Couples often arrive expecting a referee. One partner has been rehearsing the case for weeks; the other is bracing for it. A good first session disappoints both of them, in a helpful way.

Most of the first hour is about how the two of you got here: how you met, what has changed, and what a typical hard conversation looks like from each side. I’m listening for the pattern, not for who is right.

Many couples are caught in a loop where one person pursues and the other withdraws, and each reaction makes sense given the other. Naming that loop out loud is often the first relief.

You’ll leave with a sense of how we would work together and how often. Some couples come weekly for a few months; others come every other Saturday. Both are normal.