COUPLES COUNSELING

This is an exciting way to help a couple and we believe that effective counseling nearly always leads to a productive outcome, particularly if both parties are willing to work. We believe that we come together with someone originally because we help each other in some way. Over time, we either lose the connection because we have not worked to maintain it or grow apart because we have grown in different directions. It is our bias to try to stay together. It seems there are many negative inner voices that come with separation and divorce and that the most difficult things we do as humans is come together with someone new or break apart from someone with whom we have developed a relationship. We are like two trees standing together; the roots become intertwined almost immediately and coming apart causes damage to each tree. Even if we decide to break apart after counseling, we have still improved our communication skills, have done some healing from the pain we evoked on one another during the relationship and are more tooled for post-breakup relationships, particularly coparenting; the most important of all partnerships.

During therapy the goal is to improve communication, our tools to resolve conflict and to increase our ability to be an authentic and vulnerable. Brene’ Brown says being vulnerable is one of the most courageous things we do. These tools are essential but not easy to use if we did not learn them in childhood. We believe that being a couple closely resembles our relationships with primary caregivers. Think back to your relationship with your caregivers and what you know of your partner’s relationship with their caregivers and now put those issues in the same house; we are bound to have struggles. Improvements require tools, training and a non-biased helper to join the team.

RECOMMENDED CLINICIANS:

ACUPUNCTURE

Yong Kang Clinic
528 Woodleaf Court
Kirkwood, MO, 63122

CHILD PSYCHIATRIST
Michael Shanker, MD, or Daniel Reising, MD
Clayton Behavioral
9890 Clayton Road
St Louis MO 63124
314-725-1515
ADULT PSYCHIATRIST

Dale Anderson, M.D.
6365 Clayton Road
St. Louis, MO 63117
314-645-1567

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS

Dan Levin, Ph.D.
8515 Delmar Blvd Suite 220
St Louis MO 63124
314-567-1044

Lisa Emmenegger, MD
7750 Clayton Rd, Suite 204
St Louis MO 63117
314-852-2438

Dan Weinstein, Psy.D., LLC
7730 Carondelet Ave, Suite 307
Clayton, MO 63105
314-721-7201

ADULT READING TO AID WITH POSITIVE THINKING

Cultivating Lasting Happiness, Terry Fralick

and

Self-Compassion, The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, Dr Kristin Neff

FAMILY READING TO ASSIST WITH PARENTING SKILLS

No Drama Discipline, Dan Siegel

and

The Parenting Handbook, Don Dinkmeyer