All of our One Life couples psychologists have training in one of the specialized treatment models that focuses on bringing a couples health back into reality. Our marriage therapists in Calgary require that specialized training in order to work with One Life clients and couples.
One Life has served hundreds of couples in the Calgary area providing the best couples counselling and affordable marriage therapy. Our process is that we first assess each couple's needs and then we offer different options to treat each couple's challenges with exercises, interventions and assistance in communication.
Psychologist marriage counselling can be effective for improving communication, connection and building lasting trust in a relationship. There are many different types of counseling options to clients and we will do our best to explain all your options below.
Relationship therapy is a service we offer through One Life in-person and online. We use the most up-to-date and proven specialized training in our approach. There are seven main types of relationship therapy that we use at One Life.
This method is very well researched where couples therapists use a thorough assessment tool for the best couples counselling and use proven strategies to help integrate the needs addressed in the beginning of the sessions.
Gottman Method integrates research-based interventions based on the Sound Relationship House Theory. The goals of Gottman Method Marriage Therapy are to resolve conflict, improve verbal communication, increase intimacy, respect, and affection, remove barriers that create a feeling of stuckness in a couple's relationship, and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.
EFT is a very well researched humanistic approach to psychotherapy that focuses on therapy that was developed with the science of attachment and development theory. Attachment sees people as being mostly relational and social beings. This means we are wired for intimate relationships with others. The EFT model holds a space for emotion and emotional regulation as the central to the relationship therapy being offered to clients.
EFT is best known as being a science based approach that uses proven couple therapy interventions and exercises. EFT aims to include and address clients' depression, anxiety and PTSD .
This system is about helping the couple understand their individuality and togetherness, approaching conflict with trying to help the couple understand each partner will fall into a conflict pattern and it is the job of the couples therapist to not take sides, but rather help the couple out of the pattern and bring more choice and awareness to their dynamic.
Gestalt relationship therapy is based on helping couples create healthy boundaries and meet in contact (Open/Relational) with one another. Gestalt therapy sees both individuals as uniquely coming from difference and that difference is a good thing. Gestalt marriage therapy attempts to bridge those differences with a perspective that it is healthy to have differences and that we only need good communication and contact skills to process those differences. Essentially having healthy boundaries. Much of Gestalts framework in relationship therapy is about offering couples a space to connect with one another and be able to see each other on a deeper level for communication.
Developed by Harvey Hendrix off the idea that we attract our unfinished business from our childhoods in our current adult relationships. IMAGO is an experiential and humanistic marriage therapy approach that uses the art of relating and mapping out the positives desired changes.
Based on the work of Terry Real and Pia Mellody helping couples communicate better through the use of healthy self esteem in the art of relating. Terry was able to see that not all couples and partners needed empowerment to communicate better, but rather that sometimes a partner in the relationship needed to be less grandiose in their stance in the relationship.
Improving communication skills, connection and re-building trust are the three biggest advantages to investing in weekend marriage counseling. When offline or online couples therapy begins we teach you that counselling is a major benefit to your overall well being. We know that happy and successful relationships translate to great overall well being and satisfaction in our lives.
Therapy can help with getting to the bottom of issues and being able to help couples effectively communicate with one another better. It is a proven way to enhance communication, improve connection and strengthen a couples love for one another.
Meeting up with one of our counsellors in our office is the first step. You can call into our office and our intake coordinator will help you find the best specialist One Life office for you.
Couples counselling is a process we want to give you the best idea of how that process goes with One Life. After getting started in your first session with a marriage counsellor, you will meet with your therapist or one individual appointment and then come back together as a couple moving forward.
As a couple you will come up with your relationship goals and habits that you want to achieve in counselling with us. Our office is a place for you share your feelings, express your thoughts and learn how to effectively communicate with one another
All of our marriage counsellors and psychologists have specific training for affordable couples therapy. We draw on the most well researched and proven techniques of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and Gottman Method.
We ask that each partner brings in their specific goals and that you take some time to write out your intentions with our marriage counsellors. We really encourage you to sit down with each other or just yourself before your appointment and brainstorm all the ideas and questions you want to talk about with our registered psychologists.
We know that each couple is unique and different, and so it is very important for each partner to share their goals, questions and be informed through the couples counseling process.
Here are some ideas of questions you can ask in your first session.
Marriage counselling sessions can be done from your home or virtually at any point. We use video conferencing to help our couples that cannot make it into our office. Online counselling for couples is a great way to take advantage of the convenience of doing virtual counselling from the comfort of your own homes. We know that the world is very busy and so making our counselling available to you from the comfort of your home or office is really important to One Life.
Being able to predict how long couples counselling would take is very difficult. We believe that every marriage counsellor on our One Life team has the necessary skills to help your situation and you just need time to learn and integrate those skills.
Marriage counseling usually needs at least 10-12 appointments for deeper and lasting change. Those numbers are not based on anything specific for your relationship as each couple is unique. We notice that couples who spend more time invested in marriage guidance counselling in Calgary have better results than those that only come in once every 4 to 5 weeks.
You can expect results sooner than 10-12 sessions, but lasting change usually takes a greater commitment. If you give yourself a time commitment of 4-6 months of 10-12 appointments that would be the best decision with marriage counselling. We know that deciding to come into couples counseling is a start and a big start and our One Life couples counsellors are here to support you.
Marriage counseling for affairs is something that One Life offers their clients. We have marriage counselors that are specifically trained in affair recovery in relationships.
Rebuilding trust takes significant energy and the specific set of steps to achieve best results. We know that 2/3rds of married couple make it through an affair. Affairs are relationship trauma and need a lot of care when going through healing a relationship. Our couples counsellors will provide you with direction in this difficult time.
Yes, homework is something we like to provide in couples counselling services with our One Life marriage counsellors choosing the right reading, exercises and ritual for you to explore with one another. Couples counseling is most effective when we have homework and ritual brought in-between appointments.
Yes. A large part of couples counselling focuses on developing successful communication to heal, repair and improve your relationship. We teach tools with a growth mindset and help couples integrate those tools into their communication styles.
Rebuilding trust in couples work comes in two forms: One from being betrayed/lied to or cheated on; and the second from on-going disappointment resulting from a fractured communication style. Can trust be regained? Absolutely.
In couples therapy we talk a lot about positive actions and reassuring behaviors. We will help guide you to achieve that feeling of security again.
Many couples find that one or both partners loses attraction over time, and this is certainly a reality that can be explored and improved in couples counselling. It is very common for couples to grow distant in their relationships at certain points and loss of attraction and desire can sometimes be the symptoms of that distance. The important piece is acknowledging this and taking steps and applying effort to rejuvenate that attraction energy.
If you and your partner are committed to the couples counselling process, you can work on overcoming many stumbling blocks in your relationship, including roommate energy. We have lots of different tools and exercises to help couples break the complacent avoidance that exists in roommate energy.
Cheating has been around since the beginning of relationships and yet is it still hidden in misunderstandings around WHY do people cheat? There are many different reasons that someone steps outside their committed relationship, sometimes it is entitlement, sometimes it is the quality of the new energy and attention, sometimes it is related to the lack of intimacy in your current relationship. The biggest question a hurt partner can ask themselves is, why did this happen and how do I know if it will happen again? Couples counselling can help partners reveal, explore, and discover the underlying reasons for stepping outside their relationship.
Sex addiction is a compulsive need to engage in sexual acts. It’s similar in nature to other addictions, including substance addictions. If you suspect that your partner may be a sex addict, couples counselling could be beneficial for how you recover, set boundaries and make sense of your next steps.
Only you can know the answer to that question. Couples counselling can give your relationship the best opportunity to succeed while also helping you clarify your own needs and goals. Sometimes it is helpful to engage in a process to decide if you even want to begin couples counselling. Processing your emotions and thoughts can be extremely valuable for bringing clarity to your situation.
Intimacy after an affair is a complex and very personal subject. Questions like this one are best explored in the safe context of couples counselling sessions. Having said that, it is very common for couples to experience a renewed sexual energy and vitality in the repair stage of heightened emotions. It is also common for partners to be shut off to the idea of being intimate and healing that part of the relationship often needs attention at certain points.
Developing healthy boundaries is a frequent topic in couples counselling. The therapists at One Life use a variety of proven techniques to help you and your partner explore strategies and methods that will be effective for you both. Our therapists will help you explore blind spots, challenges, and areas of growth in helping you develop your personal boundaries.
