Are you looking for a more satisfying relationship? 

• Are you looking to improve your communication?
• Are you wondering if this relationship is right for you?
• Is anyone experiencing a change in their life that has created new stressors for you to navigate together?
• Are there certain topics that are hard to discuss, such as money, parenting or sex?

Relationships can be deeply fulfilling—and also incredibly challenging. Whether you’re dating, married, co-parenting, or in a long-term partnership, we’re here to support your connection. We work with you collaboratively to build trust, improve communication, and navigate life’s transitions with clarity and compassion.

At Louisville Family Center, we work with relationships of all kinds to:

• Navigate challenges with curiosity and compassion—not blame or judgment
• Develop practical tools for clear, respectful, and emotionally honest communication
• Break out of painful cycles and understand the deeper patterns that keep you stuck
• Rebuild trust after rupture, and make space for repair, forgiveness, and growth
• Explore emotional and physical intimacy in ways that feel affirming and connected
• Support each partner’s individual healing while strengthening the relationship as a whole
• Show up for one another through major life transitions—parenthood, illness, grief, or aging
• Cultivate a relationship that reflects your shared values, hopes, and evolving identities

People often find themselves at a crossroads at some point in their relationship, as people and circumstances change.  Stress and transitions, such as job changes or a new baby, can impact the typical routine and create new tensions.  Any loss of connection can be very stressful.  Relationships don’t always evolve at the same pace as life, and we can all use a relationship tune-up at some point.  

Conflict is normal

Conflict itself is not a sign that the relationship can’t work.  When people live, work and play in close contact with one another, different needs, opinions and approaches will certainly arise.  Many relationships experience periods of disconnection. Issues communicating, knowing what we want in relationship and how to get there are common problems in relationships. When past hurts linger and are not actively repaired, you might find yourself feeling resentful, angry, and reactive, without knowing why. It is so normal for couples to get to this stuck point and think to themselves, “how did we get here?” If we haven’t had good role modeling of healthy, communicative relationships, it might feel incredibly hard to create from scratch the openness and honesty that healthy relationships require.

When we experience change, uncertainty and transitions, we also find ourselves under additional pressure, which keeps us from being able to access our healthiest means of coping. Under this type of stress, most people will at some point point the finger at their partner or experience shame and internal criticism.  When we are stressed, it can be even more difficult for anyone in the relationship to feel heard or supported.

Most people find it difficult to speak with friends or family members about their relationship struggles, especially when intimacy or infidelity is involved.  Shifting priorities can lead to partners not talking to one another either, often leaving people feeling as though they are roommates or just passing the baton in a relay race.  These issues can create wounds and tensions that sometimes lead to talk of separation or divorce.

Therapy can offer an opportunity to have a safe space to discuss the challenges in the relationship and feel heard.  Having a neutral party to mediate and facilitate discussion that doesn’t turn into arguments can allow you to uncover your feelings and determine your needs, both as individuals, and together.

Relationship Counseling can help you reconnect to what you need in relationship 

Intimate relationships offer us unique opportunities to confront our challenges with connection and communication. There is often no more rewarding and equally heartbreaking relationships than the ones with our chosen partners.

Whether you are considering a committed relationship, have been together or married for years, or are just starting out, you might find that you would like support connecting with one another and not losing yourself in the process.  Or you might need support in determining whether this relationship is even right for you at this point in your life.

Relationship counseling at the Louisville Family Center draws upon the wisdom of various approaches, including components of Stan Tatkin’s PACT methodology, Andrew Christensen & Neil Jacobson’s Acceptance and Change theory, and John Gottman’s evidence-based research on successful long-term relationships, as well as present-moment relating through Gestalt & somatic awareness.  We also get regular training and support from Queer Asterisk on LGBTQ specific challenges and needs.

One of the first steps is always to bring awareness to the relationship’s particular dynamics and styles of relating.  Next, we believe that both acceptance and change are essential components of successful relationships. Learning to understand and accept your partner’s particular triggers and habituated responses can help reduce your own threat response. At the same time, integrating non-violent communication and tools for compassionate connection allow you to move away from destructive patterns.

People we have worked with have described therapy as an experience which helped them make some big shifts, which translated into a new, more fulfilled chapter of their lives. Whether you’re considering therapy after just getting together, before a marriage or a ceremony, or after many years of partnership, relationship therapy can give you essential skills to thrive in relationship.