Couples Therapy in Bethesda, MD
Rebuild Trust and Connection with Evidence-Based Couples Therapy
Long-term romantic relationships (LTRRs) are challenging for everyone. There are so many factors working against couples: romantic imagery in the media that wrongly implies what healthy LTRRs look like, the absence of education for couples on how to do a LTRR well, the super-duper-easy access to online sexual experiences and the 50-billion-dollar divorce industry. No wonder about half as many people divorce each year as get married and many who stay together describe a state of tolerance rather than happiness.
Our approach to helping couples can best be described as a blending of behavioral (e.g., Gottman Institute) and emotionally focused (e.g., EFT) methods. (Dr. Dave can be found on the Gottman Institute’s therapist directory which only includes those clinicians that have completed at least two levels of their training).
Our initial evaluation includes a 90-minute couple interview, the completion of the Gottman Institute’s battery for couples, the completion of a battery of supplemental measures, a 50-minute feedback session and the preparation of a slide show that includes sources of information, strengths, results of the rating scales, a list of problems and a list of recommended interventions. It is common for us to spend 3-4 hours preparing for the feedback session.
Our treatment approach involves skill building, is structured and usually time limited. We say “usually” as the work can take longer when there are significant resentments that need to be resolved. In our opinion, the skills we teach are ones that all couples would do well to know before formalizing a long-term commitment. They are also practices that promote resilience in a couple’s life. We believe there are seven such practices. Here they are:
Why Do Couples Counseling?
- The culture too often teaches romantic concepts that promote misguided ideas about what constitutes a successful long-term relationship.
- Opportunities to engage in physical and emotional affairs are boundless and easily accessed. When couples aren’t feeling close it’s all too easy to have an affair.
- Divorce ranks near the top of a list of stressful events that people can go through; it can also be much more expensive than science-based couples therapy.
- If children are involved, and their parents are in a troubled relationship, adverse consequences often accrue to them as well.
- To be involved in a long-term and successful romantic relationship is hard, hard, hard and complex, complex, complex. Seeking out the services of a skillful couples therapist can make a couple’s relationship less painful, more meaningful and more joyful.
Common Concerns We Address
Take the First Step Toward Better Mental Health
