Marriage Counseling, Relationship Counseling, Family Counseling
I have been an active marriage therapist since 1975. My first cases were marital and family cases predominantly through the community services program in Chicago. Before that time, and since then until today’s date I have taken a number of clinical therapy courses at the doctoral level and gone to conferences which include marital therapy issues and taken mediation courses through the Illinois Mediation Program conducted at Northwestern. My personal philosophy is based on experiences and beliefs that couples are best off when they enter the marital union with a commitment towards permanence. Over the thirty plus years of working with couples, I have only had a few (about five) couples who terminated their relationship. Out of this small number, three of the couples stayed in therapy in order to parent the best way possible as a once married, now separated or divorced couple. Interestingly, they have become better friends through this process.
I have also learned many things from couples, courses, reading and reflecting that have enriched my work as a Marriage Friendly Therapist. I have learned:
As a Marriage Friendly Therapist, I use certain techniques that create Marriage Friendliness, but also create the skills to maintain the individual “friends” that live within the couple’s relationship. I start out immediately by
I utilize predominantly Psychodynamic therapy, Cognitive behavioral therapy, (yes: I do give “fun homework”) and cultural anthropological education, especially when people have very different backgrounds. I believe that Marriage Friendly is a wonderful term because the greatest focus of our work together as a couple and a therapist is to learn how to be “friends” while in an intimate relationship. I always desire to be a stimulus/coordinator/collaborator to help two people in a marriage become “friends” since it is the friendship which makes a richer, stronger relationship and leads to lasting love and growth-promoting relationships. I strongly identify with the concept of a Marriage Friendly Therapist by values, beliefs, and education.
Call or email me today to get started on the road to a happier, healthier relationship.