Serving couples in Bellevue, Mercer Island, Sammamish, and the Eastside with evidence-based couples counseling. Therapy helps many couples improve communication, resolve conflicts, enhance intimacy, rebuild or strengthen trust, and adjust to major life changes. Our couple therapists have extensive experience and specialized training in effective treatments for couples, such as Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy, and Enhanced Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy. These couple therapies have been rigorously tested in dozens of scientific studies, which found strong evidence for their positive impact on relationships. Research evidence also shows that couples tend to maintain significant improvement long after completing therapy. Your couple therapist will work collaboratively with you and your partner to personalize each session based on your, your partner’s, and your relationship’s unique needs and goals.

Core Principles & Goals

• Focus on the Relationship: Views the relationship as a living entity to be nurtured, emphasizing self, other, and the space between them.

• Authenticity & Intimacy: Aims for genuine connection, "fierce intimacy," and moving beyond superficial or conflict-ridden interactions.

• Skill Building: Teaches practical skills like active listening, expressing needs, setting boundaries, and managing conflict constructively.

• Healing Past Wounds: Explores how family-of-origin experiences and societal pressures (like individualism) impact current dynamics.

• Moving Through States: Helps couples navigate the natural cycle of harmony, disharmony (conflict/distance), and repair, restoring connection. 

What Happens in Therapy?

• Identifying Patterns: Uncovering destructive patterns (e.g., controlling, shutting down, blaming) and "losing strategies".

• Love-Based Confrontation: Gently confronting harmful behaviors while maintaining respect for the partner.

• Empowerment: Helping individuals find their "healthy adult" stance (connected, accountable) rather than "one-up" (controlling) or "one-down" (insecure) roles.

• Holistic View: Considering broader factors like culture, power, and gender that shape the relationship. 

When It's Helpful

• Communication breakdown, trust issues, infidelity.

• Cycles of conflict or emotional distance.

• Life transitions (parenting, career changes, blended families).

• Desire for deeper connection, more passion, or individual growth within the relationship.