COUPLES THERAPY IN SAN DIEGO

What Happens in Couples Therapy?

Couples therapy provides a structured and supportive space where both partners can talk openly about what is happening in the relationship and what they would like to change.

Your couples therapist is not there to decide who is right or wrong or to choose one partner’s side.

Instead, therapy focuses on understanding what happens between the two of you.

Your therapist may help you explore questions such as:

• What usually happens before an argument begins?

• How does each partner react when they feel hurt, criticized, or misunderstood?

• What makes it difficult to reconnect after conflict?

• Are there needs or emotions that are difficult to communicate?

• What patterns keep repeating even when the topic of the disagreement changes?

During sessions, you may practice communicating concerns more clearly, listening differently, recognizing emotional triggers, repairing after conflict, and creating healthier patterns of connection.

Couples sessions at Novara Counseling are approximately 55 minutes.

The beginning of therapy focuses on understanding your relationship history, current concerns, recurring patterns, and what each partner hopes will change. Depending on your therapist and treatment plan, individual sessions with each partner may also be included as part of the assessment process.

Benefits of Couples Counseling

Improve Communication

Difficult conversations can quickly turn into criticism, defensiveness, silence, or escalation.

Couples counseling can help you express concerns and needs more clearly while becoming better able to listen to and understand your partner.

The goal is not simply to communicate more, but to communicate in ways that make it easier for both partners to feel heard.

Manage Conflict in Healthier Ways

Many couples discover that the subject of an argument changes while the pattern underneath it remains the same.

One partner may push harder for a conversation while the other withdraws. One may become critical while the other becomes defensive.

Recognizing these cycles can make it easier to slow them down and respond differently.

Rebuild Trust

Trust can be affected by infidelity, dishonesty, broken agreements, emotional disconnection, or repeated relationship injuries.

Therapy can provide space to understand what happened, discuss how each partner has been affected, increase accountability, establish healthier boundaries, and gradually rebuild emotional safety.

Couples specifically healing from betrayal can also learn more about our Affair Recovery Therapy.

Strengthen Emotional Connection

Work, parenting, stress, and everyday responsibilities can gradually create distance between partners.

Therapy can help you better understand each other’s emotional needs and create more opportunities for friendship, affection, curiosity, intimacy, and connection.

Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Our couples therapists use the Gottman Method, which is an established approach to couples therapy that focuses on communication, conflict management, friendship, trust, and emotional connection.

Rather than assigning blame to one partner, Gottman-informed therapy helps couples understand the patterns that develop between them and learn more constructive ways of responding.

Couples may work on:

• Communicating needs more effectively

• Managing conflict without escalating

• Repairing after disagreements

• Increasing appreciation and affection

• Strengthening friendship

• Building trust and commitment

• Creating more intentional connection

Therapy may also help couples recognize patterns such as criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling and practice healthier alternatives. Learn More About the Gottman Method

Meet Our Couples Therapists in San Diego

Finding a therapist both partners feel comfortable with is an important part of couples counseling.

Farnaz Safaei, LMFT

Farnaz works with couples navigating recurring conflict, communication difficulties, emotional disconnection, trust concerns, intimacy challenges, and other relationship concerns.

Her work with couples may incorporate the Gottman Method to help partners better understand their relationship patterns, manage conflict, strengthen friendship, and rebuild connection.

Meet Farnaz Safaei

Sydney Walla, APCC

Sydney works with couples around communication, relationship stress, emotional patterns, conflict, and disconnection.

Her approach may incorporate the Gottman Method, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness to help clients better understand their emotions, patterns, and responses within relationships.

Meet Sydney Walla

In-Person Couples Therapy in San Diego

Novara Counseling offers in-person couples therapy from our Sorrento Valley office in San Diego.

Our location is convenient for couples throughout areas including UTC, University City, La Jolla, Mira Mesa, Carmel Valley, Del Mar, and surrounding San Diego communities.

We also provide online couples therapy throughout California for couples who prefer the flexibility of meeting virtually.

Whether you meet with your therapist in person or online, counseling is tailored to your relationship, concerns, and goals.