Berkeley Couples Therapy - Feel Prioritized, Connected, and at Ease
in your Life Together
Have you been feeling misunderstood or unappreciated by your partner lately? Do you feel more distant and alone? Or, perhaps you are tired of feeling frustrated and emotionally drained by unresolved disagreements?
You may feel like you’re walking on eggshells with your partner, no longer feeling like a united team. Perhaps a life change—a job shift, a new living situation, or the birth of a child—has brought more conflict and uncertainty to the surface. These are common struggles that can cloud the love and connection you once shared.
In therapy for couples, I will guide you and your partner to openly express your needs and emotions, ensuring you both feel heard, accepted, and valued.
“In touch with our wholeness, with a heart filled with love, there is no such thing as a stranger, not in ourselves or in others.”
-Sharon Salzberg
Many Couples Face Challenges
Maintaining a fulfilling intimate relationship can be complex and demanding. Despite the fairy-tale love stories we see in movies, the reality is that a relationship doesn’t "just work" because you love each other. Just as a person can’t be an expert guitarist simply because he or she deeply loves music, neither can a person expect to be skilled in a relationship simply because he or she loves his or her romantic partner. Loving another is a fine-tuned art and skill that requires continuous learning and practice.
Couples Therapy - Reignite the Sparks That First United You
It’s easy to blame ourselves or our partners for ongoing relationship challenges. But with help and support, you’ll realize the real challenge isn’t in the individuals, but in the unrecognized patterns of interaction that keep you stuck. Once these patterns are identified and transformed, you’ll experience a deeper connection and stronger commitment - now and over the long-term.
As a skilled couples counselor, I will help you overcome harmful interaction patterns and rediscover the love that once flourished between you. I’ll help you reignite the feelings of admiration and excitement that first drew you together. And I’ll teach you the skills to improve listening, clarify misunderstandings, and restore calm when emotions run high.
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples
In sessions, I’ll use Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT), an evidence-based approach backed by 30 years of research, to help you reestablish the close emotional and physical bond. EFT is based on “the most articulated, comprehensive, and extremely well-researched understanding of adult love” (Johnson, 2015). Through EFT, I’ll help you recognize and address unmet emotional needs, even those you struggle to articulate.
In couples therapy sessions, you'll experience the profound connection of truly understanding each other’s feelings and needs. While cultivating emotional intelligence and communication skills that empower you to navigate challenges confidently, as a united team.
Invest in a Loving, Lasting Commitment
Rekindling a loving and supportive bond with your partner is likely to be one of the most rewarding investments you make.
When your relationship is secure and nurturing, you'll feel an uplift in mood and energy, resilience in the face of life’s challenges, and a renewed confidence to embrace new fulfilling experiences together.
Online Couples Therapy in California
I mainly only offer therapy online. Although I reside in Berkeley, CA, and could occasionally meet in person, if needed. You can read more here: online therapy in California.
Free Phone Consultation
It’s important for you to choose a couples therapist with whom you feel comfortable talking with, so I invite you to book a free, 20-minute phone consultation here.
Or, contact me directly to schedule a time: tim@windingriverpsychotherapyservices.com/ (510) 761-9818. You can ask any questions you have about couples therapy and my other Berkeley therapy services.
Frequently Asked Questions About Couples Counseling
How can a stranger help us with these personal issues?
It’s normal to feel concerned about meeting with a stranger and revealing private details about your intimate relationship. However, the beauty of couples counseling is that it provides a safe and confidential space where your unique challenges will be met with compassion and expert facilitation of communication. Unlike most friends or family members, I’ll be objective and understanding. My experience as a counselor has made me proficient at recognizing the unique issues clients face, and has taught me to tailor treatment strategies that work.
Will you take sides in sessions?
One of my main objectives is to be fair and unbiased, and to encourage immediate feedback from you whenever you feel we don’t hold true to this commitment. My job is to be patient and fully understand the complexity of the problems in your relationship. After our initial sessions, we will see that no one partner is to blame. Instead, we will see that there are hidden interactive patterns in your relationship that are very hard to recognize on your own. These patterns are the real problem, and significantly harm your relationship. Therapy offers you a chance to tackle that problem as a team.
Our relationship problems are already so difficult. Is it possible couples therapy will make matters worse?
It’s my responsibility to ensure sessions are not overwhelmed by conflict and arguing, and instead focus on emotional healing and new communication skills. Therapy is best when it identifies qualities about the relationship that already work well, and harnesses those strengths even further. And, although not all couples decide to stay together, almost all of them leave therapy with increased feelings of peace and understanding.
Rest assured knowing that my therapeutic approach is backed by rigorous research that we directly incorporate into our work together. No matter what you are going through, it is possible for you to foster increased connection and intimacy in your partnership.
I invite you to call (510) 761-9818 for a free, 20-minute phone consultation.
