couples therapy

couples therapy for every stage of your relationship

You do not need to wait until your relationship is in crisis to begin therapy. Some couples are trying to repair something painful. Others want help navigating a transition, improving intimacy, or protecting the relationship they already value.

Couples therapy may be helpful if you are experiencing:

  • Recurring conflict or communication difficulties

  • Emotional or sexual disconnection

  • Differences in desire

  • Broken trust, secrecy, or infidelity

  • Parenting, family stress, or major transitions

  • Differences around relationship agreements

  • Premarital preparation

  • Strengthening an already healthy relationship

ways we can work together

Our work may focus on strengthening an already healthy relationship, changing recurring patterns of conflict or disconnection, rebuilding trust after betrayal, or addressing concerns related to sex and intimacy. I also offer premarital counseling to help couples explore communication, finances, family boundaries, intimacy, parenting, values, and shared goals before entering marriage.

my approach to couples therapy

My approach incorporates the Gottman Method, drawing on more than five decades of research into what helps relationships remain connected and resilient. I use practical tools to help couples strengthen friendship, navigate conflict, rebuild trust, and create shared meaning.

I also draw from attachment-based and emotionally focused approaches. Communication tools are valuable, but they do not always explain why couples keep returning to the same painful pattern. Together, we will explore what happens beneath your reactions and how each partner may be unintentionally contributing to the cycle.

The goal is not to decide who is right or eliminate every disagreement. It is to help you understand what happens between you, communicate with less harm, and create healthier ways of responding to one another.

what to expect

We will begin by exploring your relationship history, current concerns, strengths, and goals. This helps us identify the patterns keeping you stuck and create a direction for our work.

I will slow difficult conversations down, identify patterns as they happen, ask direct questions, and help both partners move beyond defending their positions toward understanding one another.

Abstract artwork featured on the Ashlan Taylor therapy website.

Rebuild trust. Restore connection. Move forward together.

Couples come to therapy for many different reasons. You may be struggling with recurring conflict, rebuilding trust, or feeling increasingly disconnected from one another. You may also have a good relationship that you want to make even stronger, or be preparing for marriage and want to enter that next chapter with a solid foundation.

Wherever you are in your relationship, couples therapy offers dedicated space to understand one another more deeply, strengthen your connection, and become more intentional about the relationship you are creating together.

Schedule a free 15-minute consultation
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all relationships are welcome

I welcome couples and partners across identities, sexual orientations, and relationship structures. My practice is LGBTQIA+ affirming, kink-aware, and inclusive of monogamous and consensually non-monogamous relationships.

You should not have to defend the legitimacy of your identity or relationship before you can begin discussing what brought you to therapy.

Q+A

  • Yes. Research consistently supports couple and family interventions as effective approaches for relationship distress and a range of emotional and behavioral concerns. Therapy is most useful when both partners are willing to participate honestly, consider their own role in the relationship, and practice new ways of responding outside of sessions.

  • There is no single approach that is best for every relationship. I incorporate the Gottman Method for practical, research-informed assessment and tools, alongside attachment-based and emotionally focused approaches that help couples understand the emotions and needs beneath their recurring patterns. This allows us to address both what happens between you and why it keeps happening.

  • The length of therapy depends on your concerns, goals, relationship history, and the changes you want to make. Premarital or preventative work may be more focused, while longstanding conflict, betrayal, or significant disconnection may require more time. We will discuss recommendations after developing a clearer understanding of your relationship.

  • No. Couples therapy can support people who are dating, preparing for marriage, navigating a transition, rebuilding after a painful experience, or simply wanting to make a good relationship stronger. You do not need to be married or wait until the relationship feels unmanageable.

  • We will explore your relationship history, current concerns, individual perspectives, existing strengths, and goals. This initial assessment helps us identify the patterns affecting your relationship and develop a direction for therapy that reflects your specific needs.

  • Telehealth allows partners to join the same session from different private locations, making it easier to attend without coordinating travel or leaving work at exactly the same time. Evening and weekend appointments are also available to help you find a time that works for both of you. Both partners must be physically located in Oregon during telehealth sessions.

  • Sometimes. Coverage varies by plan, so ask your insurance provider whether your benefits include family psychotherapy. If your plan does not cover couples therapy, reasonable sliding-scale options are available for clients paying out of pocket.