Every relationship faces obstacles. Communication breaks down, trust gets tested, and the connection that once felt effortless can start to feel like work. Couples counseling offers a dedicated space for you and your partner to slow down, understand each other's experience, and rebuild the relationship you want.

I work with couples navigating communication barriers, intimacy struggles, infidelity, and overall relationship disconnect. Sessions are available in-person in Wilmington, NC or virtually to couples anywhere in North Carolina.

Who Couples Counseling Is For?

Couples counseling can help when:

• Conversations regularly turn into arguments, or you've stopped having hard conversations altogether

• Trust has been broken and you're working to rebuild it

• You feel more like roommates than partners

• Life changes (a new baby, a move, a career shift, loss) have put strain on your relationship

• You want to strengthen a relationship that's already good, before problems take root

• You and your partner keep having the same fight, without resolution

My Approach to Couples Counseling

Couples work isn't about deciding who's "right." It's about understanding the cycle you and your partner get stuck in, and learning new ways to communicate that build connection instead of distance.

I work from an integrative approach that combines acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and a family systems foundation. This means we'll look not just at the immediate conflict, but at the deeper patterns often shaped by each partner's own history that keep showing up in your relationship.

What to Expect

Couples counseling typically begins with an initial couples assessment, which gives me a clear picture of your relationship's history, strengths, and current challenges. From there, we'll typically meet weekly or bi-weekly for ongoing sessions.

Sessions are available in-person at my Wilmington office or virtually for couples located anywhere in North Carolina.

If you and your partner are looking for a more condensed, intensive format rather than ongoing weekly sessions, learn more about Couples Intensive Therapy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is couples counseling different from a couples intensive? Couples counseling is ongoing, typically weekly or bi-weekly sessions over a longer period of time. A couples intensive condenses focused work into a shorter, more concentrated timeframe. Both can be effective; which one is right for you depends on your schedule, goals, and the nature of what you're working through.

Do we need to be married to attend couples counseling? No. I work with couples in any committed relationship, married or not, who plan to attend sessions together.

What if only one of us wants to go to therapy? That's common, and it's okay to start there. If your partner isn't ready to join yet, individual therapy can be a helpful starting point, and couples sessions can be added later when both partners are ready.

Do you accept insurance? I'm in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) and Aetna, and I'm happy to submit in-network claims for clients who meet insurance criteria.

What issues do you help couples work through? Common areas include communication breakdowns, infidelity and trust repair, intimacy struggles, and general relationship disconnect. If your relationship is at a decision point about whether to stay together, Discernment Counseling may be a better fit.

If you and your partner are ready to reconnect and build a stronger relationship, I'd be glad to help.