Couples Workshops

Do You Want to Foster Deeper Connection In Your Relationship?

Are you generally satisfied with your relationship, but sometimes feel as though something is missing? Has a life transition, such as marriage, children, retirement or an empty nest, shifted the landscape of your relationship, prompting you to seek out effective ways to move forward together?

Or, even though your lives are fairly stable, have you noticed a concerning change in your relationship? Maybe you feel as though your partner doesn’t look at you or touch you the same way anymore, and you worry that he or she no longer feels a spark. It may be that you spend more and more of your time together talking about chores, negotiating plans or fulfilling daily responsibilities, but you rarely sit down and really talk.

Perhaps you’ve fallen into a pattern of zoning out to TV shows, video games and social media, and even though you spend hours physically close, emotionally, you’re miles apart.

Does it seem as though you go through the same old routine and have the same conversations every day, leaving you bored and restless? Even though you doubt you and your partner “need” couples therapy, do you want to learn effective ways to maintain a loving, lively and lasting bond before you grow further apart?

Many Couples Need a Boost At One Point or Another

As time passes, all people—and all relationships—inevitably change. Sometimes, those changes are significant and obvious, such as the birth of a child, the start of a marriage, a medical condition or the discovery of a betrayal. Other times, changes start so small that they’re almost impossible to notice.

Without realizing it, a loving, supportive couple can gradually grow more and more distant, eventually piling resentment and anger into the chasm between them. Between the responsibilities of work, parenting, social obligations and more, it’s common to forget that even the most connected couple needs to work to maintain that intimacy. And, especially if you trust that your partner will always be there, it’s easy to push minor relationship issues to the side without giving them the attention they need.

Too often, it takes a crisis to reveal growing tension and conflict in a relationship. If you and your partner are preparing for a new stage in your life together, worrying about a widening emotional gap or wondering how to deepen your bond, there are proactive steps you can take to strengthen your relationship.

Workshops for couples offer a low-commitment, high-impact way for you and your partner to come together, apply effective relationship strategies, increase emotional intimacy and move forward with a foundation of shared emotional safety and trust.

Couples Workshops Can Bring You and Your Partner Together

I have helped couples navigate issues of all shapes and sizes. And, while therapy can be profoundly beneficial for any couple at any point, it is also possible to create lasting change in your relationship without attending therapy. Couples Workshops can provide you with guidance, support and education that can help you take your emotional bond to the next level.

I offer a relationship workshop based on the book Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Dr. Sue Johnson, the developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). EFT therapy helps couples deeply connect, moving beyond surface conflicts to get to the often painful emotions and fears driving harmful relationship patterns. There are three ways to connect and build trust, emotional safety and closeness with your partner:

• Being emotionally accessible and available
• Reaching out/engaging emotionally with your partner when in emotional distress or when you need reassurance you’re not alone
• Having a partner who is responsive to that emotional need—who hears and holds you

During the Hold Me Tight Couples Workshop, you will learn, listen to, observe and practice these three core concepts to building secure emotional attachment.

During each workshop meeting, we will start with a short lecture that illuminates the material in the book. We’ll then watch video clips of actual couples using the concepts we’ve discussed to address and resolve conflict and emotional disconnection. Finally, you and your partner will have an opportunity to find a private space to sit together and practice the skills we’ve just talked about.

As you listen, observe and practice relationship bonding and conflict resolution skills, I will be there to offer assistance as needed. You may have questions or find certain tools difficult to use, and that’s okay. If you and your partner have been drifting apart for a while, it can be surprisingly hard to sit together, hold space for one another and engage in the work of getting close again.

As a therapist who is specifically trained in EFT therapy and also trained with a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, I can help you understand the concepts presented in Hold Me Tight and practice them effectively.

Throughout the workshop, you and your partner will learn how to identify the tender and raw places in your relationship—those memories, experiences or thoughts that bring up sadness, anger or resentment. You are likely to experience emotions you once thought buried and/or gone. But, once you find those raw spots and address them with openness and empathy, you can use your new tools to heal them.

You will also have an opportunity to investigate the patterns showing up in your relationship, as well as their past, present or potential harm. If you encounter a wound that feels too deep to heal on your own, or a pattern that feels too entrenched, I can offer advice or discuss the next best step.

These couples workshops take a few different forms. You and your partner can choose to sign up for 4-6 weeks of regular meetings or you can opt for a 2-day weekend intensive. You can find out when the next workshop is offered on my Events Calendar.

No matter what your relationship looks like today, there is always room for growth, discoveries and increased intimacy and connection.

You don’t have to wait for a crisis to make a positive, lasting change. With a little time and a willingness to try something new, you and your partner can have the deeply connected, close relationship you long for.

You may have questions or concerns about the Hold Me Tight Couples Workshop…

I’m not sure that we can afford the workshop.

Each workshop meeting is jam-packed with information. In a focused, supportive space, you will have the opportunity to develop strategies and skills you can use for a lifetime. The lessons you and your partner can learn together are invaluable. And, investing in workshops now can save you the pain and expensive of facing disconnection, conflict or more therapy down the line.

If we have the book, why do we need this couples workshops?

You can certainly read Hold Me Tight on your own. In fact, if going through the book alone works for you and your partner, then that’s great!

Many people buy self-help books like this one with the best of intentions, only to find that they barely get through the first chapter. It’s also common to have trouble prompting your partner to do his or her reading. Life gets busy, and it’s understandable that reading and practicing falls by the wayside.

The Hold Me Tight Couples Workshop is structured, with a firm beginning and end. And, you don’t have to read the book on your own. I will serve as a professional instructor, encouraging you to engage with the material and its practical tools so you can start to improve your relationship now.

In addition, workshops give participants the opportunity to be fully present in a neutral space, away from distractions or disruptions. You can be fully present, which is necessary for any true emotional connection and relationship change.

We don’t want to talk about our issues around other people.

Although there are opportunities for discussion; however, you don’t have to share anything with the workshop participants if you don’t want to. When it’s time to practice the tools and strategies, you and your partner can choose any private space within the workshop location that feels comfortable for you. This is a time for you and your partner to discuss and practice interacting in a new way, and it’s yours to use and share as you wish.

You Can Breathe New Life And Perspective Into Your Relationship

I invite you to schedule a FREE 30-minute consultation. We can discuss any questions you have about ways to create more satisfaction in your relationship, couples workshops or my practice in San Diego, CA.

NOTE: These workshops are NOT designed to replace individual or couples therapy, and are NOT for couples currently experiencing domestic violence, significant relationship distress or severe mental health symptoms, such as serious depression or contemplating suicide. Please call me to find out if these workshops are the right fit for your relationship needs.  

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