Helping You Build a More Satisfying Relationship
Couples and Marriage Counseling in Portland and throughout Oregon and Washington
Marriage and Couple Counseling Portland, Oregon
Marriage counseling in Portland and throughout the states of Washington and Oregon
Availability as of 11 April, 2024: I currently have openings.
To schedule directly, please visit my online calendar HERE, or email me at cpalmerpdx@gmail.com and I will help you get on the schedule. If you don’t see a time on my schedule that works for you, please email me and we’ll find a time, or add your name to my waitlist by clicking HERE11
Portland, Oregon 97209
Learn how to escape repetitive negative interactions
Find love and connection once again
Are you having trouble communicating? Has there been a betrayal? Have one or both of you been getting repeatedly angry or frustrated? Do you feel misunderstood – do you feel like your partner has a hard time hearing you or understanding how you feel? Do you sometimes feel alone and disconnected in your relationship? Are you trying to make it better and nothing seems to work?
Many couples seek marriage counseling when there has been a major disruption in their relationship, or when they find themselves mired in the same repetitive negative fight patterns that seem to get worse over time instead of better. These cycles end up leaving people feeling angry, withdrawn, worn out, disconnected and unsupported.
As a couples counselor, I’m skilled at helping clients come back together and understand what is underlying thier negative cycles so that they can break free of them and create a more joyful, satisfying relationship.
Does Marriage Counseling Work?
Couples counseling can have a profoundly positive impact on your relationship as long as both you and your partner are willing to do the work. Change is not easy. Marriage therapy requires ownership of self, and compassionate understanding of your partner. It is a process that will take effort to explore and try new ways of being together. Gaining these new insights, experiencing emotions more fully, and practicing new behaviors is difficult work.
One of my goals is to help you feel safe so that you can be open, vulnerable, and willing to be accessible and responsive to your partner. This is the way out of the negative interaction patterns, and will help foster deeper intimacy and understanding.
How Do I Find a Good Marriage Counselor?
I may not be the best fit for you (due to location, cost, gender preference, whatever) and that’s okay. However, I would like to guide you in finding a therapist who is qualified to do couples work. You don’t want to pay someone to watch you fight – you can do that at home for free. You want a couples counselor who will provide structure in session, who has the experience/training to understand your problem, who doesn’t get flustered or lose focus when/if things get heated, who will require that you try new ways of behaving and interacting outside of therapy, and who won’t give up on your relationship.
As it turns out, anyone who receives a counseling degree can go into practice and offer marriage counseling as a service, even if they have NO formal training in it. Individual therapy and marriage therapy are very different! A therapist who does not know how to provide the structure and who is not prepared for the sometimes fast-paced, intense, directive work required to keep a couple from blowing apart can end up doing more harm than good.
Please be proactive and ask your prospective therapist about their training, experience, and approach.
Questions to Ask a Perspective Marriage Counselor:
*Have you worked with couples like us before? (do they understand your specific problem and have experience with it?)
*Which method of couples counseling do you use? (for a description of some of the common therapies used in couple work please click on ‘My Approach‘ . There may be other marriage therapy methods not listed that would be more appropriate for your unique situation)
*What kind of specialized training do you have in that method? (please note that most degree programs provide very little specific training in couples counseling. This is true even for Marriage, Couple, and Family programs, so be sure to ask about post-degree training)
*What percentage of your current caseload is couple work?
*What should we expect from therapy?
I pride myself in being very good at what I do. I have an advanced degree in marriage and family therapy and years of trainings post-degree to refine my skills as a couples counselor.
I've built and managed two successful clinics over the years: A couples clinic and an anxiety clinic, both in Portland, Oregon.
As my client, I'm fully invested in helping you attain your goals. I can help you and your partner build a relationship that is safe, secure, close, meaningful and long-lasting.
Please click the 'About Me' button above to learn more about me.
To see my fees and availability