying to do something about it. For many, that's often too late to address all the work needed to get things back on track. Some will choose to end the relationship while others maintain a commitment to being miserable.

But there IS another option and that's to get some professional input on your relationship. That's where a trained Couples Therapist can help. My approach to Couples Therapy is the Gottman Method, a therapeutic model based in 20+ years of research as to why some relationships grow and last the distance while others seem to wither and end. Specifically, the model seeks to help a couple increase their chance of lasting the distance by building towards a meaningful, enjoyable and resilient relationship. In addition to my training in family and relationship therapy, I am Level 2 trained in Gottman Method of Couples Therapy and have completed Gottman training in working with couples where one or both are in recovery from substance use and/or problematic behaviour disorders.

Here are some of the areas I address when working with couples:

• managing conflict
• learning the art of communication
• building friendship
• deepening intimacy
• creating shared meaning
• building trust
• strengthening commitment
• making space for difference

Other areas of couples therapy include:

• separation and divorce: how to "end well"
• infidelity: where do we go from here?
• substance use disorders (eg. alcohol, cannabis, opioids)
• problematic behaviour disorders (eg. gambling, pornography)