Our lovers and partners. They can evoke the greatest joy and connection in us, and at other times the deepest sadness or most fiery anger. Understanding this mystery, and how to maximize the positive aspects of your relationship, while dealing with the negative, is what I do in couples counseling.

My work with you is not all esoteric, though. It is quite practical. I work with couples on their communication skills, setting their own boundaries, asking for what they want before it is a crisis, and making choices that support their relationship rather than undermining it.

The deeper work involves each partner understanding his or her own family-of-origin issues, as well as their partner's, and seeing how these play out in their current relationship. You probably know these family-of-origin issues as people's "buttons", those seemingly small things that get a big emotional reaction. By knowing where each other's "buttons" are, and dealing with them in a compassionate way, you can often work through a situation rather than getting into a fight.

I use tools and theory from several different marital researchers - John Gottman (author of Why Marriages Succeed or Fail), David Schnarch (Passionate Marriage) and Harville Hendrix (Getting the Love You Want) - and frame it all in family systems theory. I work with couples who are just dating, who are living together, engaged or thinking about it (or stuck on the verge) and who are married.

My fee for couples counseling is $100 for a 50-minute session when paying in full at each session. If you wish me to bill your insurance, my non-discounted rate is $125/session. For a short video clip on how I work with couples, please visit my Video/FAQ page.