What couples therapy involves
Couples therapy, also called couples counselling, relationship counselling, or marriage counselling, is structured work with both partners on how you relate to each other. The focus is the relationship, not a verdict on who is right: how you talk when things get tense, how you repair after a fight, and what each of you needs that is not getting through.
Sessions at VPC are 75 minutes, longer than a standard individual session, and the work is shaped around the questions you bring rather than a fixed script.
How we work
Our clinicians draw on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a research-supported approach that works on the emotional bond underneath repeated conflict, and on Gottman-informed methods that look at communication patterns, repair attempts, and the everyday foundations of a healthy partnership. Which approach leads depends on what you are facing and on the clinician you work with.
When couples come to us
- Arguments that keep repeating, or conversations that shut down
- Distance, or a loss of closeness and intimacy
- Recovery after an affair
- Disagreement about how to raise or share the care of your children
- Uncertainty about whether to stay together
- Preparing for a long-term commitment or marriage
Specific kinds of support
Affair recovery. Structured work on disclosure, accountability, and rebuilding trust, or on parting well if that is where things lead.
Discernment counselling. Counselling for couples where one partner is unsure whether to commit to the work of repair.
Pre-commitment counselling. Skills, values, and shared expectations before a formal commitment.
Separation and divorce. If separation is likely, our team also includes clinicians who support collaborative divorce and co-parenting. Our care team can tell you which clinician is the right fit.
Our couples therapy team
Couples work at VPC is offered by Dr. Lisa Ferrari, Dr. Jessie Sandhu, Matthew Beasley, RCC, and Angela Herd, RCC. Angela Herd sees clients by telehealth only. The other clinicians offer both in-person and telehealth sessions. You can read each clinician's approach on their profile, and our care team will match you with the person whose approach and availability fit.
Common questions
- How long is a couples therapy session?
- 75 minutes.
- Can we do couples therapy online?
- Yes. Couples sessions are available by secure video across BC. Most of our couples clinicians also see clients in person at our Mount Pleasant office in Vancouver, and Angela Herd sees clients by telehealth only.
- What if only one of us is sure about doing this?
- That is a common starting point. Discernment counselling is for couples where one partner is unsure about committing to the work. Tell our care team when you reach out and they will help you choose a first step.
- How do we get started?
- Contact our care team. We will talk through what you are looking for and match you with a clinician.