Regardless of sexual orientation and whether you are dating, cohabitating, engaged or married, all relationships require work. Young couples today face challenges that are made more complicated by our fast paced society. Choices are vast and the decision to settle into a committed relationship can be daunting. I help young couples develop the communication skills needed for a long term bond. When couples are at different stages in their level of commitment to one another, communication and tolerance are essential. Insecurity and impatience can derail established connections unnecessarily. Couples therapy facilitates the development of empathy for the other, which helps to guide the development of committed and stable relationships. Issues of communication, trust, not feeling respected, or dissatisfaction with sexual intimacy become too challenging and couples need support. At other times it is not an issue between two partners, but pressure from the outside -- crisis at work, parenting, family and in-law issues, becoming stepparents. I can help you find new ways to communicate in a more loving and respectful way, help to resolve conflicts without it always escalating into a fight and learn to solve problems as a team. I want to help you support each other as friends, lovers and partners in life.

Of special consideration is the couple where one partner is diagnosed with an eating disorder. The eating disorder often becomes the "third partner" in an intimate relationship causing a great deal of conflict and limiting the potential for full intimacy. In couples work, I can help the two of you understand how the eating disorder manifests itself in the context of your romantic life, and help educate partners on how to be the most supportive during the process of recovery.