The Benefits of Co-therapy

In our co-therapy approach to couples counseling, we help you explore the dynamics of your relationship by working with you two-on-two. We believe that this approach, which we have found to be a rich, engaging, and connective process both as therapists and as clients, offers important benefits.

It can be difficult for couples – who may well be struggling with their own differences – to find one therapist that both members can develop a relationship of trust with. In any therapeutic process, having a good “fit” between client and therapist is vital for healing and growth. An important sign of a good fit is when the client has a strong felt-sense of being deeply heard, understood, and cared for. The chemistry of a good fit can be, in part, the result of shared background, perspectives, or aspects of personality. We believe that the co-therapy model can address the difficulty of offering a good fit for both partners within a couple.

Working together allows us to offer you the benefit of our combined backgrounds, personalities, and perspectives. We are two very different people: male/female, introvert/extrovert, reserved/expressive, with different career and cultural backgrounds. We find that our own diversity meshes well with the diversity within the couples that we see and helps us make sense of what both partners of a couple are experiencing. We believe that this, in turn, helps each partner have the experience of being heard, understood, and cared for which is so important to the healing and growth process.

We find that the co-therapy process is very engaging and relational. By combining our two different perspectives, we can offer broader insight than either of us could offer on our own. By combining our experiences and creative energies, we can offer a wider range of ideas for ways that the couple can meet their therapeutic goals.

In working with couples, we show up as a couple. Where we think it’s useful, we’re candid about issues and differences that we've had and how we've navigated them. Couples that we have worked with have frequently remarked on how refreshing and useful they've found it to work with “a real couple.” We intimately understand how it is normal for couples to experience challenges and conflict. We work as a team to assist our clients in finding their own path to their desired future.