You have taken the courageous first step towards making meaningful change in your relationships. Congratulations!

Before finding this page, you had to admit that things in your relationship weren’t going the way that you would like them to. This can be a scary realization and many couples report feeling ashamed or embarrassed that they hit this point.

Couples therapy is a courageous step to improve the quality of your life and partnership.

At New Moon Psychotherapy we believe that couples therapy has a place in every relationship. Just like no single human can make it their entire life without ever visiting a doctor, no couple should be expected to navigate all of life’s challenges without a little guidance – especially these days!

What Can Couples Therapy Help With?

There are many reasons that bring couples to therapy at different points in time. 

Common difficulties that bring couples to therapy include:

• Emotional distance and lack of intimacy
• Mental health, work or other stressors, or past traumas (from one or both partner’s) challenging the relationship
• Specific problems such as sexual difficulties, infidelity, money, and parenting
• Family planning
• Support through fertility difficulties
• Feelings of betrayal and difficulty trusting
• Anger and resentment
• Life transitions such as moving in together, marriage, parenthood, retirement, etc.
• Considering or ongoing separation or divorce
• Differences in values and dreams
• Pre-Marital Counselling – wanting to prepare for a long-term commitment

If any of these sound familiar, you can breathe a sigh of relief. You are not alone and our couples therapists can help you and your partner reconnect, find joy, and begin creating the change that you desire.

How Can Couples Therapy Help?

Depending on what brings you and your partner to therapy, the outcome will be different. Below are some ways in which couples therapy has helped couples who choose to participate.

• Learn to fight smart – working together to solve the problem and taking space when needed
• Reduce anger and hostility
• Increase closeness, intimacy, and commitment
• Improve sexual satisfaction
• Develop empathy to better understand and connect with your partner
• Resolve solvable problems and learn to manage perpetual differences
• Increase vulnerability and trust within the relationship
• Discover more about yourself and your partner
• Feel greater connection and admiration for your partner
• Communicate and support one another’s needs and dreams – especially conflicting ones
• Create an amicable plan for separation or divorce
• Create a plan to navigate future difficulties

We work with all couples including those who are LGBTQ+, culturally diverse, syncretic, neurodivergent, and polyamorous.

What Therapies Might Be Used?

We understand that every relationship is as unique as the individuals that form it. For this reason, therapy always begins with an assessment to understand your strengths, challenges, and goals. The therapist then uses this information to create a treatment plan which is tailored to your specific needs. 

The treatment plan will consist of one or more evidence-based couple therapies including:

                   Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy

                   Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for couples affected by trauma

                   Gottman Couples Therapy (Levels 1 & 2)

                   Structural Couples & Family Therapy

                   Mediation-Narrative Family Therapy

The therapist may also use strategies from evidence-based therapies including:

              Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

                  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

                  Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

                  Mindfulness Based Therapy

                  Solution Focused Therapy

Don’t worry – you will not have to pick which is the right fit for you. When you first contact us, our administrative assistant will ask you some questions to understand your situation and recommend a therapist who will be a good fit. When you start working with that therapist, they will talk about what therapy options would be most suitable for you.