Couples Counseling

Relationships can be one of the most meaningful — and most challenging — parts of our lives. When communication breaks down or painful experiences create distance, even couples who love each other deeply can feel lost, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward.

At Open Compass Counseling in Flagler Beach, Florida, I help couples rebuild trust, improve communication, and heal from past hurts — including relationship trauma, betrayal, or emotional disconnection.

Through a trauma-informed approach, often integrating EMDR and EFT therapy, couples can begin to reconnect in healthier, more authentic ways — together.

🫂 Why Couples Seek Counseling

Couples often come to therapy when they’re feeling stuck in painful cycles. You may recognize some of these patterns:

  • Constant conflict or recurring arguments

  • Feeling unheard, unseen, or misunderstood

  • Emotional distance or loss of intimacy

  • Struggles after a betrayal or broken trust

  • Stress from parenting, caregiving, or life transitions

  • Lingering effects of trauma, anxiety, or depression affecting the relationship

Couples counseling provides a safe and supportive space to understand what’s really happening underneath these challenges and to learn new ways of communicating and connecting.

🧭 How I Help Couples Reconnect

My approach is warm, collaborative, and deeply rooted in understanding both partners’ experiences. In our work together, we will:

  • Identify patterns of communication that lead to disconnection

  • Understand how each partner’s past experiences may influence current reactions

  • Learn tools for effective communication, empathy, and conflict resolution

  • Build emotional safety and trust

  • Reconnect through understanding, compassion, and shared goals

When appropriate, I integrate EMDR therapy to help one or both partners process past experiences — including trauma, betrayal, or emotional wounds — that are impacting the relationship today.

🌿 EMDR Therapy in Couples Counseling

Many couples find that their conflicts are triggered by unresolved past pain, whether from within the relationship or from earlier life experiences. EMDR can help by:

  • Reducing emotional reactivity in triggering situations

  • Healing from betrayal, trust violations, or trauma

  • Helping partners respond to each other with compassion instead of defense

  • Supporting each partner’s individual growth within the relationship

When one person heals, the relationship often follows. EMDR allows couples to move from reactivity to connection — from surviving to truly thriving together.

💬 What to Expect in Couples Counseling

 

  • Collaborative assessment: We’ll begin by identifying your goals as a couple and the challenges you want to address.

  • Joint and individual sessions: Sometimes it’s helpful to meet together, sometimes individually, to understand deeper dynamics.

  • Practical tools: You’ll learn strategies to improve communication, manage conflict, and strengthen emotional connection.

  • Safe space: My role is not to take sides, but to help you both feel heard and understood — and to rebuild a foundation of safety and trust.


 

🌅 Reconnect, Heal, and Grow Together

Every relationship has the potential for healing and growth. Whether you’re working through conflict, rebuilding after a difficult event, or simply wanting to reconnect, couples counseling can help you both move forward with greater understanding and care.