It can be easy to lose sight of your relationship when you are raising a family. In the early months after having a baby, everything is a blur. Between feedings, sleep deprivation, recovering from birth, and learning how to be parents, you may struggle to feel like the same couple you were before. The smallest things such as who gets up with the baby, how to soothe them, or when to ask for help, can feel loaded.

As kids grow, so do the challenges. You might notice that the space between you and your partner widens as the demands of daily life take over. One of you might be more structured, and the other more flexible. You may disagree about discipline, screen time, how to handle a child’s big feelings, or how to best support a struggling teen. Or maybe you are have misunderstandings when it comes to chores and time spent engaging with the children and running the household. Or perhaps you and your spouse are strong parenting partners. Yet, the dynamic with extended family, in-laws, or former spouses are adding strain to your bond. For some couples, these kinds of difficulties may stay below the surface for years until something forces these issues to the surface, such as a child struggling with anxiety, behavior, school, and friendship. Then you realize, you love your spouse, but you need more support, and want to find an effective way to create solid partnership at home.

At Integrative Couples Therapy, we help you and your spouse strengthen your emotional bond and communication skills so you can work through challenges related to parenting and family, as a team. We help couples at every stage of parenting; from those settling into life with a newborn, to parents raising toddlers and teens, launching young adults, or navigating the complexities of coparenting and blended families. We also help couples better navigate relationships with extended family and in-laws. We understand how overwhelming it can be to find the time and space to nurture your children, partner, family, and self all at once. We also know how transformative it is when couples carve out space to understand what is happening between them so they can take care of each other and the people they love the most.

In therapy, we create a safe space for honest conversations. We help you notice the patterns you have fallen into without blame or criticism. We can guide you to understand how each of you is trying to cope, protect, or reach for the other. We will help you to speak and listen in ways that build trust, even when emotions run high. Together, we help you return to a place where you feel more connected, more supported, and more able to face what life brings.

You do not have to wait for a crisis to begin therapy. We are here to help you create a strong and secure base, where your relationship becomes a source of soothing and support. When your relationship is stronger, everything feels smoother, including parenting and family dynamics.