Couples Therapy
in Shaker Heights
Restore hope, find your way, and get excited about your relationship again!
I help couples stop the endless cycle of unproductive arguments and co-create a relationship that they are excited to live in for the rest of their lives.
Just like you, my couple clients long for things to feel better between them, to get the old feelings of love back. Despite being incredibly hard working and giving, they are struggling to stay connected, to communicate well, and to get on the same page about mess, sex, time, money and parenting.
When they first come in, they worry that old resentments will never be healed, that the options are to surrender to being unsatisfied forever, or separate.
Lately what should be a simple conversation between them usually turns into a fight and they are feeling more and more alone.
Their persistent sense of stress and strain in the relationship gets in the way of the life they want in so many ways. They aren't the kind of partners they want to be, life isn't as fun as it used to be, and their confidence as parents is tanking.
Before they came to see me, they worried that coming to couples therapy was a sign of failure. They worried about being judged for their mistakes. And while they were worried that talking about things openly to a stranger might make things worse, they could see the writing on the wall if nothing changed. They felt between a rock and a hard place and the stress was killing them.
Like my clients, you deserve to know the skills and tools to get out of this mess!
You deserve to go through your day, with each other, at work, with your kids, with a deep, calm, knowing feeling in your gut that says we're good. You deserve to laugh with each other and have fun again.
While you may not ever feel head over heels like you did in the beginning again (there are biochemical reasons for this!), a new, deeper, more lasting love is available to you that you likely never even dreamed of.
If you wish to build your relationship into something you are both excited to live in, day after day, I am happy to help you get there. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation with me today.
Frequently Asked Questions
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There is always hope. I will help you get clear on what it will take to get to the relationship you want, and then it's up to you to decide if you are willing to do it.
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I use the Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy, also known as PACT. I love PACT because it's direct and to the point. PACT teaches what everyone should know about relationships, but it's not preachy. The two of you ALWAYS get to decide what's right for your marriage. Sessions are highly interactive and experiential. We'll spend almost all our time working on actual problems in real time in session. The process is deep and also playful. I use PACT principles every single day in my marriage and my life would have been very different if I had learned these principles a long time ago.
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That depends on what you want to get out of it and how much time you are willing to commit outside of therapy.
My goal as your therapist is to make it as short as possible! You have other things to do with your life.
Longer sessions (2-3 hours) will get you faster results.
If you have longstanding challenges and entrenched resentment and/or betrayal, it takes about a year for things to clear up.
Some couples come for only a few sessions to get clarity on a certain issue.
I will closely track with you how much progress we are making towards where you want to be.
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I ask almost all my couples to read one of Stan Tatkin's books (either Wired for Love, We Do, or In Each Other's Care). Audiobook is fine too.
Reading one of these books will REALLY help you get clearer on how to make your relationship more secure and will give you a chance to think about what you are learning in between sessions. Change in couples therapy is a process, and the more you think about these new concepts and ways of being the faster things will change in your relationship.
Additionally, each week I will help you decide on a goal to practice new ways of interacting with each other.
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I recommend a month of weekly sessions to get you started. Then we'll make it up as we go along depending on your goals and progress.
When people do longer sessions, I usually have them come less often. This can be a workable solution for couples who don't have a lot of time.
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Sessions are 1-3 hours.
We won't need longer sessions every time, but I HIGHLY recommend a few of them.
Couples therapy is an experience that changes your relationship.
Making time for a longer session allows the experience to unfold without rushing or having to cut things off early.
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Yes. Here are the plans I currently accept:
Medical Mutual
SummaCare
Ohio Health Choice
Multiplan
Anthem BCBS/ CareMore/ Wellpoint Military Care Humana/ ChoiceCare
United Behavioral Health
Cigna Behavioral Health
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If you use insurance, you will owe your regular deductible/copay/coinsurance PLUS the out-of-pocket fee for any longer sessions. Insurance only covers one 60 minute session per week.
Extra time is charged at my regular rate of $130 per hour.
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Sefl-pay sessions are charged at $130 per hour, pro-rated for length of time.
I will never charge you for time you don’t use if a session ends early.
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If you can reschedule your session within the same week, there is no charge. I try to be flexible and will accommodate moving sessions around if I can.
If you need to cancel, I have a 24 hour cancellation policy. Any cancellations within 24 hour of session time will be charged a $75 late cancel fee. The same fee applies to no-shows.
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You'll create an appointment time for a free 20 minute consultation with you AND your partner so you can both meet me and hear a bit about how I work, ask any questions, and get a feel for me.
Usually couples schedule their first session on the consult call, but others choose to wait and talk it over before scheduling. I'm also happy to provide you with referrals for other couples therapists who may be a better fit.
I run my practice through the Behavioral Wellness Group in Mentor, OH, so once you schedule I will have the intake desk call you and they will get you set up with a chart with BWG.
Then we meet at the scheduled time and take it from there!
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In-person sessions are at the Behavioral Wellness Group at 8224 Mentor Ave, Mentor OH 44060.
I also offer online sessions.
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Both! I am in the office Mon, Wed, Thurs and Fri. So come on in, or I’ll send you a zoom link and we can meet online. I offer sessions starting as late as 8:15pm.