Care with intention
Two perspectives.
A shared conversation.
Understand patterns, improve communication, and clarify what you want to build.
Understand the dynamic, rather than arguing about the latest moment.
Couples therapy examines communication, conflict, emotional responsiveness, boundaries, and shared goals. Each person’s perspective contributes to the work.
In person in Chehalis or by telehealth when appropriate.
Request Appointment
A clear agreement at the beginning.
Before therapy begins, we clarify who is participating, how treatment records are handled, the approach to individual communications, and the limits of confidentiality. Each participant reviews the practice’s consent and privacy policies.
Patterns, responsibility, and choice.
We explore recurring interactions, what each person experiences within them, and what a more workable response could look like. Goals may involve communication, rebuilding trust, decision-making, or navigating a transition. Therapy supports thoughtful choices; relationship outcomes vary.
Suitability comes first.
Screening considers coercion, fear, interpersonal violence, and safety. Some situations call for individual treatment or specialized support before joint sessions. Psychiatric care for one partner has a distinct purpose and confidentiality framework.
A closer look
Look closely at the interaction.
Many couples arrive with different accounts of the same moment. Therapy can examine the sequence beneath the disagreement: what one person says or does, how the other interprets it, what each feels, and how the response affects the next exchange.
Work may focus on recurring conflict, emotional distance, changes in responsibilities, trust, boundaries, or a major transition. I help clarify each person’s priorities and whether there is a shared goal for treatment. A joint visit has a different clinical purpose from an individual psychiatric evaluation.
Participation requires space for each person to speak and make choices freely. Fear, coercion, and violence change the clinical decision about whether a shared setting is appropriate. Screening and clear treatment agreements help determine the safest and most useful next step.
Clarify
Hear each perspective and establish the purpose of shared sessions.
Recognize
Identify the repeated interaction that keeps a disagreement going.
Respond
Practice clearer communication, boundaries, and workable choices.
Before you begin.
Practical questions about couples therapy.
Do we need to agree about the problem?
Different perspectives can be part of the work. A useful beginning is willingness to describe your own experience, hear the other person, and consider your contribution to an interaction. The goals and suitability of joint sessions are clarified before ongoing treatment.
Will you decide who is right?
The clinical focus is on understanding the interaction, personal responsibility, communication, and the choices available. Specific behaviors and their effects can be addressed directly while the work remains connected to the agreed treatment goals.
What happens to information shared separately?
Ask about the practice’s policy for individual messages, separate conversations, records, and information shared between participants before treatment begins. The treatment agreement defines how those situations are handled, along with the limits of confidentiality.
Can we use insurance for couples sessions?
Coverage depends on the plan, the clinical service, and applicable billing requirements. Ask for the current fee and verify your benefits before scheduling. Relationship work and an individual’s psychiatric treatment may have different payment arrangements.
Let’s find a place to begin.
Tell me what you are looking for help with. We can clarify which kind of appointment fits.
Request Appointment