BE BETTER
TOGETHER
Couples Counseling
Becoming Better Together
Each person comes to the partnership with a set of unique unconscious expectations and often these are met, at least initially. Yet, we are all constantly changing and growing, and we do not always change in the same way or at the same time.
We fall into patterns established early in our life and then over the course of our relationship. In many ways, these behavioral patterns help to strengthen a relationship, but they can also present potential challenges where a couple will become stuck. Think of that "thing" that has come up again and again.
If left unaddressed, these patterns can lead to communication difficulties, a lack of connection, and mistrust. Illness, parenting strategies, and major life transitions can also impact a couples connections and behaviors.
Through a process oriented approach, learn to identify your unconscious rules, values discrepancies, and automatic responses that lead to many of these issues so that you are aware of them and can find better ways to connect, align, and work through them.
About Our Approach
At AQAL Therapies, we use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (pronounced "act") as our main approach.
ACT is a type of therapy that focuses on helping people develop psychological flexibility and increase their ability to live in the present moment.
ACT focuses on 3 main areas:
1. Accepting our emotional reactions while staying present
2. Using values to guide our actions
3. Committing to taking action and creating growth
ACCEPTING & STAYING PRESENT
ACT is primarily a mindfulness based therapy that helps couples accept and validate all of their emotional experiences by removing shame and avoidance. This process is guided by the idea that there is validity not only in the emotional experience we have, but the one that our partner has as well. Often when we have an emotional reaction that leaves us feeling stuck, it's because it's rooted in something that's happened in our past.
With ACT, partners learn how to acknowledge their past with compassion and let go of unhelpful thoughts that keep us from being in the current moment together. Partners learn to identify their inner voice - the one that judges themselves and their partners - and create space in their awareness to be able to move through difficult moments together.
VALUES GUIDED ACTIONS
Everyone has their own set of values, and every couple has a set of shared values that help guide them towards goals. Through identifying core values and exploring our conscious and subconscious beliefs about how to behave within those values, couples are able to build upon strengths and step out of common myths about how to be. When we think about how we "should" be in the context of a relationship, we become rigid in our thinking. By refocusing on our value, instead of the rules we have about it, partners can create workable strategies for compromise and validation.
COMMITMENT TO ACTION & GROWTH
ACT prompts couples to take the lessons they learn about mindfulness and values to determine a course of action that moves them closer to their goals. By committing to action couples are able to take tangible steps towards living in congruence with their personal and shared values. Couples work together to set goals, agree on boundaries, and maintain a mindset of openness to more workable ways of being in a relationship.
Couples Counseling Options
Option 1: Fee for Service with an LMHC
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Click link below and select a time with Todd Schmenk, M.S., M.Ed., LMHC
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Service offered either in person or via telehealth. Fees are $135/45 minutes or $150 for 1 hour.
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Fill out and complete paperwork that will be sent to you via the e-mail provided. This must be completed before the first session takes place in order to guarantee the appointment.
Option 2: Fee for Service with an LMHC-A
A Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate (LMHC-A) is a mental health professional who has completed the necessary education and training to provide counseling services under the supervision of a fully licensed mental health counselor.
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Click link below and select a time with Guiliana Singorelli, M.S.
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Service offered either in person or via telehealth. Fee for sessions are $70/session
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Fill out and complete paperwork that will be sent to you via the e-mail provided. This must be completed before the first session takes place in order to guarantee the appointment.
Option 3: Fee for Service with an Intern Counselor.
Insurance plans typically do not cover couples counseling/marriage counseling.
However, being able to fully pay out of pocket is not always an option when help is needed and one of the main goals of AQAL Therapies is to provide a low budget option in working with a therapist in training.
An intern counselor is one who has completed the core coursework, is required to provide services to meet their hourly minimum to graduate (750 hours), and has been brought on to help decrease waitlist time and to increase access to services. They have all the skills needed to do the work and all of their work is reviewed by a licensed clinician. In effect, you get two therapists at once working for you.
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Click link below and select a time with Alex Herlich or Eliza Sutton, MPH
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Service offered either in person or via telehealth. Fee for sessions are $50/session
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Fill out and complete paperwork that will be sent to you via the e-mail provided. This must be completed before the first session takes place in order to guarantee the appointment.
Please feel free to contact AQAL Therapies here should you have any questions about this.
