Couples' Counseling Beverly Rapp, LADC, LMFT Oklahoma City, OK Blending your life with that of a significant other can bring joy and often stress. Each person finds his or her need for individuation challenged by a corresponding need for intimate connection. Managing a household, co-parenting and handling a family budget requires teamwork and cooperation. The team, however, is comprised of individuals, who may have differing views about how things should be done. When tension is too great to be solved within the team, professional intervention is indicated. I have helped many couples over my 20 years of practice. Seventeen years ago, I became a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist. I find that people in close relationship most frequently fight over money, children, communication barriers, or the troubling habits of one of the partners. When drug or alcohol problems are involved, I offer knowledge and experience as a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor. People who come for Couples’ Counseling, generally, want to stay together and want to find a way to do so. I begin with that premise in mind and search for ways to bring healing to the relationship. I utilize techniques from John Gottman, Imago Therapy, Howard Markman, David Schnarch, and Pat Love, among others. Most couples don’t know how to have an argument without it turning visceral. I offer healthy strategies for disagreeing without emotional bloodshed. Relationship Counseling: Marrieds are not the only ones who can benefit from couples’ therapy. People living together, in intimate relationship, may find counseling helps when problems can not be solved between them. Pre-Marital Counseling: A couple planning to say, "I do", has many things to explore before the wedding, besides how they will dress. Pastors, priests and rabbis routinely offer pre-marital counseling when couples marry in a church or temple. Sometimes, this is not enough to address everything of importance. For instance, if the couple is coming together for a second marriage, where one or both has children, how will the new spouse adjust to the stepchildren? How will the new spouse navigate strained relations with the former spouse or the new in-laws? Sometimes money is a matter of central concern. His money? Her money? "Our money"? How are the bills to be distributed? Couples of mixed ethnicity or mixed religious traditions may face disapproval from family or church for stepping "outside the mold". I offer pre-marital counseling to couples facing challenges such as these, listed above. Divorce Counseling: When it just can’t work, how is a couple to divorce amiably? How do they explain to their children what separate residences entail? How do they accept the guilt of failure for themselves and for their children? Sometimes, professional assistance is a help when facing these larger then life issues. If you come for Couples or Relationship counseling, I will work to find the answers that are right for you. home | services | about | individual counseling couples' counseling | addictions counseling | dream work imagery | emdr | energy therapy fees & insurance | location | contact Beverly Rapp, LMFT, LADC 6051 N Brookline Ave., Suite 129 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73112 (405) 843-7005 Contact Me

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