Online Couples Counselling in English — for Expats & Cross-Cultural Couples

Using a Gottman approach alongside other evidence-based methods, I help couples rebuild intimacy, manage conflict, and reconnect.

Gottman Relationship Builder

The Gottman Relationship Builder is a collection of exercises and videos offered by the Gottman Institute to improve your relationship and to greatly minimize chances of relapse. This powerful system of proven interventions includes:

  • 13 modules that cover all facets of the Gottman Method: friendship, intimacy, how well you know your partner, how you manage emotions and conflict, how you share your values and goals, and what gives meaning to your lives
  • 90 short and informative videos of Drs. John and Julie Gottman role-playing the right and wrong way to use your newfound skills (you do not have to watch all 90 videos, only the ones that are relevant to our work together)
  • 35 easy and fun exercises that you can do with your partner

My Approach to Couples Counseling

Gottman Method from assessment to scientifically proven interventions

During our couples sessions, I will be using the Gottman Method, which was developed by the world-renowned psychologists Drs. John and Julie Gottman. This method consists of a thorough assessment and a series of effective interventions. The assessment identifies challenging areas in your relationship. Over the last 40 years, Drs. John and Julie Gottman have developed scientifically proven intervention techniques that have helped more than 100,000 couples. We will use these powerful techniques to deepen friendship and intimacy in your relationship, help you productively manage conflicts, address resolvable problems, and engage in dialogue about gridlocked issues. Additionally, we will work together to help you appreciate your relationship’s strengths.

Assessment

1. In the first 90-minute couples session, we'll talk through the history of your relationship, current concerns, and what you hope to get out of therapy.

2. If we feel that we're a good fit to work together, you'll complete the Gottman relationship questionnaires online within a few days.

3. After that, each of you will have a 55-minute individual session to share more about your personal background and your perspective on the relationship.

4. We'll then come back together for a final assessment couples session, where I'll share my reflections and recommendations, and we'll agree on goals for our work going forward.

The Relationship questionnaires consist of about 300 questions about friendship, intimacy, how well you know your partner, how you manage emotions and conflict and how you share your values and goals. The questionnaire is completely confidential. Results provide valuable clinical information by pinpointing specific strengths and challenges in your relationship. The questionnaires are completely confidential, and I as your therapist will be the only person to see your responses.

Treatment

In the therapy sessions, we’ll focus on strengthening connection, deepening friendship and intimacy, while fostering trust and commitment. I will assist you in managing conflicts productively, addressing resolvable problems, and engaging in dialogue about gridlocked issues. Weekly 90-minute sessions are strongly recommended as research shows such intensity increases counseling effectiveness.

The length of therapy depends on many factors, such as the nature of your difficulties and readiness for change, as well as intensity of your work in between the sessions. We will establish points at which to evaluate your satisfaction and progress.

Phasing out of therapy

We will meet less frequently in order for you to test out new relationship skills and to prepare for termination of the therapy.

Termination

Although you may terminate therapy whenever you wish, it is most helpful to maintain your treatment gains to have at least one session together to summarize progress, define the work that remains, and say good-bye.