Couples Therapy — Victoria, BC
Every relationship hits a wall.
What matters is what you
do next.
I offer couples therapy in Victoria, BC and virtually across British Columbia and Alberta — working with partners who are struggling, disconnected, or trying to repair something that's been significantly damaged. Using Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method, I help couples understand what's actually happening between them and build something more durable.
Get in TouchWhen to Seek Couples Therapy
You don't have to be in crisis
to benefit from this work.
Most couples wait too long. By the time they arrive, the distance has solidified, the resentment has compounded, and both people have started to quietly wonder whether it's worth trying. Couples therapy works best when you start before you've run out of goodwill — but it can still be deeply useful even then.
The same arguments keep happening with no resolution
One or both partners feel chronically unheard or dismissed
Sexual intimacy has become infrequent, painful, or absent
A significant breach of trust — infidelity, dishonesty, or betrayal
Stress, trauma, or health challenges affecting the relationship
Growing emotional distance or a sense of living parallel lives
You want to build something better before problems become entrenched
You're considering separation and want to make that decision clearly
Treatment Approaches
Two of the most researched couples
frameworks in existence.
I use both Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method — not interchangeably, but intentionally. Each couple is different and the approach follows the people, not a preset formula.
01
Emotionally Focused Therapy
EFT — developed by Dr. Sue Johnson
EFT is one of the most extensively validated couples therapy models available, with over 30 years of research demonstrating its effectiveness. It works on the premise that most relationship conflict is driven by underlying attachment needs — the need to feel emotionally safe, seen, and consistently valued by your partner.
When those needs go unmet, couples fall into predictable negative cycles — pursue-withdraw, criticize-defend, escalate-shutdown — that reinforce each other over time. EFT works by identifying those cycles, understanding the deeper emotional drivers behind them, and helping partners respond to each other in ways that actually build security rather than erode it.
The research on EFT shows that 70–75% of couples move from distress to recovery, and approximately 90% show significant improvement. Those numbers are not typical of most therapeutic approaches.
02
The Gottman Method
Based on the research of Drs. John & Julie Gottman
The Gottman Method is grounded in over four decades of research on couples — including what distinguishes relationships that last from those that end. It identifies specific behaviours that predict relationship breakdown (including criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling) and provides concrete tools for replacing them with patterns that build trust, friendship, and repair.
Where EFT focuses on the emotional and attachment dynamics between partners, the Gottman Method tends to be more skills-focused — building communication tools, conflict management strategies, and shared meaning. I draw on both frameworks depending on what a given couple needs in a given moment.
Sexual Health & Relationships
Sexual concerns are relationship concerns.
And vice versa.
My background in sexual health sets this couples work apart. A significant proportion of the couples I see are navigating sexual difficulties alongside broader relational dynamics — and those two things are rarely separable.
Mismatched Desire
One of the most common presenting concerns in couples therapy. We work through the relational dynamics, individual factors, and communication patterns that contribute — not just the frequency.
Sexual Pain
When one partner experiences pelvic or sexual pain, the relational impact is significant and often goes unaddressed. I have specialist training in both the clinical and relational dimensions of this.
Sexual Disconnection
Intimacy that has become routine, obligatory, or absent — often the symptom of deeper relational dynamics rather than a problem in isolation.
Recovery After Infidelity
Rebuilding sexual intimacy after a breach of trust is some of the most complex relational work there is. I work with couples on this with the specificity it requires.
What to Expect
Honest, structured, and grounded
in what the research actually shows.
Couples therapy with me is active. I'm not a neutral facilitator watching two people argue — I'm tracking what's happening between you, naming the patterns I see, and helping you find a different way through them. I'll be direct. I'll challenge both of you when it's useful. And I'll hold space for the full complexity of what you're bringing.
Sessions are typically 60–90 minutes and are available in person in Victoria, BC and Edmonton, AB, or virtually for couples across British Columbia and Alberta. I occasionally work with individual partners where couples sessions aren't possible or where individual work is a better fit for a particular stage of the process.
Getting Started
Couples therapy in Victoria, BC.
Accepting new clients.
If you're looking for a couples therapist in Victoria or virtually across BC or Alberta, get in touch. Both partners don't need to be equally ready — in fact, they rarely are. One person making the first move is often enough to get started.