Couples and Marriage Counseling


Are you looking for a way to improve some aspects of your otherwise good relationship? Have you tried all the strategies that make sense, but you're still struggling? Maybe you have spoken to friends and sought advice from websites, books, and videos, yet the problems persist. This is where couples therapy at Kentlands Psychotherapy can help.

When Outside Assistance is Needed

While it's normal for all relationships to have ups and downs, some areas may be too complex to fix at home. Couples counseling teaches couples how to make their relationships more loving by increasing their marital friendship and emotional intimacy. This is done by first understanding what behaviors and communication habits put the most significant strain on the relationship. Goals are set together based on empirically grounded strategies developed by John Gottman (Sound Marital House), Sue Johnson (Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy), Harville Hendrix (Imago Therapy), and Dan Wile (Collaborative Couple Therapy). Effective marital therapy, couples counseling, or marriage counseling can significantly increase your quality of life. If you're considering this, I encourage you to read more.

Are You Both Ready to Work?

Relationship counseling, also called Couples counseling, marital therapy, or marriage counseling, works best when both people are ready to work on improving the relationship rather than trying to change each other. When working with a couple, the therapist's job is to create an environment where you both feel safe to talk about the things you're afraid to bring up at home. It is also up to the clinician to make it possible to discuss, in a productive manner, the areas that often lead to fights at home. As such, the focus of couples therapy is not simply to rehash last week's or last month's unresolved argument(s). Instead, it is about working together to understand the patterns in your relationship that are not working. Our clinicians will also help you determine alternative ways to be with one another to make your relationship more robust and loving.

We know it can be tricky to improve one area without disturbing other parts of the relationship that work well. Couples therapy can benefit some, but it is not the answer for everyone. If you want to improve some aspect of your relationship, but your spouse or partner is reluctant to participate, you have another option. Consider doing some individual therapy with a couples therapist now. Changes you begin to make could bring your partner closer to you and motivate them to reconsider couples' work once they experience the benefits.

Let's Do This!

To speak to someone about your needs and which therapist might best fit you, please get in touch with us at 240-252-3349. We have therapists who offer evening and weekend hours—In-person and virtual.

Request An Appointment Now

Who Is Accepting What Type of Client?

Below is a helpful table of which professionals are currently accepting what type of clients.

Populations AcceptedClinicianPrimary Modality
Individuals and CouplesReuven Rosen, LMSWEFCT/EFFT
Couples (18+)Betsy Tseronis, LCPC (accepting new clients)Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy

Wondering how well your relationship is faring?

Compare yourself to the concepts presented in this article by Dr. Elizabeth Carr (link below).

insight-2008-02What is Adult Love?

People often ask, “I love my spouse, but am I still in love?” Learn what adult love is really about.
See how your relationship measures up by answering the four simple questions asked in this article by Dr. Elizabeth Carr.


Would you like to learn more about the experts who have influenced our work?

Here are 4 of Neal Sattin’s Relationship Alive Podcast with John Gottman, Harville Hendricks, Sue Johnson, and Dan Wile.

If you enjoy these podcasts and find them helpful in your relationship development, please consider going to iTunes and rating Neal’s excellent show. We’re confident he would appreciate it.