Couples & Relationship Therapy

Enhance your Relationship by Learning the Art and Science of Love.
A science-based approach to Relationship Wellness.
An in-depth analysis of your Relationship Health.
Learn the Art and Science of Love with Dr. Tania

Dr. Tania has completed levels 1 and 2 of advanced training in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy, the most comprehensive, evidence-based, and effective therapy available for relationship improvement today. Based on over five decades of research in relationship psychology, the Gottman Method utilizes structured and solution-focused interventions

Dr. Tania has completed post-graduate training in empirically-supported couples counseling approaches to most successfully serve you.

Couples counseling can be beneficial for a wide continuum of concerns/difficulties, ranging from couples/partners who are wanting to simply improve and optimize their relationships to those who are in a serious crisis and feel close to the breaking point.

Couples therapy has always been a passion of mine- and I can’t wait to share my wealth of knowledge, effective intervention strategies and proven assessment techniques with you!

I am trained to help couples build stronger relationships overall and healthier ways to cope with issues as they arise in the future.

The good news is that couples therapy and marriage counseling is highly effective. Research suggests that 70-75% of couples successfully meet their goals in couples counseling and are overwhelmingly inoculated against relapse when using the research-based method of the Gottman approach, of which I received as post-graduate training in.

Dr. Tania has completed post-graduate training in empirically-supported couples counseling approaches to most successfully serve you.

Dr. Tania has completed levels 1 and 2 of advanced training in the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy, the most comprehensive, evidence-based, and effective therapy available for relationship improvement today. Based on over five decades of research in relationship psychology, the Gottman Method utilizes structured and solution-focused interventions.

Dr. Tania enjoys teaching couples practical ways to:

• Incorporate effective communicate
• Deepen their emotional connection
• Replace negative conflict patterns with positive interactions
• Increase intimacy, respect, and affection
• Repair past hurts
• Rebuild trust
• Recover from affairs or infidelity
• Adjust to parenthood
• Create shared goals and values

I utilize the Gottman Method as the foundation for the work that I do with both marital and premarital couples. The Gottman Method is an approach to couples therapy that includes a thorough assessment (see below) of the couple’s relationship and integrates research-based interventions based on the Sound Relationship House Theory. The goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflicting verbal communication; increase intimacy, respect, and affection; remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy; and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship. To help you productively manage conflicts, you will be given methods to manage “resolvable problems” and dialogue about “gridlocked” (or perpetual) issues.

Couples who begin the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy participate in a two-phase assessment and intervention approach.

The Sound Relationship House Theory:

1. Build Love Maps – How well do you know your partner’s inner psychological world, his or her history, worries, stresses, joys, and hopes?
2. Share Fondness and Admiration – The antidote for contempt, this level focuses on the amount of affection and respect within a relationship. (To strengthen fondness and admiration, express appreciation and respect.)
3. Turn Towards Instead of Away – State your needs, be aware of bids for connection and respond to (turn towards) them. The small moments of everyday life are actually the building blocks of a relationship.
4. The Positive Perspective – The presence of a positive approach to problem-solving and the success of repair attempts.
5. Manage Conflict – We say “manage” conflict rather than “resolve” conflict, because relationship conflict is natural and has functional, positive aspects. Understand that there is a critical difference in handling perpetual problems and solvable problems.
6. Make Life Dreams Come True – Create an atmosphere that encourages each person to talk honestly about his or her hopes, values, convictions and aspirations.
7. Create Shared Meaning – Understand important visions, narratives, myths, and metaphors about your relationship.
8. Trust – This is the state that occurs when a person knows that his or her partner acts and thinks to maximize that person’s best interests and benefits, not just the partner’s own interests and benefits. In other words, this means, “my partner has my back and is there for me.”
9. Commitment – This means believing (and acting on the belief) that your relationship with this person is completely your lifelong journey, for better or for worse (meaning that if it gets worse you will both work to improve it). It implies cherishing your partner’s positive qualities and nurturing gratitude by comparing the partner favorably with real or imagined others, rather than trashing the partner by magnifying negative qualities, and nurturing resentment by comparing unfavorably with real or imagined others.

For those unfamiliar with the Gottman Method, it consists of five stages:

1. Assessment – 3 sessions, further described below
2. Treatment – length of therapy will be determined by your specific needs and goals
3. Phasing Out of Therapy – meeting less frequently, in order for you to test out new relationship skills
4. Termination – summarize progress and define any work that remains
5. Outcome Evaluation – planned follow-up sessions at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months (option but encouraged)

These follow up sessions have been shown through research to significantly decrease the chances of relapse into previous, unhelpful patterns.

ASSESSMENT SESSIONS: Three, in-depth assessment sessions are scheduled as follows:

1. Joint couple interview – 50 minutes in the first session

we will talk about the history of your relationship, areas of concerns, and your goals for treatment. Between assessment session one and two, I send my couples the Gottman Relationship Checkup (GRC). This online clinical assessment tool consists of 337 questions about friendship, intimacy, how well you know your partner, how you manage emotions and conflict, how you share your values and goals, and what gives meaning to your lives. There are additional questions about parenting, housework, finances, trust, and individual areas of concern. The questionnaire is completely confidential, fully HIPAA compliant, and I will be the only person to see your individual responses. The cost for the online assessment tool is $39. More information can be found here: https://gottmanconnect.com/checkup?utm_source=tgi&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ea

2. Individual interviews – 50 minutes, each partner

In the next session, I will meet with you individually to learn each of your personal histories and to give each of you an opportunity to share thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.

3. Treatment planning – 50 minutes

In this final assessment session I follow-up with any remaining clinical questions. I will provide you with the couples version of your Gottman Relationship Checkup, and we will discuss your relationship strengths, and your areas of concern. I will also incorporate the results of your interviews into our discussion, and I will share with you my recommendations for treatment and work to define mutually agreed upon goals for your therapy.

The Gottman Method is designed to support couples across all economic, racial, sexual orientation, and cultural sectors. Outcome research has shown Gottman Method Couples Therapy to be effective for treating same-sex relationships.

Some of the relationship issues that may be addressed in therapy include:

• Frequent conflict and arguments
• Poor communication
• Emotionally distanced couples on the verge of separation
• Specific problems such as sexual difficulties, infidelity, money, and parenting

LAYING A ROCK SOLID FOUNDATION

Premarital counseling is a short-term approach to laying the foundation to a lasting healthy relationship.I will provide you with detailed feedback about your unique relationship strengths and how to use the coping skills of the healthiest couples to get through the rough patches.

Identifying your partner’s needs, patterns of love, and expectations early on prevents unnecessary conflict later. This also provides the necessary building blocks on which you can construct the relationship of your own design.

DR.TANIA IS HERE TO HELP YOU

In addition to building your relationship, you’re also building a therapeutic relationship with me, so should you ever hit a bump in the road I am available to you in the future.

• Five hours of communication skill-building aimed at strengthening intimacy and preventing future relationship issues
• A take-home package of tools and supplemental material provided
• Coffee and snack

What if I want couples counseling, but my partner won’t come?

• It sometimes happens that one partner is either unavailable or unwilling to participate in therapy/counseling. This in no way rules out “couples” therapy since in my experience, it is often possible to improve the relationship even though only one person is involved in  the counseling.