Rebuilding Communication, Intimacy & Partnership Alignment
Every relationship experiences periods of friction, distance, or miscommunication. Whether you are navigating recurring arguments, feeling emotionally disconnected, adjusting to major life transitions, or working through trust issues, feeling stuck in your partnership can take a heavy toll on your overall well-being.
In a fast-paced environment like Vancouver, external pressures, such as demanding careers, financial stress, neurodivergence, and societal expectations, often spill into our most intimate relationships. For LGBTQ+ couples and non-traditional partnerships, these challenges are frequently compounded by unique systemic stressors, minority stress, and family dynamics.
As a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Vancouver, I provide a compassionate, structured, and affirming space for couples and partners to break negative communication loops, rebuild emotional safety, and foster lasting intimacy.
Areas We Address in Relationship Counselling
Couples therapy is not about picking sides or deciding who is "right." It is about understanding the underlying patterns that drive conflict and learning how to meet each other's emotional needs.
Common Issues We Support:
Communication Breakdown & Conflict Resolution: Stopping repetitive arguments, defensiveness, escalation, or emotional withdrawal (stonewalling).
Affirming LGBTQ+ & Queer Relationships: Navigating queer relationship dynamics, coming-out processes within partnerships, non-monogamy, polyamory, and open relationship agreements.
Neurodiverse Relationships (ADHD & Executive Function): Bridging communication gaps, task division friction, and emotional misunderstandings between neurotypical and neurodivergent partners.
Restoring Intimacy & Emotional Connection: Reconnecting when you feel more like roommates than romantic partners, or rebuilding physical and emotional closeness.
Navigating Major Transitions: Supporting partners through career changes, cohabitation, marriage, family planning, or decisions around the future of the relationship.
Therapeutic Modalities for Couples & Partners
I combine evidence-based relationship frameworks tailored to your unique dynamic and goals:
Gottman Method Couples Therapy: Draws on decades of research to help partners increase emotional intimacy, manage conflict constructively, dismantle defensiveness, and build shared meaning.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Principles: Helps partners identify negative attachment cycles, understand underlying emotional vulnerabilities, and create secure attachment bonds.
Person-Centred & LGBTQ+-Affirming Care: Ensures both partners feel equally heard, respected, and validated, without pathologizing non-traditional, queer, or consensual non-monogamous relationship models.
Cognitive & Behavioural Communication Tools: Teaches practical, actionable strategies for active listening, boundary setting, and de-escalating arguments in real-time.
What to Expect in Our Sessions
Initial Assessment & Mapping: We explore your relationship history, strengths, and the core patterns or recurring conflicts bringing you to therapy.
Creating Emotional Safety: We establish ground rules so both partners can express thoughts, vulnerabilities, and needs without fear of criticism or judgment.
Skill-Building & De-escalation: You will learn concrete tools to stop conflict before it escalates, express needs constructively, and repair after arguments.
Deepening Connection: We focus on rebuilding trust, shared goals, affection, and long-term partnership alignment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is couples counselling covered by extended health insurance in BC?
Yes! As a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), my services are covered under most extended healthcare benefits in British Columbia that include RCC coverage for couples or family therapy. You will receive an itemized receipt after each session to submit to your insurer.
What if my partner is hesitant or reluctant to attend therapy?
It is very common for one partner to feel uncertain about starting therapy. I approach couples work with warmth, neutrality, and practical tools, never taking sides, to ensure both partners feel safe, respected, and heard from day one.
Do you support polyamorous, open, or non-monogamous relationships?
Absolutely. I provide fully affirming, non-judgmental therapy for all relationship structures, including consensual non-monogamy, polyamory, and open partnerships, focusing on communication, agreements, and emotional safety.
Ready to Invest in Your Relationship?
Rebuilding trust, intimacy, and clear communication starts with a single step forward together.
Session Fee: $200 per 50-60 minute couples session; $300 per 80-90 minute couples session
Format: In-person (Vancouver); and Online Video Counselling across BC
