Couples Therapy /
Marriage Counseling
Relationships can be incredibly rewarding, but they can also be challenging. Many couples find themselves feeling disconnected or out of sync with one another over time. Here at New Unity Psychotherapy, we specialize in helping couples navigate these challenges, improve communication, and strengthen their emotional bond. Whether you’re experiencing frequent conflict, feeling emotionally distant, or struggling to understand one another, couples therapy offers a safe space to explore these issues and rebuild your connection.
Common Challenges in Relationships
Couples come to us with a wide range of challenges, but the most common issue we see is a sense of disconnection. Many couples describe feeling like they’re “drifting apart” or “not on the same page” anymore. Some of the specific challenges that couples face include:
- Miscommunication: Couples often struggle to communicate their needs, leading to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and frustration.
- Emotional Detachment: Many couples feel emotionally distant from one another, unsure of how to reconnect or express their emotions effectively.
- Conflict Escalation: Simple disagreements can quickly escalate into bigger conflicts, leaving both partners feeling unheard or invalidated.
- Lack of Intimacy: Physical and emotional intimacy often decline in relationships, leaving couples feeling disconnected on multiple levels
At New Unity Psychotherapy, we work with couples to identify the root causes of these challenges and develop strategies to address them. By focusing on communication and emotional connection, we help couples rebuild their relationship on a stronger foundation.
How Couples Therapy Can Help
Couples therapy is about more than just resolving arguments or fixing communication issues—it’s about helping both partners feel understood, valued, and emotionally connected. In our sessions, I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to help couples explore and express their emotions in a way that fosters deeper understanding and connection.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a evidence-based approach that focuses on emotions as the key to creating and maintaining a strong bond between partners. Through EFT, couples can learn to express their emotional needs, repair emotional injuries, and create a safe, loving connection.
Some of the core elements of EFT that we work on include:
- Building Emotional Safety: We help couples create an environment where both partners feel safe expressing their emotions without fear of judgment or rejection.
- Understanding Attachment: We explore the underlying attachment styles that influence how each partner relates to the other. Understanding these patterns helps couples develop empathy for one another.
- Reconnecting Emotionally: By addressing emotional detachment, couples can rebuild their emotional bond, which often leads to improved communication and greater intimacy.
- Developing Effective Communication: We teach couples practical communication skills, focusing on listening actively and expressing needs clearly and respectfully.
Resolving Conflict and Strengthening Connection
Many couples come to therapy feeling stuck in a cycle of conflict. Whether it’s arguing over finances, parenting, or household responsibilities, repeated disagreements can leave both partners feeling frustrated and disconnected. In couples therapy, we work together to identify the triggers that lead to conflict and develop healthier ways to navigate disagreements. Some of the strategies we use include:
- De-escalating Conflict: We teach couples techniques to de-escalate arguments before they spiral into larger issues.
- Learning to Listen: Active listening is a critical skill in relationships. Couples learn how to listen without interrupting or reacting defensively, allowing both partners to feel heard and understood.
- Validating Emotions: One of the most common complaints we hear from couples is that they don’t feel emotionally validated by their partner. In therapy, we focus on helping each partner acknowledge and validate the other’s feelings, which is key to resolving conflict and rebuilding trust.
Rebuilding Intimacy and Trust
For many couples, emotional disconnection also impacts physical intimacy. When partners feel emotionally distant, physical closeness can become more difficult. In couples therapy, we address both emotional and physical intimacy, helping couples rebuild trust and closeness.
This process involves:
- Restoring Emotional Closeness: Emotional intimacy is the foundation for physical intimacy. By helping couples reconnect emotionally, we guide them in rebuilding their overall connection.
- Improving Physical Intimacy: We discuss ways to restore or improve physical intimacy, focusing on open communication about needs and desires.
- Trust Building: If trust has been broken, whether through betrayal or emotional withdrawal, I help couples navigate the process of rebuilding trust and feeling secure in their relationship again.
How Couples Therapy Works
Couples therapy is a collaborative process that involves both partners being actively engaged in improving their relationship. In your sessions, we’ll provide a structured yet flexible approach to help couples work through their issues. Each couple is unique, so our sessions are tailored to your specific needs and goals. Some key steps in the process include:
- Identifying the Core Issues: We begin by discussing the primary challenges you’re facing as a couple, whether it’s communication problems, emotional distance, or unresolved conflict.
- Exploring Emotions: We encourage each partner to express their feelings and emotional needs openly. This helps uncover underlying issues that may not have been fully acknowledged before.
- Developing New Communication Patterns: Together, we work on improving how you communicate with one another, focusing on active listening, empathy, and expressing needs clearly.
- Rebuilding Trust and Intimacy: Through your work in therapy, we aim to restore emotional closeness, rebuild trust, and improve physical intimacy.
What You’ll Gain from Couples Therapy
By the end of couples therapy, you’ll have developed the tools and skills needed to create a stronger, more fulfilling relationship.
Some of the key outcomes include:
- Deeper Emotional Connection: You’ll feel more emotionally connected and secure in your relationship.
- Better Communication: You’ll have learned how to communicate effectively, express your needs, and listen empathetically.
- Conflict Resolution Skills: You’ll know how to navigate disagreements without escalating into conflict.
- Increased Intimacy: Both emotional and physical intimacy are likely to improve as you strengthen your bond with one another.
Together, we can work on rebuilding your connection and creating a healthier, more fulfilling relationship.
Contact Me for Support
If you and your partner are struggling with communication, emotional distance, or conflict, couples therapy can help.
Reach out to me, Melissa N. Douglas, LCSW, at New Unity Psychotherapy by calling (914) 844-6682 to schedule your free 30-minute consultation.
Reach out to start
your healing journey today.
your healing journey today.