Couples therapy is an opportunity for you and your partner to reduce marital/relationship distress and to restore connection. It is a chance to reduce conflict, break out of old patterns and improve communication. I provide therapy that is short-term and results oriented and my personal approach is to take an active role in sessions to facilitate change.

As in individual therapy, it is a highly collaborative process. However, couples therapy is often more difficult because one partner is motivated and the other arrives reluctantly. In these situations, the first several sessions may be spent working together to find common ground to start from. From that point forward, the three most important factors leading to success are:

1) Both partners feeling that the other genuinely cares.

2) The quality of the therapeutic relationship.

3) A shared belief in the principles of the therapeutic method.

I will invite you and your partner to collaborate in creating the goals for therapy and to contribute feedback about our relationship and my approach along the way. My primary approach to couples therapy is a method known as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

Emotionally Focused Therapy

EFT is a short-term, empirically validated approach to helping distressed couples. It is based on clear, explicit conceptualizations of marital distress and adult love. These conceptualizations are supported by empirical research on the nature of marital distress and adult attachment. A substantial body of research outlining the effectiveness of EFT now exists. Research studies find that 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery and approximately 90% show significant improvement. Specifically, research has shown that clients report that five things happened in therapy that made things better for them:

• One partner expressing underlying feelings and the other changing their perception of that partner after hearing this.

• Learning to understand underlying emotions.

• Learning to productively express emotional needs.

• Taking responsibility for emotional needs.

• Receiving validation for one’s needs.

EFT is designed to be completed in 8-16 sessions and there are no homework assignments. The expectation is for change to occur during therapy sessions. Sessions are usually one hour in length and take place on a weekly basis.

Time Magazine Article - The Marriage Savers


Click Here to learn more about what to expect when starting Couples Therapy.

- Seal Beach               - Huntington Beach - Los Alamitos
- Rossmoor                - Belmont Shore                       - Long Beach
- Sunset Beach          - Newport Beach - Fountain Valley
- Westminster           - Garden Grove                        - Cypress
- Cerritos                    - Signal Hill - Los Altos

Jim Viccaro, M.S., M.F.T.
Life Pathways Therapy Solutions
Phone:E-mail: jim@life-pathways.com