Asking someone to be your partner, getting engaged or married, moving in together, and all the early stage romance and butterflies – these are some of the most exciting times in a relationship! But what happens during the other moments? When things feel mundane and boring, where the passion and connection begins to wane, where overwhelm and stress create the shortest fuses ever, what then?
Realizing you’ve barely spoken 5 words to each other today, calculating in your head the last time you had sex, or feeling frustration that all your words seem to go in one ear and right out the other. Finding yourselves more and more on different pages, questioning where things started to go wrong and wondering if it’s possible for your relationship to be saved. If this at all sounds familiar, please take some comfort in knowing you aren’t alone. Many couples have found themselves standing exactly where you are now. Looking back, it’s easy to see things with rose-tinted glasses. It may feel like the relationship used to be so easy and along the way it got harder and harder.
In my work with couples I like to start at the beginning, to map the relationship from then to now. Sometimes the relationship genuinely does become more complex (work stress, children, moving, illness, etc.) and in these instances a couple needs new tools for coping and connection. Sometimes there may be a shift or transition, which causes growing pains in the relationship as the couple learns new communication methods and conflict resolution skills. Feeling stuck and unheard only leads to anger, resentment, and loss of connection which in turn makes a very unsatisfying relationship. I teach skills such as healthy communication, conflict resolution, self-regulation, boundary setting, trust building, and the art of compromising. These tools can help couples work through their biggest challenges while bringing connection and healing into the relationship.
- Communication Issues
- Conflict Resolution Skills
- Trust Building
- Emotional Intimacy & Safety
- Improving Sexual Issues
- Infidelity
- Mindful Connection
J. Zucker Therapy 