West Vancouver Couples Counselling

Fix What's Broken Before It's Too Late

You barely talk anymore except to coordinate schedules or argue about the same things on repeat. Romance is dead. Intimacy feels like another chore. You're roommates who share a mortgage, not partners who actually like each other. Maybe there's been an affair that shattered trust. Maybe you're just drifting apart and don't know how to reconnect. One of you wants to try West Vancouver couples counselling while the other thinks it's pointless, but you're both miserable enough to consider it. Couples therapy helps you figure out if your relationship is saveable and worth saving - and if it is, gives you the tools to actually fix what's broken instead of just having the same fights for another decade.

We work with couples throughout West Vancouver - from Horseshoe Bay to British Properties - who are stuck in painful patterns, considering divorce, or just feeling disconnected and unhappy. Couples counselling provides a neutral space to address what's really wrong and decide whether you're rebuilding or ending things as well as possible.

Benefits of Couples Counselling

You get an outside perspective on patterns you can't see when you're stuck in them. Most couples think their specific problems are unique, but relationship issues follow predictable patterns. Couples therapy helps you recognise those patterns and interrupt them before they destroy everything.
Couple therapy teaches you to actually communicate instead of just talking AT each other. Most couples don't have communication problems - they have listening problems. You interrupt, defend, attack, shut down, or bring up past grievances instead of actually hearing what your partner's saying. We teach you how to have difficult conversations without everything exploding.
We use research-based approaches like Gottman method couples therapy which identifies the specific behaviours that predict divorce versus success. Contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling, criticism - these aren't just annoying, they're relationship killers. Gottman-based work helps you replace destructive patterns with healthy ones based on decades of relationship research.
Couples counseling addresses the common issues that bring people in. Communication breakdowns where you can't discuss anything without fighting. Infidelity and trust issues after affairs or betrayals. Mismatched sex drives and intimacy problems. Money fights. Parenting conflicts. Extended family interference. Work-life balance destroying couple time. Whatever's destroying your connection, we work on it.
For couples dealing with affairs, couples counseling infidelity helps you decide whether to rebuild or separate, and supports you through whichever path you choose. Affairs don't automatically mean divorce - many couples recover and build stronger relationships after infidelity - but it requires real work from both partners, not just rug-sweeping.
Marriage counseling helps married couples address the specific challenges of long-term commitment. How you've changed over years together. Growing apart as life stages shift. Resentment built up over time. The gap between who you married and who your partner is now. These issues need addressing before they become irreparable.
For engaged couples, pre marriage counseling helps you address potential issues before they become problems. Discussing finances, kids, career goals, family boundaries, conflict styles - all the stuff people avoid talking about until it's causing fights. Premarital work sets you up for success rather than discovering deal-breakers after the wedding.
Couples intimacy therapy works on the physical and emotional disconnection many couples face. When sex has become rare, obligatory, or nonexistent. When you can't be vulnerable with each other. When you're more like friends or roommates than romantic partners. Rebuilding intimacy requires addressing both emotional safety and physical connection.

Creekside Counselling's Approach to Couples Counselling

First session, we assess what brought you in and what you're each hoping will change. Often partners have completely different views of the problems and what needs fixing. Getting both perspectives helps us understand the full picture and identify where the real issues are.

Couples therapy starts by creating ground rules for sessions. No name-calling, interrupting, or bringing up every grievance from the past decade. We create a space where you can actually discuss difficult topics without destroying each other. This structure often lets couples talk about things they can't discuss at home.

We teach you communication skills that actually work. Active listening where you genuinely hear your partner instead of planning your rebuttal. "I" statements that express feelings without attacking. De-escalation techniques for when discussions heat up. Taking breaks before things get destructive. These sound simple but most couples have never learned them.

Marriage counselling includes identifying your conflict patterns. Do you pursue-withdraw? Both attack? One stonewalls while the other escalates? Recognising these patterns is the first step to changing them. We help you understand what's happening in the cycle and how to interrupt it.

For infidelity recovery, we use approaches specifically designed for couples counseling infidelity that address both the betrayed partner's trauma and the factors that led to the affair. This isn't about blame - it's about understanding what happened, processing the pain, and deciding if you can rebuild trust. Some couples recover from affairs, others realise they can't, and both outcomes are valid.

Online couples therapy provides the same evidence-based treatment through secure video sessions for couples who prefer remote sessions or have scheduling challenges. Couples therapy online works well and lets both partners participate from the privacy of home. We also offer couples counseling online for those who can't easily access in-person sessions.

We work on rebuilding emotional and physical intimacy. Creating time for connection in busy lives. Learning to be vulnerable again after hurt and disconnection. Addressing mismatched sex drives or physical intimacy problems. Couples intimacy therapy helps you reconnect as romantic partners, not just co-parents or roommates.

Marriage counseling online gives couples flexibility to attend sessions even with demanding work schedules or young kids at home. Online marriage counseling delivers the same Gottman-based approaches and communication skills training remotely, making it accessible for busy West Vancouver couples.

For couples who've decided to separate, divorced couples counseling helps you end things with less destruction, especially when kids are involved. We work on respectful co-parenting, dividing assets fairly, and processing the grief of divorce without years of bitter conflict.

We also address individual issues affecting the relationship. If one partner has untreated depression, anxiety, addiction, or trauma, those impact couple dynamics. Sometimes we recommend individual therapy alongside couples work so both partners can address their own stuff while working on the relationship.

Couples counselling includes homework between sessions. Practicing communication skills, scheduling date nights, trying new intimacy exercises. The real work happens at home, not just in our office. Sessions give you tools, but you have to use them in daily life for change to stick.

Pricing Information

Couples counselling sessions are $200 per 50-minute session (higher than individual since we're working with two people). Most couples start with weekly sessions to build momentum, then space out to biweekly as things improve.

Length of treatment varies. Some couples see significant improvement in 8-12 sessions. Others need 6 months to a year, especially after infidelity or for long-standing patterns. If you're deciding whether to stay together or separate, that process often takes 3-6 months of consistent work.

We provide receipts for insurance. Some extended health plans cover couple therapy, others only individual sessions - check your specific plan. Many West Vancouver employers offer family mental health benefits that include relationship counseling.

Investing in marriage counselling now prevents the massive financial and emotional costs of divorce later. Even if you ultimately separate, therapy helps you do it better. And if you save the relationship, you save years of unhappiness or the destruction of splitting up.

Areas We Serve

We are located in West Vancouver and work with couples throughout the North Shore. Our couples counseling clients come from all West Van neighbourhoods - Horseshoe Bay, Dundarave, Ambleside, Eagle Harbour, Caulfeild, Whitby Estates, British Properties, Cypress Village, Gleneagles, Bayridge, Chartwell.

We also see couples from North Vancouver, Lions Bay, and throughout Metro Vancouver dealing with relationship struggles. Many of our clients are dual-income professional couples dealing with the specific pressures of West Van's demanding lifestyle.

Virtual relationship therapy works well for many couples. Online couples counseling gives you flexibility for sessions and lets you work on your relationship from home. Some couples prefer the privacy of meeting online rather than risking running into someone they know at an office.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Couples Counselling

Will couples therapy save our relationship or is it too late?

Honest answer? Depends. If you're both willing to do the work and the relationship isn't abusive, there's usually hope. But if one partner's already checked out completely or there's ongoing abuse, therapy might help you separate well instead of reconcile. We help you figure out what's possible and whether it's worth trying.

What if my partner refuses to come to couples counselling?

Come alone. Individual work can still improve relationship dynamics because when you change how you respond, your partner has to adjust too. Sometimes reluctant partners join after seeing positive changes. Sometimes they don't, and you work on what you need to do for yourself.

How do we know if we need couples therapy or if we should just break up?

If you're asking that question, at least give therapy a shot. Most people regret not trying when they could have, not trying when it didn't work. A few months of couples counseling helps you make an informed decision instead of just reacting to the latest fight.

Will the therapist take sides?

No. Good couples therapists stay neutral and work on patterns, not who's right or wrong. If there's abuse, that's different - we address safety first. But for typical relationship conflicts, we help both partners see their role in dysfunctional patterns.

Can couples therapy help if we've already separated?

Yes. Some couples use therapy during separation to decide whether to reconcile or divorce. Others use it to co-parent better post-divorce. Separation doesn't mean it's over - it means you need breathing room to figure things out.

What if we fight during sessions?

That's actually useful. We can interrupt the pattern in real-time, show you what's happening, and teach you different ways to handle conflict. Watching you interact gives us way more information than hearing about fights secondhand.

Do we both have to want to fix things for therapy to work?

Ideally yes, but even if one partner's ambivalent, we can work with that. Sometimes the reluctant partner becomes more invested once they see we're not just blaming them. If neither of you wants to save it, couples therapy can still help you separate well.

How long before we see improvement?

Most couples notice some positive changes within 4-6 sessions - better communication, fewer explosive fights, small reconnections. Bigger patterns take longer - maybe 3-6 months of consistent work. But you should see enough improvement early on to feel hopeful about continuing.

Your relationship doesn't have to stay stuck in painful patterns. West Vancouver couples counselling helps you figure out if what you've got is fixable and worth fixing - and gives you the tools to actually build the relationship you want instead of just surviving the one you have. Book your first session today - every relationship worth having is worth fighting for.

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