Living in a CONSCIOUS marriage means living with INTENTION.
Couples Therapy
Let Couples Therapy
re-design your relationship
Many of my couples are not in therapy because they feel broken or because the relationship is already over.
They come because they actually value their relationship, they value communication and they wish to explore ways to make a connection more meaningful and a healthy.
From repairs of betrayals or wounds that needs healing, therapy holds the space for the couple to do this.
My work with couples is oriented toward teaching curiosity about their partner’s world and committing with Intention.
Individuals / Groups / Intensives
In my practice, I use Expressive Psychotherapy to help clients go deeper in their understanding of self. Psychotherapy can be an opportunity to explore how the body, mind and soul can come together with intention and for the purpose of growth and healing.
Individuals are what groups are made of. The uniqueness of each and every person can offer opportunities for which to grow. It is through group therapy we can begin to understand our connectedness or lack thereof.
The group becomes the microcosm of what we do in life and in relationships. The group is used as a tool in which to understand us in relation to others. It is through group we can heal and begin to understand we don’t have to be alone.
It's one of the most dynamic formats in which to navigate through one's journey in life.
There is power in numbers and a group of individuals coming together with the intention to manifest one's purpose and dreams can only result in one outcome...See it, Believe it and Achieve it.
Does this sound like YOU?
Not all of my clients are coming to therapy because they are feeling broken, suffering from trauma or are ridden with fear. Many couples come to improve their communication and desire a safe space to explore their needs.
Therapy can be a platform in which the client can acquire new tools and deepen their understanding of their partner.
It can become a forum that allows the client to stretch and be curious to explore healthier ways of relating to others. It is the ideal setting in which to learn how to make room for the differences and not see it as something is wrong with the relationship. In fact, we tend to pick partners that will offer us an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and otherness.
Some couples are in the depths of emotional pain due to betrayal, addictions, unresolved hurts, and stressors that create tension. They have lost hope and feel they can no longer stay. Again, my job is not to decide if they should stay or go, but rather offer a safe space in which to explore ways to talk to each other about the feelings, to learn how to heal and most importantly to explore what forgiveness would look like.
Many couples are looking for hope. They come to me in hopes for repair and to learn better ways of maintaining and thriving in their relationship.
deepen your relationship
Why choose to work with Leslie?
I believe most of my clients choose me because of my experience, training and length of time I have been practicing. I have been a licensed psychotherapist since 1990 specializing in Couples therapy and Women's issues.
I have dedicated my work to understanding how emotions can be used to deepen the connection or create distance due to not understanding how to self-regulate their emotions.
What makes me unique, is my ability to hold the space for the depth of emotions and teaching clients how to do that for themselves and their loved ones. Much of my work is based in the belief that our emotions are often misunderstood and can drive conversations in directions that seem destructive and hurtful, resulting in walls that can't seem to be torn down.
What if my partner stops coming in- can I choose to see you by myself?
Will you see client’s individually and as a couple?
How will I know if you are the right therapist for me/us?
How often will the client/couple need to do therapy?
Will Marriage Therapy end my marriage?
Does the marriage therapist decide the future of the relationship?
How will I know if you are the right therapist for me/us?
Therapists are not one size fits all. Nor do I expect to be the right fit for everybody. I make it a practice to speak over the phone initially with all new clients to assess if we are a good fit.
It is during that phone call we can connect and exchange information that is needed to decide who you would work best with. It will be important to discuss schedules, insurance/fee, identifying your issues, and factoring in my style as a clinician.
If for some reason we determine that we are not able to work together, I will offer you a couple of referrals.
HOW OFTEN WILL THE CLIENT/COUPLE NEED TO DO THERAPY?
That is determined on a case by case basis.
Some relationships have long-standing deep hurts and wounds, so that healing process could take longer than others. Setting realistic expectations of the length of time one will be in the therapeutic process is set by the client.
In the initial session with the therapist you can discuss what will be the focus and goals to be addressed in therapy.
WILL MARRIAGE THERAPY END MY MARRIAGE?
The best way to answer this question is to ask “what are your expectations of marriage therapy?” How committed are you to your marriage? Have you already planned an exit? Do you have one foot in and one foot out? Do you have secrets? Do you hold your partner in contempt? Do you understand that there are 2 wounded people in the marriage not just one? Marriage therapy is intended to discuss the hard conversations that we typically avoid. It is a place in which you can explore what is not working and put into action new ways of connecting. If the marriage ends it is often due to a pre-existing condition that was not addressed, a partner that is not committed to change or prior to arriving there was a decision to end and the therapeutic setting becomes the venue in which that becomes revealed. However, if you have 2 individuals willing to commit to therapy, it can be extremely effective in changing patterns that were most likely the culprit to ending the relationship.
DOES THE MARRIAGE THERAPIST DECIDE THE FUTURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP?
In my opinion, given my experience and the years of working in this field I say “NO”.
It is not up to me as your therapist to determine whether or not you get a divorce, stay in the marriage after an affair, and identify values or behaviors that should be embraced as a couple or tell you what to do.
My job is to listen to the needs of the couple and the individuals in the marriage, to offer a safe environment in which we can explore what is of value, to teach the tools necessary to communicate and make room for differences. If we discover there is a deal breaker happening in the marriage, it is my job to support you in articulating that piece, but it is not my job to declare what is right or wrong.
In circumstances in which there is child abuse, elderly abuse, domestic violence or potential harm to oneself or others; I will take a definitive stance as to the provisions outlined in my state license as a Marriage Family Therapist.
WILL YOU SEE CLIENT’S INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A COUPLE?
Once I start seeing you for couples counseling, I remain in that role as the couple’s therapist.
For the simple reason, that it makes for a safe environment and allows the couple to explore issues without feeling the therapist has bonded individually with either partner.
If you need individual work I can refer you to a colleague. Family Therapy is different because I can see you as a couple, as well as a family if you choose, due to the nature that I am not splitting individuals up and working separately.
WHAT IF MY PARTNER STOPS COMING IN- CAN I CHOOSE TO SEE YOU BY MYSELF?
If for whatever reason, couples counseling is terminated and one of you wants to continue individual counseling, I can see you individually, provided that both partners are aware of this arrangement.
If in the future, both partners want to resume couples counseling, I will need to refer you to a different couples therapist for reasons mentioned above.
In some cases, we might determine it’s in your best interest to do individual work with a different provider all together.