Couples therapy begins with a comprehensive assessment of your relationship. In this initial stage, we work together to understand the patterns that keep you feeling stuck in recursive loops of pain and distress. We also explore how those patterns developed, including the individual histories and attachment experiences each partner brings into the relationship. The couples therapy assessment is a critical first step. It helps us build a clear and compassionate picture of your unique relationship story and allows us to create a tailored road map for treatment. The assessment typically entails the following:

• Joint couples assessment appointment (75-mins)

• Individual appointments with each partner (50-mins each)

• Joint feedback appointment (75-mins)

After the assessment, we’ll share feedback about what we’ve learned together and what we recommend as the next step. In some cases, the assessment may suggest that a different kind of support, such as another form of couples therapy or individual therapy for one or both partners, might be more helpful. If couples therapy with us is a good fit, we will move forward together.

At Attuned Perspective, we use Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFCT), an evidence-based approach that helps partners move out of conflict and disconnection and into deeper emotional closeness. This approach is not about learning quick communication tips or surface-level skills. Instead, EFCT helps you understand the emotional dynamics that drive your relationship patterns, such as why you react the way you do, and what your responses are really trying to protect or express.

Through this process, couples learn to recognize and shift out of negative cycles, express their needs and vulnerabilities more openly, and respond to each other with greater care and emotional presence. The goal is to create a stronger, more secure bond where both partners feel seen, valued, and emotionally connected.