Couples Counselling
Couples Counselling
Couples counselling is available to all people regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identification, or relationship dynamic. We help couples in monogamous and consensually non-monogamous relationships. Common relationship issues that can benefit from couples counselling include (but are not limited to):
Feeling disconnected from your partner
Infidelity
Family interference
Previous relational trauma
Financial stress
Repair after abuse
Cultural differences
Parenting style differences
Blended families
The Gottman Method: Research-Based Relationship Therapy
Relationships do not thrive on guesswork—they thrive on proven psychological principles. Our couples therapy practice centers on The Gottman Method, an approach grounded in over 40 years of research with thousands of couples conducted by Drs. John and Julie Gottman.
Unlike traditional therapy that simply asks couples to "talk out their feelings," the Gottman Method provides concrete, practical tools designed to disarm conflict, increase intimacy, and repair broken emotional connections.
Key Goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy:
Disarm Counterproductive Conflict: Replace the "Four Horsemen" of relationship decline—Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling—with gentle, effective communication habits.
Build Love Maps: Understand your partner’s internal world, values, stressors, and hopes on a deeper emotional level.
Turn Toward Instead of Away: Learn to recognize and respond to small daily bids for connection, building a reservoir of positive emotional energy.
Break Through Gridlocked Issues: Uncover the underlying dreams and core values driving your most persistent, repetitive disagreements.
Rebuild Trust & Commitment: Establish a solid foundation based on mutual respect, shared meaning, and psychological safety.
What to Expect in Therapy at Marathon Mental Health & Wellness
Our clinical assessment process ensures that therapy is tailored to your unique dynamic rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach:
Joint Assessment Session: We start with an intake session together to understand your relationship history, current stressors, and goals.
Individual Assessment Sessions: Each partner attends one individual session to share their background, perspective, and personal goals.
Feedback & Action Plan: We regroup to review your clinical assessment using the Gottman Sound Relationship House framework and outline a clear roadmap for your sessions.
Targeted Skill Building: We work active exercises in session to refine communication, repair past wounds, and practice real-time conflict management.
Couples Counselling, Marital and Relationship Therapy
Couples counselling and marital or relationship therapy can be accessed at anytime during your partnership: before you tie the knot, during your common-law relationship or marriage, and even when you are not experiencing a high level of relationship distress. Couples counselling is an investment in your relationship.
There may be other sources you choose to go to for relationship advice or help such as family members, close friends, or clergy, but there may be times when you want more specialized and confidential assistance.
The Process
During couples counselling, you can expect to do the first session together with your partner. The following two sessions are done individually, and the sessions thereafter are done together. The individual sessions are to complete assessments and questionnaires which are critical to conducting couples therapy safely and effectively.
Following the Gottman Method of couples counselling, you will learn and implement various skills and concepts that have been well researched and proven to improve relationship satisfaction. Couples counselling is labour intensive, and can be deeply meaningful.
Science-Backed Couples Counselling in Maple Ridge & the Fraser Valley
Reconnect, resolve gridlocked conflict, and build a lasting foundation for your relationship.
Every relationship experiences seasons of friction, emotional distance, or gridlocked communication. Whether you feel like roommates passing in the hall, find yourselves stuck in the same repetitive arguments, or are recovering from a major breach of trust, you do not have to navigate it alone.
At Marathon Mental Health & Wellness, we offer evidence-based couples counselling in Maple Ridge and across the Fraser Valley, helping partners move past defensive communication patterns and build deep, enduring intimacy.
Is Couples Therapy Right for You?
Couples come to Marathon Mental Health & Wellness at various stages of their partnership. We welcome couples of all dynamic backgrounds, cultures, and orientations across Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Mission, and surrounding areas.
Common Reasons Couples Seek Support:
Frequent or Escalating Arguments: Struggling to de-escalate tension before it turns into resentment.
Emotional Distance & Loneliness: Feeling disconnected, disconnected sexually, or living more like logistical business partners than romantic spouses.
Navigating Major Life Transitions: Adapting to parenthood, career shifts, relocation, or retirement in the Fraser Valley.
Infidelity & Trust Recovery: Rebuilding accountability, honesty, and safety following emotional or physical affairs.
Pre-Marital Counselling: Proactively establishing healthy communication patterns before tying the knot.
Serving Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows & the Greater Fraser Valley
Located in Maple Ridge, BC, Marathon Mental Health & Wellness provides accessible in-person and online couples counselling for couples residing throughout the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, including:
Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows
Mission & Abbotsford
Langley & Surrey
Coquitlam & Port Coquitlam
Whether you prefer face-to-face sessions at our local practice or the convenience of secure telehealth sessions from the comfort of your home, expert relationship support is within reach.
Take the First Step Toward a Stronger Partnership
You don't need to wait until a crisis to invest in your relationship. Rebuilding intimacy and learning healthier ways to manage conflict starts with a single step.
Ready to start?
Book a free initial phone consultation or schedule your first couples counselling session online today.