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Get matchedRelationship patterns repeat until someone understands what's driving them, and couples therapy brings that understanding into focus.
Last reviewed by Jen Meehan, LCSW, CCATP — May 2026
Most couples who reach out for therapy describe the problem as communication. What surfaces in sessions is usually more specific. One person feels unheard, conflict triggers shutdown in the other, or they're talking about the surface issues while core needs go unaddressed. They've been having the same argument for years with different content but identical emotional choreography. The pursuer pushes for connection and the withdrawer retreats, or contempt has replaced curiosity, and neither person remembers when that shift happened.
Couples therapy doesn't fix relationships from the outside. It creates conditions where each person can understand what's actually happening — what their partner is experiencing, what they themselves are doing, and what's driving the patterns that have been so difficult to change. Understanding doesn't automatically solve problems. But people can't solve problems they can't see clearly, and the most common obstacle to change in relationships is each person's certainty that the issue lies primarily with the other.
Jen Meehan, LCSW, offers Gottman Method couples therapy to Delaware residents via secure telehealth. Both partners can join from the same home or from separate locations, whichever arrangement makes the session easier to attend.
An initial assessment that includes your relationship history, current patterns of conflict and connection, and each partner's perspective on what needs to change
Identification of the specific communication patterns that are maintaining distress, including the Four Horsemen and pursue-withdraw cycles
Skills training in repair attempts, softened startup, turning toward your partner's emotional bids, and managing physiological flooding during conflict
Honest exploration of whether the issues you're facing are solvable problems or perpetual differences that require negotiation
Work on deepening friendship, admiration, and shared meaning — not just reducing conflict
A clear-eyed assessment of the relationship's current state and realistic goals for where therapy can take you
You may benefit from relationships therapy if you’re experiencing any of the following. Our clinicians are here to help you find relief and build a path forward.
The Gottman Method begins with a thorough assessment of your relationship's strengths and vulnerabilities. The process involves observing how you interact and identifying the patterns that predict disconnection. Both partners learn what's happening beneath the surface of their arguments. The Sound Relationship House framework provides the structure: shared knowledge of each other's inner world, fondness and admiration, turning toward each other, managing conflict, creating shared meaning. The assessment reveals which areas need the most attention. (Gottman & Silver, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, 1999; Gottman Institute research at gottman.com)
From there, the work becomes specific. Couples learn to recognize contempt, criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling for what they are — patterns that erode connection regardless of the issue being discussed — and develop the skills to interrupt them. Repair attempts, softened startup, and physiological self-soothing are concrete tools rather than abstract concepts. The sessions focus on what both people can actually do differently.
The relational quality matters as much as the technique. Gottman-trained therapy focuses as much on building friendship and admiration as it does on managing conflict, because relationships that are strong in those dimensions are more resilient when difficulties arise.
Waitlist Jen's expertise covers a range of concerns, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, family conflict, and grief. She is committed to a client-centered approach, working alongside each client to identify their unique needs and build a personalized path to healing.
Book a ConsultationNo. Many couples seek therapy to strengthen a good relationship or address a specific issue before it becomes a larger pattern. Others come when things feel more urgent. Either way, reaching out reflects a willingness to invest in something that matters to you. The timing is less important than the decision to examine what's happening.
Individual therapy can address relationship concerns and help you understand your own patterns within the partnership. Sometimes one partner beginning their own work creates enough change in the dynamic that the other becomes open to joining. It also helps to understand what your partner's hesitation is about, since fear of blame or not knowing what to expect are common barriers that can often be addressed.
This varies significantly. Some couples benefit from a focused course of eight to twelve sessions targeting specific patterns. Others prefer longer-term work, especially if the issues involve trust repair or deeply entrenched dynamics. Your therapist discusses a realistic timeline after the initial assessment.
If one partner has fully made the decision, couples therapy can help navigate the separation with more clarity and less damage, which matters especially when children are involved. If there's genuine ambivalence, therapy can help sort through it. Clarity, rather than a specific outcome, is always the goal.
Virtual couples therapy consistently produces outcomes comparable to in-person sessions for most issues. Many couples report that the convenience of not traveling and the comfort of being in their own space makes it easier to engage in the work. Both partners can join from the same location or from separate screens depending on what the session requires.
We’re currently accepting new clients across Delaware. All sessions are virtual — compassionate, evidence-based relationships therapy from the comfort of your home.
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