Personalized Relationship & Couples Counseling
Book a FREE 20-minute Couples or Relationship Counseling call with Dr. Christopher J. and start your journey toward healing and reconnection.
21+ Years of Experience as A couples Therapist
Dr. Christopher Joaquim (EdD, MEd, MS) is an accomplished Couple Therapist and licensed mental health counselor with over 21 years of experience, practicing in California, Massachusetts, and Florida.
He works with:
- Couples
Adults
Teenagers
High school students
College students
Families
Common Relationship Issues I Address
Communication Breakdowns
Communication style, vocabulary used in communication, listening ability, and frequency of communication are all key areas that lead to communication breakdowns when neglected.
In therapy, attention will be given to all of these important parts of communication. Perception of communication is equally important, so understanding how communication is perceived and processed is an integral piece of the communication puzzle.
Trust Issues
There are many types of trust issues. Most people think of affairs or emotional affairs as the main trust issues, but there are others that create significant fraying between partners.
Trust issues can develop due to disagreements in the management of finances. If one partner believes the other is not competent as a provider for the household (financially or in terms of managing the household), this creates distrust.
If one partner believes the other is not competent as a parent, then distrust grows in that area. There are other forms of breakdowns in trust as well. Therapy is a good place to build trust or to rebuild lost trust.
Divorce Prevention
Most couples who seek therapy are trying to prevent divorce or prevent ending their relationship.
Therapy is a great place to identify problems, carefully define them, and create plans to address them. While success can never be guaranteed, many couples experience success, and those who don’t appreciate the peace of mind in knowing they did everything they could to improve their relationship.
Different life goals
Sometimes both members of a couple start out on similar paths, but as life moves along, each member might pursue very different goals.
Sometimes this is career related or related to a geographic area. Other times it might be related to family or family planning. When goals are in conflict, therapy can help you manage differences.
Jealousy
Sometimes jealousy interferes with relationships. This might result from past problems and trust issues or it might have to do with one member of the couple feeling inadequate. There can be other reasons as well, but overall, jealousy isn’t healthy in any relationship, and therapy is a place to address this.
Financial Issues
Money. This is one of the biggest issues in relationships. Deciding how much money you need, and what you should spend money on is difficult enough as an individual, but it sometimes becomes exponentially complicated in a relationship. Therapy can help you and your partner identify common ground, and define how you collectively want to use your money.
Stress
A tough day at work, a stressful job, a stressful economy, a stressful political climate, parental stress…..you name it ; all stress can negatively impact relationships! Therapy is a safe space to process what stresses impact your relationship and how to manage them better.
Insecurity
Sometimes one member of a couple doesn’t feel like it is a partnership and feels insecure in the relationship, and maybe personally. These issues can be addressed in therapy.
Disagreement and conflict
Finding agreement when perspectives and views vary widely is difficult, especially in the confines of a relationship. Therapy helps to reconcile disagreement by assessing perspectives , views, and values. It helps to identify common areas and areas that require compromise from one or both members of the couple.
Lack of appreciation
Do you feel unappreciated? Lack of appreciation undermines a healthy relationship. Therapy can help each member of a couple define what they appreciate about the relationship, and how to demonstrate and communicate that appreciation.
Children
Parenting and children add layers of joy, stress, and an overall hecticness to relationships. Therapy is a space where you can find ways to add more balance to parenting.
My Approach For Couples Therapy
Couples counseling is an investment in your relationship and happiness.
First, problems will be identified by each partner.
Then, each partner’s vision of what a better relationship will look like is defined.
Individual goals and collaborative couple goals will be discussed and defined.
Each week practical steps will be defined, so there is a focus and efforts are targeted.
Improving relationships is effortful, and can’t be passive.
We will work on ensuring that you are staying accountable for your part in the relationship, and that your partner is accountable as well.
We will discuss motivating factors that will help propel you forward, and talk about obstacles that you believe can hold you back.
Communication, trust, perspective-taking, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and values are all part of the process.
Change is not immediate, but when the time and effort are put into your relationship, and there is an honest effort to create a more positive atmosphere by both partners, positive change will be the destination!
The process is personalized and each couple’s unique characteristics will be considered.
What is Couples Therapy?
The objective of couples therapy is to :
- Collaboratively identify the main relationship challenges
- Develop strategies to address these challenges.
- Build a brighter future full of connection and shared dreams
Some couples think counseling won’t help, and believe they can resolve their problems on their own. However, research and experience tells us that psychotherapy can effectively help on a different level. Professional help is focused on long lasting, meaningful change.