![\"Couple\"](\"https:\/\/lovejoycounseling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/couple.jpg\" "\\"couple\\"")
\n\tLark is a Certified Gottman Couple’s Therapist who specializes in helping couples transition out of blame and criticism and into greater appreciation and enjoyment of one another. Her approach to working with couples is primarily inspired by the work of John Gottman, PhD, and Julie Gottman, PhD.<\/p>\n
Research has shown that all couples have arguments, but healthy couples argue effectively and make lasting repairs. During intense discord, or when the arguing just feels like too much, the body tends to get hyper-aroused and go into “fight-or-flight” mode. Lark assists partners in developing skills for shifting from psychological and physiological tension into relaxation, even while continuing to disagree. In this way, rational thinking can return, empathy expands, and arguments can end faster.<\/p>\n
Couples can learn how to make needed repairs that encourage re-connection and increased trust. As partners gain skills for recognizing the warning signs of unhealthy dynamics, future discord can be more readily prevented and more time can be spent in alignment with your shared values.<\/p>\n
One of the most rewarding aspects of couples counseling is assisting partners in getting to know one another deeply, all over again. Though each person may have changed and grown over time, the relationship may not have stayed “caught up” with them. When a couple develops mutual understanding and acceptance based on each person’s present reality, true friendship is created and love can be expanded. As partners communicate and clarify their perspectives and really listen to one another, they begin to move from entanglement to healthy interdependence.<\/p>\n