ATTACHMENT-BASED THERAPY

Attachment theory explores basic human relational needs, beginning with developmental formation and influenced by later relationships.

GOTTMAN METHOD COUPLES THERAPY

Dr. John Gottman and his research team at The Gottman Institute (TGI) (University of Washington) have scientifically studied over 4,000 couples during the course of four decades. This observational research has results in the identification of patterns that predict marital happiness or discord. These findings are distilled in the TGI’s courses: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work (which exposes the six destructive patterns that lead to relationship demise, as well as the seven principles found in the marriages of "master couples"), and Bringing Baby Home (which applies same principles to couples who have become parents).
I lead the above seminars periodically and upon request by organizations. I also utilize Gottman Method Couples Therapy in my work with couples, whether through 2-3 day intensives, or through a series of scheduled sessions.

EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED THERAPY

Emotionally-focused therapy (EFT) "digs deeper" to the vulnerable primary emotion(s) that drive self-defensive secondary emotions and behavioral impulses that play out in relationships. Relationship-distancing secondary emotions and their resultant maladaptive impulses are thus unmasked, their prime roots identified, and effective methods learned for asking trustworthy partners for what we want or need in relationship. EFT in couples therapy transforms communication into patterns that allow intimacy to be re-gained.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic intervention with proven efficacy for connecting present somatic, emotional and cognitive processing to past events. The method stimulates the right and left hemispheres of the brain through non-invasive stimuli, including eye movement, while focused on an emotional, cognitive and somatic set that brings present disturbance. During the process, other “targets’ in past experiences come to light that are driving the impulses that at one time served to protect us, but which are now maladaptive. These old experiences that have been stuck in a neuro-network and related behavioral pattern are “processed” and replaced with a more adaptive way of feeling, thinking and acting. Te result is less disturbance to the body, mind, and emotions, and a more adaptive response to triggers.

GOTTMAN RELATIONSHIP CHECKUP

The Gottman Relationship Checkup is a product of The Gottman Institute. It is comprised of five sections:

• Friendship and Intimacy: relationship satisfaction, emotional connection, romance, and admiration

• The Safety Scales: trust, chaos, commitment, and emotional philosophies

• The Conflict Scales: stress, relationship harshness, and conflict management

• The Shared Meaning System: shared rituals, values, and goals

• Individual Areas of Concern: individual issues, safety, sex, depression, drug and alcohol use, violence, anxiety, and other issues that may need psychological or psychiatric help

The questionnaire takes approximately two hours to complete. The results bring clarity and focus to couple therapy sessions.

PREPARE-ENRICH RELATIONSHIP ASSESSMENT

Prepare/Enrich is an online customizable couple assessment tool developed by Dr. David Olson, and continuously honed and improved over forty years. It is one of the most widely used tools used to prepare for premarital and marital counseling. The assessment identifies a couple's similarities, differences, strengths, stressors, and areas for growth. The results highlight how partners are alike, how they differ, historical and familial influences, and personality differences, among other things. The results bring clarity and focus to a couple's sessions.