Marriage Counseling Boulder
Couples Therapy (FAQs)

WATCH: About couples therapy in 60 seconds

Find answers to common questions about my marriage counseling Boulder practice, couples therapy and premarital counseling.

1. What are some potential benefits of marriage counseling?

2. What are some of the issues that you typically work with?

3. How would you describe your approach to couples therapy and relationships?

4. We've never seen a marriage counselor; what can we expect?

5. Do you offer premarital counseling?

6. Do you work with couples by phone?

7. How frequently do people see you and for how long?

8. Do you offer free consultations and how much does it cost?

What are some potential benefits of marriage counseling Boulder sessions?

Benefits vary couple to couple. Couples may report positive experiences in the following areas...
  • A greater sense of emotional safety and trust when communicating.
  • An empowering clarity and understanding of the underpinnings of negative dynamics.
  • A renewed mutual lovingness following forgiveness of past grievances/resentments.
  • A greater sense of true intimacy and friendship.
  • More enjoyment, spontaneity and self-expression.
  • More clarity and productivity around shared values and goals.
  • A genuine willingness to support one another in the fulfillment of your potential.
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What are some of the issues you typically work with?

  • Undoing patterns of control, isolation and rejection.
  • Overcoming obstacles to trust and intimacy.
  • Moving through challenging transitions or life crisis.
  • Seeing the underpinnings of old patterns in a new light.
  • Identifying and removing inner obstacles to mutual lovingness and support.
  • Clarifying values at the heart of the relationship and taking accountable action to express those values together.
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How would you describe your approach to couples therapy and relationships?

In my marriage counseling Boulder practice I observe that committed relationships and marriages, by nature, tend to surface every underdeveloped and limiting aspect within us, as though a core function of intimate relationships is to bring to our awareness our inner obstacles to becoming more loving and compassionate with one another.

Many couples experience guilt, shame and frustration as these inner obstacles to unconditional love naturally and inevitably arise in their relationship. Without a healing approach which acknowledges, normalizes and works through these primitive aspects of the human psyche many feel hopeless in the face of difficulty. Couples often suffer through attachment issues, fears of loss and rejection, and repeated conflicts as animal like patterns of control, isolation and dominance ensue.

In contrast, couples who embrace a central function of their relationship as a means to heal and grow are already more readily equipped with the willingness and motivation to compassionately respond to these limiting patterns in one another. This, to me, is the true value of marriage counseling and couples therapy.

In my Boulder Couples Counseling practice I help couples to identify and undo their inner obstacles to healthy communication, lovingness and forgiveness. Couples counseling is not simply a place to learn new tools and strategies, but to realize a greater understanding of one another's unique pattern and tendencies; personal, familial and cultural programming that may contribute to limiting relationship dynamics. It is also a place to become reacquainted with the brighter, higher and more loving qualities within one another.

New knowledge and understanding assists couples in learning how to respond more compassionately and support one another in a mutual process of growth and healing. This, in turns, empowers them to serve as true partners for one another, supporting the other in the fulfillment of their potential.

Like my individual therapy practice, in my marriage counseling Boulder practice I draw from a number of techniques and theories in working with couples. I have received training with Michele Weiner Davis in a solution focused couples coaching approach and may also draw from the work of other contemporary theorists, such as of Dr. Sue Johnson ( Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy) or Dr. John Gottman. At its core couples counseling relies on the same principles of individual psychotherapy, so I may draw upong Jungian, Humanistic and Mindfulness-Based Approaches to counseling in a couples context as well.

Finally, two central elements I explore with all the couples I work with in my marriage counseling Boulder practice are:

1. Creating greater clarity and commitment to the core values at the heart of the relationship, and...

2. Exploring unconscious dynamics and vulnerabilities in such a way as to help each person understand their companion's most difficult edges, while simultaneously assisting one another in growing further.

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We've never seen a marriage counselor; what can we expect?

I work with couples locally and nationally by phone (see phone sessions for details). For couples I offer free 30 minute consultations. If you decide to move forward I'll meet with you both for the first 1.5 hour session. Prior to this session you will complete my intake form and return it to me by email, mail or in person at the first session. From there I may recommend a shorter individual session with each of you separately. After that, depending on the nature of your dynamics and the central goals you bring to counseling, we would meet again for an undetermined number of sessions. Whether you come in for a brief # of sessions or for a longer period, you should have a sense that the sessions are of great value and influential in your relationship or marriage.

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Do you offer premarital counseling?

Yes. I love working with couples in this context. Premarital counseling is a powerful opportunity to explore not only your current relationship and communication dynamics but also explore significant areas that are central to healthy relationships, such as your shared values, your vision for your life, lifestyle dynamics, career choices, spirituality, family, etc.

Do you work with couples by phone?

Yes, depending on the context and nature of your relationship dynamics. See phone sessions for more details.

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How frequently do people see you and for how long?

Like individual psychotherapy, this depends on the couple and their intention for seeking out therapy. In my marriage counseling Boulder practice I have worked successfully with couples over a brief number of sessions and with others over a longer time period. In general, couples therapy is of a much shorter duration relative to individual psychotherapy. Most start with weekly sessions for a set period and then may move to less frequent meetings as they integrate their experience and become, in a sense, their own couples therapist and coach to one another.

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Do you offer free consultations and how much does it cost?

Yes. I offer free 30 minute consultations by phone and am available to meet in person. If we decide to move forward from there I'll send you an intake form to be filled out prior to your first session. If you have any more questions about my marriage counseling Boulder practice, premarital counseling or couples therapy in general, please feel free to contact me.

Click here for my rates and office location.

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Marriage Counseling Boulder Office Location My marriage counseling Boulder practice location:

1634 Walnut Street, Suite 111C
Boulder, CO 80302

Also serving the following Colorado cities and towns:
Arvada, Alma, Aurora, Bennett, Black Hawk, Brighton, Broomfield, Castle Rock, Centennial, Central City, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, Commerce City, Dacono, Denver, Englewood, Evergreen, Federal Heights, Firestone, Fort Lupton, Frederick, Georgetown, Glendale, Golden, Greeley, Greenwood Village, Idaho Springs, Kiowa, Lafayette, Lakeside, Lakewood, Larkspur, Littleton, Lone Tree, Longmont, Louisville, Lyons, Morrison, Mountain View, Niwot, Northglenn, Parker, Sheridan, Superior, Thornton, Westminster and Wheat Ridge. << Return to Home

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