I am certified in Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), a treatment developed by Drs. Andrew Christensen and Neil Jacobson, and my primary modality. I was trained by Dr. Christensen in 2018. IBCT teaches couples how to make changes in their relationship while also increasing the level of emotional acceptance of one another. IBCT has extensive research demonstrating its effectiveness. Overall, about 2/3 of couples choose to stay together after completing IBCT and show significant increases in relationship satisfaction.

IBCT consists of two phases, an evaluation/feedback phase (generally 4 sessions) and an active treatment phase (generally 12-24 sessions). Generally, sessions are weekly during the assessment phase and at the beginning of treatment and are often spaced more widely (every other week or monthly) towards the end of treatment. Overall, a typical course of couples therapy lasts between 6-12 months.

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During the evaluation phase, I will meet with the couple for an initial session to discover what brings you to therapy and to obtain a brief history of your relationship. I then have two sessions where I meet with each partner individually to learn more about their individual life history and explore their relationship concerns. The final session of the assessment phase is where I provide feedback on the strengths of the couple and the difficulties the couple is experiencing. I also present a conceptualization of why the couple is experiencing the problems we discussed and how therapy can help.

If the couple decides to move forward to the treatment phase, the focus of sessions is often on important recent events (positive or negative) with a focus on the couple’s cycle. We will discuss more about what treatment will look like in the feedback session.