Couples Therapy
Understand the patterns between you—and find a different way forward.
Couples therapy is one of my favorite types of work.
Relationships are complex. Each person brings a lifetime of experiences, expectations and ways of relating into a partnership. Over time, even couples who care deeply about one another can find themselves caught in patterns that leave both people frustrated, disconnected or misunderstood.
You may find yourselves having versions of the same argument again and again. Communication may have become difficult. You may feel more distant than you once did, or you may be navigating a significant change or decision about your future together.
Couples therapy gives us a place to slow those patterns down, understand what’s happening between you and consider what each of you really needs.
Looking at the relationship as a system
I was trained in the Family Systems Approach, which recognizes that relationship problems rarely belong entirely to one person.
Instead, we’ll look at what happens between you: how each of you responds to the other, how those responses reinforce one another and how experiences from your individual histories may be influencing your relationship today.
That means couples therapy with me isn’t about determining who is right, who is wrong or who needs to be “fixed.”
I take an active role in that process. I’m empathetic and listen closely, but I also ask questions, make observations and challenge both partners when I believe it can help move the work forward.
What brings couples to therapy?
Couples come to therapy for many reasons, including:
- Recurring conflicts and communication difficulties
- Feeling emotionally distant or disconnected
- Differences around family, work, money or priorities
- Trust and intimacy concerns
- Major life changes and transitions
- Longstanding patterns that have become difficult to change
- Questions about commitment or the future of the relationship
- A desire to strengthen an already solid relationship
- Navigating separation in a more thoughtful and respectful way
You don’t have to wait until your relationship is in crisis. Sometimes couples come because they recognize patterns they don’t want to carry forward and want to learn how to communicate with and love one another better over the long haul.
Sometimes the healthiest path is separation.
Not every successful course of couples therapy ends with a couple staying together.
For some couples, our work may lead to greater connection and a renewed commitment to the relationship. For others, therapy may help clarify that separation is the right path.
When that happens, our work can shift toward helping you separate as amicably and civilly as possible—communicating clearly, making thoughtful decisions and treating one another with respect through what can be a very difficult transition.
My role is not to determine the outcome for you. It is to help you understand what is happening, what each of you wants and how to move forward with greater clarity.
Gordon Cohen, PsyD
Contact
(202) 328-2035
drgordoncohen@gmail.com
Address
3000 Connecticut Ave NW #400B
Washington DC 20008