Specialized Couples Counselor in Denver

Couples therapy is for couples looking to maintain their healthy connection as well as those feeling stuck. It is for couples wanting to improve their relationship, whether that is doing relationship maintenance to ensure wellbeing and strength in the relationship or healing past relationship injuries. Don’t wait until you’re in crisis! It’s always a great time to care for the health of your relationship.

Couples therapy is counseling focused on resolving relationship stress and interpersonal conflict. Couples therapy is also called relationship therapy, partners counseling, and marriage counseling. We use these terms interchangeably to acknowledge the diverse ways in which we relate and identify within relationships. In our work with folks identifying as LGBTQ+, we also explore and acknowledge how outside influences from society impact the relationship and/or inform roles and expectations.

A gold standard of couples therapy is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). This model of treatment goes beyond practicing skills and goes to the heart of relationship stress—attachment, belonging, and connection. Studies have shown, that after completing EFT therapy, couples show excellent follow-up results and that progress for the couple continues long after sessions have concluded. That means that EFT not only works while doing the work in sessions, it continues to work after you end therapy.

In relationship therapy, we explore attachment styles, attachment needs, emotions, and expectations. We really get to know how those different aspects play out in your relationship. We work on skills to improve your communication with one another and how to turn to your partner with empathy, compassion, and understanding. Improved communication and empathic relating helps you stay connected in healthy ways when the situation or the conversation gets heated.

When emotions become more intense, for example when you become more angry during an argument, everything speeds up. It is easy to feel lost or say and do things that you wouldn’t normally say or do. If you’ve ever found yourself in the middle of an argument wondering how you got there, you know this feeling. My job as a couples counselor is to slow down those moments in session in order to understand them better. We look at what emotions come up inside of each person from moment to moment and how your attachment styles are being activated. Building that understanding of what is happening on an emotional level and an attachment level is crucial for relationships. Through this practice you’ll learn skills you can use outside of sessions.

Another part of couples therapy is exploring how past experiences inform and impact the present. Using my training as a trauma therapist, I help partners understand triggering events in their current relationships and how to navigate those moments.

Finally, in my work with queer couples, we also take time to explore how identity intersects with the relationship. It’s all connected and my passion is in providing a safe space to explore these important aspects of identity that impact the relationship.

Wondering what to expect during couples therapy? Get ready to chat about your relationship journey and the areas where you're feeling stuck. You'll have the opportunity to reflect on how past experiences might be affecting your current dynamic. Emotions will come up, but don't worry, I'll be by your side every step of the way. Let's get started!

Emotions are tricky! I get it. But they are also incredibly informative. Emotions help us understand our needs. They help us know when we might be unsafe. Emotions are teachers, and when we are curious about our them, that is when we start to see healing. Research shows that healing comes through corrective emotional experiences. It is my joy to walk with you through emotions, through joy, through sadness, and through fear and uncertainty. Throughout the therapy process, I will be right there with you.

Most of our work will be together! It’s “couples” therapy after all. However, at the beginning, after we’ve met together for the first intake appointment, I will schedule a one-on-one meeting with each partner. These meetings are a great time to get to know you individually. You can expect me to ask some questions about your past experiences in relationships and about ways you relate with yourself as well as others. I will also ask questions and be curious about what you hope to get out of therapy.

If you have a secret, something you’ve not shared with your partner, it may be helpful for me to know that. However, in general, I am not a secret keeper. If you share a secret with me, I’ll work with you to support you in sharing that with your partner.

Yes, I do! I love supporting couples preparing to getting married. What a beautiful time in the relationship to grow together and set a strong foundation for the relationship.

Of course! I’m here to support relationships in their various beautiful forms. You get to define what your relationship is and deserve the support regardless of your paperwork status.

Yes, I am extensively trained in a model of therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the gold standard for relationship therapy. It is a therapy model developed for relationships, partnerships, and marriages. Even though I already have extensive experience and training supporting relationships, I am also committed to continually growing and building my expertise. Currently, I am completing EFT Core Skills training, an advanced level training in EFT and am in consultation working toward certification.

To get started with couples counseling, send Lindsay a message to schedule your free initial consultation. Consultations can either be by phone or video, your choice! After you message Lindsay, you should expect to hear back from her within 1 to 2 business days with available dates and times for the consultation. You can expect the conversation to be about 20 to 30-minutes. Both you and your partner need to be a part of the call or video meeting in order to start the process together. During the initial consultation, you can expect Lindsay to ask a few "get to know you" questions like, "What brings y'all to therapy?" or invitations like, "Tell me a little bit about your relationship and what you hope to work on in therapy." Because this is an initial conversation, we will not be diving in deep or be able to hear all the details. This initial consultation will be a time for Lindsay to get to know you and your partner a bit, hearing about what feels stuck in your relationship, and for you to get to know Lindsay and ask her questions about what to expect in therapy. There is no better time than today to start fighting for your relationship. Message Lindsay today to get started!