Couples Therapy

Couples engaging in therapy to strengthen emotional connection in Brooklyn and New York

Healing Relationships Through Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy

Our love relationships have the potential to be our most nourishing resources. However, the patterns of sensitivity and self-protection we developed as children, known as our attachment styles, often weigh on our ability to offer and receive love as adults. At Brooklyn Somatic Therapy, our work with couples is guided by Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), an evidence-based approach to healing relationships grounded in the neuroscience of attachment.

In EFCT, neither partner is considered "the client"; rather, the relationship itself is the client. By listening to both of you and observing your interactions during sessions, your therapist will help you discover the predictable cycles of reaction and counter-reaction that keep you feeling stuck or disconnected. Instead of being handed a script to follow at home, you will work on your relationship patterns as they occur in real time during the therapy session.

Couples learning effective communication skills during therapy

Feel Seen, Heard, and Loved Again

You will learn to identify your emotional reactions in the moment and recognize the core needs underlying them. Additionally, you will discover how to communicate skillfully with your partner about your needs without becoming angry or shutting down.

EFCT typically requires between 8 and 20 sessions, though each couple's process is unique. Through this work, you will develop deep insight and compassion for the tender fears of abandonment and loss that each of you carries. By gaining freedom from unconscious fears and habitual cycles, you will have the opportunity to transform a conflict-ridden relationship into one that activates the healing potential of love.