What is Couples Therapy?
Couples therapy is a structured, collaborative mental health treatment facilitated by a licensed clinical psychologist. Unlike general relationship advice or casual mediation, evidence-based couples counseling provides a targeted clinical framework designed to help partners de-escalate destructive argument cycles, repair attachment ruptures, and deepen emotional and physical intimacy.
Over time, even the strongest relationships can encounter gridlock caused by communication breakdowns, life transitions, work stress, parenting demands, or unhealed emotional wounds. When conflict arises, couples often fall into automatic defense patterns—such as criticism, defensiveness, emotional withdrawal, or constant misinterpretation.
Virtual couples therapy provides a neutral, private, and non-judgmental environment to safely identify these destructive dynamics, rebuild mutual respect, and create a resilient, long-lasting partnership.
Research-Based Approach
Not all relationship counseling yields lasting results. Many couples feel frustrated by traditional, unstructured therapy sessions that feel like a "weekly refight" of the same arguments without clear guidance or skill-building.
An evidence-based approach means that the clinical modalities used in your relationship care—specifically Gottman Method Couples Therapy and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT)—are backed by decades of rigorous empirical research observing real-world couples.
How Research-Backed Couples Therapy Sets Itself Apart:
Structured Assessment over Guesswork: We begin with a rigorous, research-validated clinical assessment to pinpoint your exact relationship strengths, attachment styles, and vulnerabilities before diving into interventions.
Targeting the Mechanisms of Conflict: Instead of just talking about your problems, we target the specific physiological and emotional drivers of conflict (such as emotional flooding and defensive reactions).
Focusing on Solvable vs. Perpetual Issues: According to Gottman research, 69% of relationship conflicts are perpetual—meaning they stem from fundamental personality or value differences. Evidence-based therapy teaches you how to dialogue about ongoing differences constructively without falling into resentment or gridlock.
Gottman Method Couples Therapy: Practical Tools for Daily Connection
Developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman over 40 years of empirical research, the Gottman Method focuses on strengthening the Sound Relationship House. Key focus areas include:
Eliminating the "Four Horsemen": Learning to replace destructive conflict patterns—Criticism, Defensiveness, Stonewalling, and Contempt—with healthy communication buffers like gentle startups, taking responsibility, self-soothing, and appreciation.
Enhancing "Love Maps" & Friendship: Rebuilding emotional connection by helping partners update their understanding of each other's inner worlds, stressors, values, and life dreams.
Nurturing Fondness & Admiration: Shifting the relationship culture away from scanning for mistakes toward actively expressing gratitude, affection, and mutual respect.
Turning Toward Instead of Away: Recognizing and responding positively to your partner's small "bids" for emotional connection in daily life.
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT): Rebuilding Attachment & Trust
Pioneered by Dr. Sue Johnson, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a humanistic, attachment-based approach designed to transform the underlying emotional responses that drive relationship distress. Key focus areas include:
Mapping Your Negative Interaction Loop: Uncovering the automatic "dance" your relationship falls into during stress (such as the Pursuer-Distancer dynamic, where one partner pushes for connection while the other shuts down to self-protect).
Accessing Primary Emotional Needs: Helping each partner look beneath secondary reactions (like anger, frustration, or numbness) to identify and express core emotional vulnerabilities—such as the need to feel safe, valued, and emotionally secure.
Healing Attachment Injuries & Betrayal: Processing deep emotional ruptures—such as infidelity, broken trust, or moments of intense emotional abandonment—so genuine forgiveness and relational safety can be rebuilt.
Creating a Secure Attachment Bond: Structuring positive, corrective emotional experiences in session so you and your partner can reliably turn to one another as a source of comfort and security.
Who Can Benefit from Couples Therapy?
Specialized relationship counseling provides focused clinical support for couples navigating:
Repetitive Conflict & Communication Gridlock: Feeling like you keep having the exact same argument on repeat without reaching resolution.
Pursuer-Distancer & Withdrawal Cycles: One partner constantly feeling demanding or anxious while the other feels overwhelmed and shuts down.
Emotional Disconnection & Distance: Feeling more like "roommates" or business partners managing a household rather than romantic partners.
Trust Recovery & Infidelity: Healing from emotional or physical affairs, secrecy, broken promises, or chronic breach of trust.
Intimacy & Mismatched Desire: Addressing physical disconnect, lack of affection, or differing sexual desires in a safe, non-judgmental space.
Major Life Transitions & Stress: Navigating career changes, relocating across states, co-parenting challenges, burnout, or caring for aging parents.
About Insurance
I currently accept Aetna Student Health (Boston University), United Healthcare Student Resources (Tufts University, Boston College), and Lyra Health in the states of Florida, New York, and and Massachusetts. However, I am an out-of-network provider for most insurance programs and other states. That is, you might be able to receive some reimbursement for our sessions if your insurance offers you out-of-network benefits. If you decide to use these benefits, I will provide you with a Superbill (aka master bill). This superbill meets the requirements set forth by most insurance companies so that you can receive reimbursement for services.
Contacting your Insurance Company
Please contact your insurance provider for specific information about your plan’s reimbursement rate, deductible, and mental health coverage. I may appear in-network for your insurance plan. Please confirm the practice address with the insurance company.
Some questions you could ask your insurance company:
Do I have out-of-network benefits for mental health coverage? If so, what percentage is covered?
Do I have a deductible? What is it and how much of it have I met?
What is the co-pay (or co-insurance) for a session if I see an out-of-network provider?
How do I submit a request for reimbursement?
About No Surprise Act
The No Surprises Act requires health care providers need to give clients who do not have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services, within one business day of your service.
You can ask your healthcare provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service, or at any time during treatment.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or how to dispute a bill, please visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059.