Couples Therapy + Counseling
Relationship and couples counseling in Chicago, IL.
Relationships can be our greatest source of connection, belonging, and joy but they can also be the sites of deep pain, frustration, and stuckness.
LifePath therapists are passionate about working with you to build a relationship where there is safety, clear communication, and deeper understanding. We partner with both couples and folks in non-traditional relationship structures.
Some of the couples dynamics we work with in therapy:
Pre-marital couples
Long term relationships looking to rekindle intimacy or work through long held patterns
Relationships struggling with communication patterns or value differences
Relationships healing from trust breaches or affairs
Partners navigating the impact of trauma on their relationship
Folks navigating transitions such as becoming parents, caregivers etc.
In couples therapy sessions, we embrace the unique tapestry of your relationship, recognizing that every partnership or relationship system is a blend of shared experiences, individual histories and values, and evolving dynamics. Our therapists integrate a variety of approaches with specific training in Gottman’s Method and Emotion Focused Therapy.
Couples therapy is a chance to practice new ways of communicating and being, and a space to create or deepen your emotional bond or move towards increased clarity around what you want to bring to your relationship.
What couples therapy is not:
a blame game, a quick fix, a one-sided conversation, score keeping, or a space filled with clichés and empty reassurances. It’s not about assigning labels or dictating how you should feel, or what form your relationship should take.
What couples therapy is:
a brave exploration of your relationship, a nurturing environment where vulnerability is encouraged and where you can each expect to be challenged, a place to explore the stuck points in your relationship or the underlying meaning behind conflicts, and a platform to rediscover intimacy or gain clarity.
We provide therapy for wherever your relationship currently is:
Rekindling and strengthening relationships:
Strengthening your connection — rekindling intimacy, understanding each other’s inner worlds, and evolving the person you each are
Supporting you to be able to talk to one another about your feelings and needs
Processing failed “bids” for emotional connection and healing injuries of safety and attachment
Exploring your sexuality and intimacy together and working through the barriers and challenges around sex
Conflict resolution:
Rebuilding trust after betrayal, affairs, or a trust breach
Building insight into the negative cycles that keep you feeling trapped, and creating shared understanding and language around what is keeping you stuck
Developing tools to better communicate with your partner(s) and emotionally regulating during conflict
Moving from “gridlock” to dialogue on conflict around values misalignment, areas of stuckness where we can work towards compromise
Pre-marital counseling:
Preparing for marriage with premarital counseling
Supporting with setting mutual relationship goals/intentions, changing your relationship agreements, or navigating values conflicts
Supporting you to navigate the impact of past trauma on yourself or your partner, and managing the effects that are influencing your relationship
