Relationship Counseling - Live Life Now
Strengthen Your Connection
Relationships take work. We help you build skills to communicate, trust, & resolve conflict.
What Strains Relationships
Relationships bring both joy & difficulty. No partnership stays easy all the time. The question isn’t if you’ll face challenges. It’s how you handle them.
Communication breaks down in predictable ways. One person talks, the other stops listening. Someone raises a concern & it turns into an argument about something else entirely. You try to explain your feelings & get met with defensiveness. Small conversations escalate into big fights. You stop bringing things up because it’s not worth the conflict.
Repeating the same arguments becomes exhausting. You’ve had this fight before. You know how it will go. Nothing gets resolved, but you can’t seem to stop having it. The content changes but the pattern stays the same. One person pursues, the other withdraws. Or both people attack. Or both shut down.
Lack of respect shows up in tone, words, & actions. Eye rolling. Contempt in your voice. Dismissing what your partner says. Making fun of them in front of others. Ignoring their needs. Treating them like they’re stupid or unreasonable. Respect erodes slowly, then suddenly the foundation is gone.
Feeling unheard becomes chronic. You express something important & your partner minimizes it. You ask for something & get dismissed. You share your experience & get told you’re overreacting. Over time, you stop sharing. You stop asking. The distance grows.
Boundaries get crossed or don’t exist. One person gives too much, the other takes too much. Someone checks their partner’s phone. Privacy disappears. Individual needs get sacrificed for the relationship. Or boundaries are so rigid that intimacy can’t develop. Finding the right balance is difficult.
Trust breaks in various ways. Infidelity is obvious, but trust erodes in smaller ways too. Lies about money. Hidden habits. Broken promises. Inconsistency between words & actions. Once trust is damaged, rebuilding it takes sustained effort from both people.
Emotional intimacy fades. You share a life but not your inner world. Conversations stay surface level. You don’t talk about fears, dreams, or vulnerabilities. You function as roommates or co-parents but not partners. The connection that brought you together has weakened.
Physical intimacy becomes a source of conflict. Different desires, different needs, different comfort levels. One person wants more, the other wants less. Or physical intimacy is fine but emotional intimacy is missing. Or past trauma affects present connection.
Life stress spills into the relationship. Work problems, financial pressure, health issues, family demands. These external stressors create internal tension. You take frustration out on each other. You have no energy left for the relationship after dealing with everything else.
Unmet expectations create resentment. You expected your partner to be different than they are. They expected you to change. You thought marriage would solve problems. They thought having kids would bring you closer. When reality doesn’t match expectations, disappointment builds.
Past hurts accumulate. You remember every critical comment. They remember every time you let them down. These memories form a narrative about who you are to each other. The narrative becomes more real than current reality.
Different conflict styles clash. One person needs to talk things through immediately. The other needs space to process. One person raises their voice when upset. The other shuts down. Neither is wrong, but the mismatch creates problems.
This is normal. Relationships are hard. Two people with different backgrounds, needs, & communication styles trying to build a life together will encounter conflict. The issue isn’t conflict itself. It’s whether you have skills to work through it.
Our Approach to Relationships
We don’t assume one person is right & one is wrong. Most relationship problems involve patterns both people maintain. We help you identify what’s working & what isn’t.
Understanding Your Pattern
comes first. Every relationship has patterns. We map yours out. What happens before fights start? What triggers defensiveness? How does conflict typically escalate? Who pursues, who withdraws? What ends arguments, & does anything actually get resolved?
Seeing the pattern is the first step to changing it. Most couples are stuck in their pattern without realizing it. Once you see it clearly, you can interrupt it.
Communication Skills Training
gives you tools to speak & listen effectively. This isn’t about being nice or avoiding conflict. It’s about communicating clearly so you’re actually heard.
You learn to express needs without attacking. To use “I” statements instead of “you” accusations. To describe impact without assigning intent. To ask for what you want directly instead of hinting or hoping your partner reads your mind.
You learn to listen without preparing your defense. To hear your partner’s experience even when it differs from yours. To validate feelings even when you don’t agree with conclusions. To ask questions instead of making assumptions.
Conflict Resolution Techniques
help you fight productively. Some conflict is necessary. The goal isn’t to eliminate disagreement. It’s to disagree without damaging the relationship.
We teach you to stay focused on one issue instead of bringing up everything wrong. To take breaks when escalation starts. To recognize when you’re too activated to continue & need to come back later. To know the difference between problems to solve & differences to accept.
Rebuilding Trust
happens through consistent action over time. If trust is broken, we work on what that takes. The person who broke trust needs to demonstrate reliability, transparency, & patience. The person hurt needs to communicate what they need to feel safe again. Both need to work on it.
Setting Boundaries
that protect both people requires negotiation. We help you identify what you need, express it clearly, & hold to it without being rigid. We also help you respect your partner’s boundaries, even when you don’t like them.
Emotional Intimacy Building
starts with vulnerability. We create space for you to share what you don’t usually share. Fears, needs, insecurities. The conversation your relationship needs but hasn’t had. Sometimes couples need help starting these conversations. We provide that structure.
Addressing Past Hurts
means processing things that still carry weight. We don’t rehash every argument you’ve ever had. But if something significant remains unresolved, we work through it. This involves one person expressing their experience & the other truly hearing it without defense.
Coordinating Needs
happens when you want different things. We help you negotiate solutions that work for both people. Sometimes compromise is possible. Sometimes you take turns getting your way. Sometimes you accept that you’re different & find ways to honor both needs.
Breaking Destructive Patterns
requires both people to change their part. If one person pursues & the other withdraws, both patterns need to shift. The pursuer learns to give space. The withdrawer learns to engage before completely shutting down. Change happens when both people adjust.
The goal isn’t a conflict-free relationship. It’s a relationship where conflict gets resolved more often than it damages connection. Where both people feel heard. Where repair happens after rupture. Where you’re building together instead of tearing each other down.
What Sessions Look Like
We work with couples or individuals. Couples counseling requires both people attending & engaging. Individual counseling about relationship issues works when only one person is willing or available.
In couples sessions, both people get time to speak. We make sure one person isn’t dominating conversation while the other sits silent. We interrupt patterns that happen in session because those same patterns happen at home.
We don’t take sides. Our job is to help the relationship, not advocate for one person against the other. Sometimes we point out when one person’s behavior is problematic. Sometimes we highlight ways both people contribute to problems.
Sessions last 50 minutes, typically weekly. Some couples benefit from longer sessions, especially early in treatment. We’ll discuss what fits your needs.
You’ll have homework. Relationships change through practice, not just insight. We’ll ask you to try new communication techniques, have specific conversations, or notice certain patterns between sessions.
Sessions create a safe space for difficult conversations. Many couples can’t have these conversations at home without escalating. We provide structure & intervention when needed.
All conversations remain confidential. What you share in session stays in session, with standard exceptions for safety concerns.
Common Questions About Relationship Counseling
Do both people need to attend?
Couples counseling works best when both attend & commit to the process. But if only one person is willing, individual counseling can still help. You can change your part of the pattern, which often shifts the relationship dynamic.
What if we've tried therapy before?
Different therapists use different approaches. Previous therapy might have focused on insight without building skills. Or the timing wasn’t right. Or the therapist wasn’t a good fit. Trying again with a different approach can produce different results.
How long does it take?
Most couples see progress within 10-15 sessions. Some need more time, especially if trust is severely damaged or patterns are deeply entrenched. Some get what they need in fewer sessions.
What if one person doesn't think there's a problem?
That’s common. Often one person is more aware of issues or more affected by them. We work with where both people are. Sometimes the resistant person becomes more engaged once they understand the process isn’t about blaming them.
Can you save our relationship?
We can’t promise that. We can teach you skills, help you communicate better, & work through issues. But both people have to want to work on it. If one or both people have already decided to leave, counseling might help with a better separation instead.
What if the problem is big? Infidelity, addiction, major betrayal?
We work with serious issues. These take longer & require more intensive work. Rebuilding after major betrayal is possible but demands commitment from both people. Not all relationships survive these events, but many do with proper support.
Build Something Stronger
Better communication is learnable. Conflict resolution is a skill. Trust can rebuild. Connection can deepen. None of this happens automatically. It takes effort from both people.
Relationships don’t fail because people stop loving each other. They fail because people don’t have the skills to work through difficulties. You can develop those skills.
Your first session involves assessment. We’ll ask about your relationship history, current challenges, what you’ve tried, & what you hope to achieve. We’ll identify patterns & begin building your treatment plan.
Strong relationships aren’t those without conflict. They’re those where people know how to repair after conflict, communicate needs clearly, & maintain respect even during disagreement.
We have the frameworks, the techniques, & the experience. You bring the willingness to work.
Client Testimonials
“I was skeptical about therapy. I had tried a few therapists in the past and didn’t feel seen. But here, I found someone who really got it. We talked about my anxiety around work performance, but also about being a Black man navigating stress and expectations. It’s been a game-changer. I don’t just cope—I’m growing.”
“What stood out to me was the empathy and skill of my therapist. I’ve struggled with perfectionism and shame for most of my adult life. Through therapy and the skills lab sessions, I finally learned how to soothe my inner critic. I feel like I can breathe again. Therapy didn’t fix me—it helped me meet myself with kindness.”
“Therapy helped me understand patterns I was blind to—especially in relationships. I used to push people away before they could hurt me. Now I see how fear was driving me, and I’ve started building real, open connections. I didn’t expect to feel so supported. I’m grateful I gave this space a chance.”
“I began therapy because I felt constantly overwhelmed and unsure of my place in the world. My therapist helped me make sense of my anxiety and gave me real tools to cope. The mindfulness work we did together shifted how I relate to myself. I no longer feel broken—I feel human.”
“I came in feeling numb and disconnected. Years of pushing down emotions had left me empty. Through therapy, I started to understand my emotional world for the first time. I even learned how to talk about feelings with my teenage son. That’s something I never thought I’d be able to do.”
“I work in a helping profession, so I thought I should have it all figured out. But therapy showed me that even caregivers need care. I loved the blend of compassion and structure my therapist brought. The two-hour sessions were particularly transformative—they gave me time to unpack and rebuild.”
“For years, I thought my relationship issues were just bad luck. But therapy helped me understand attachment styles, boundaries, and my own patterns. I learned to stop chasing unavailable people and start showing up for myself. It’s been deeply healing.”
“I never thought I’d be someone who goes to therapy. But I hit a wall and couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine. From the first session, I felt a deep respect and safety here. We unpacked years of suppressed grief and stress. I’ve come out stronger, not just mentally, but emotionally and spiritually too.”
“As a young woman dealing with depression and identity confusion, therapy gave me a place to speak freely. I no longer feel like I’m faking confidence. I’ve found my voice, and for the first time, I actually feel like I belong in my own life.”
