Counseling Services
at Blue Turtles Counseling and Consulting
Couples Therapy
We offer two different models of couples therapy at Blue Turtles Counseling. Because of our unique position as a married couple who are both therapists, we offer a model of dual therapy in addition to traditional couples therapy.
Dual Therapy Session Model:
90 minute session that contains time for a 45 minute couples session with both Eric and Rachel and a 45 minute individual session for each partner one-on-one with Eric or Rachel.
Why this model?
We have discovered that oftentimes couples work is slowed or complicated by issues that could be resolved with some individual work. While referring individual work out is an option, we have found that it is faster and more congruent to do it at the same time as the couples work. Since we already know your story, we do not lose time or energy in “catching up” and, since we already know and care for both of you, we are able to consider you and your partner in the individual work as well as the couple work. In addition to this, having both of us in your couples session allows for more insight and dual approaches. In short, it is more effective work in less time for less money.
Traditional Session Model
55 minute couple session with either Eric or Rachel
About Couples Therapy in general:
In couples therapy, the couple is the client rather than either of the individuals (even though by necessity one of you will be the primary client in our EHR system). Therefore, both of you are asked to equally contribute to the process and set goals. As therapists, it is our goal to care for you both, help you empathize with the other, and care for the relationship between you rather than simply ‘referee’ your conflicts or be the ‘behavior police’.
Because the relationship is the primary focus of couple’s therapy, both partners of a couple must be present for most of the couple’s sessions. There may be a few sessions in which the time is split between the individuals, or in which a partner is unable to come, but a repeating pattern of missed sessions by one or both persons may inhibit the progress of couple’s therapy.
Even though this is relationship work, the individual is still a major player. Couples therapy will only be effective in cases where both partners put in a good faith effort to work on their problems and their relationship. Deliberate dishonesty or deceit, unwillingness to engage in self-awareness work and take responsibility for one’s actions, or lack of interest and motivation to engage in the couple’s therapy process by one or both partners will undermine the therapy.
Next Steps:
1. Free Consultation
In this 20- 30 minute meeting, we will get a short summary of the difficulties you are currently experiencing, answer any questions you have, and allow you to get a sense of how we work so you can make an informed decision about whether we are a good match for you. Sometimes it takes a few tries to find a therapist that you feel is a good fit for you, so if at any point of the process you feel you need a different option, we will not be offended!
2. Intake Appointment
If you choose to start therapy at Blue Turtles Counseling, this initial meeing is usually an “information gathering” session. This session sets the stage for the rest of the work and future sessions will continue to build on it. We will ask you several questions about your history, your current situation, and your goals for therapy. Sometimes we get all our questions answered and sometimes we don’t, but know that this is an important part of getting “the big picture” of what has led you to seek therapy.
3. Following Sessions:
We usually prefer to start seeing you weekly to get to know you and to get some momentum going in our work. As clients sense they are seeing some progress, and are feeling more settled and less triggered, we can reduce sessions to every other week or other “as needed” scheduling. We think of therapy work in layers. There may be a certain issue or ‘layer” of work you do for a time. When that layer feels resolved, you might decide to pause and return to therapy another time when you are ready to work on the next layer. Or, you may decide to keep attending therapy and work on the next layer immediately. The choice, as always, is yours.
Contact Us
Ask a question, schedule a consultation, or book an appointment below.
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