Couples Therapy: Rebuilding Emotional Connection in Relationships.
Even the strongest relationships can face moments of disconnection. Sometimes it shows up as arguments that repeat in a loop. Other times, it’s the quiet drift that leaves partners feeling like they’re living side by side, but not truly together. These are not signs that love is gone, but that something important needs attention.
Couples therapy creates a supportive space to pause, reflect, and understand what’s happening beneath the surface. In my practice, I offer relationship therapy grounded in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), an approach that focuses on the emotional bond between partners and the patterns that can either strengthen or strain that connection.
What We Explore in Couples Therapy?
In our couples therapy sessions, my focus is on helping both of you slow down and tune into what’s really happening between you, not just in the conflict itself, but in how it leaves each of you feeling inside.
Rather than analysing who’s right or wrong, we gently explore what each partner is experiencing underneath the surface. Often, one partner may express distress through frustration or raised voices, while the other withdraws, not because they don’t care, but because it feels safer in the moment. These protective patterns can leave both people feeling unheard, unseen, or disconnected - even as they’re trying to reach each other.
Together, we explore these dynamics with care. I help each of you connect with your own emotional experience and begin to share from a more vulnerable, authentic place. This might mean expressing not just what’s wrong, but what you long for - whether it’s closeness, reassurance, or feeling truly understood.
From there, we work on creating new ways of responding to one another - ways rooted in emotional safety rather than defence. Over time, this helps rebuild emotional intimacy, trust, and a sense of being on the same team again.
The Research Behind the Approach
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy is backed by over 30 years of research and has consistently shown strong, lasting outcomes. Studies show that around 70–75% of couples move from distress to recovery, with most reporting improved relationship satisfaction, stronger communication, and deeper emotional connection (Johnson & Greenman, 2006; Wiebe & Johnson, 2016).
Because EFCT works at the emotional level, where most disconnection begins, the changes it fosters tend to be long-lasting. It doesn’t just teach surface-level communication skills, it helps rebuild the emotional foundation of the relationship.
Who Is Couples Therapy For?
Couples therapy isn’t only for those on the brink of separation. Many couples come to relationship counselling/couples therapy because they want to deepen their emotional bond, navigate a life transition, or repair after a rupture. Whether you're feeling distant or overwhelmed, stuck or uncertain, therapy offers a space to explore things differently - together.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about learning how to be more present with yourself and each other.
With heart,
Arina
