Counseling for Intimacy​

 

Some couples choose to make intimacy the main focus of treatment. With these couples, treatment is centered on creating change in five dimensions of intimacy. However, when you make change in one or two dimensions, you tend to create change in the others. 

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1) Couples are encourage to create change in emotional intimacy both in session and out of session. Emotional intimacy describes the intimacy that exists in a relationship where you feel comfortable and safe to share your feelings, without fear of judgment or retribution from the person that you’re sharing with. We will work with communication strategies to do this.

 

2) Experiential intimacy refers to the bond that people have when they share experiences. I will help you to create "intimate experiencing", which is so much better than "date night".

3) Conflict intimacy results when a couple can continue conversation "in tension". Sometimes just knowing what to do in conflict and having a shared commitment to do it better can make a big difference.

4) Intellectual intimacy results when you feel free to express all of your opinions and ideas. It doesn’t matter if the person you are sharing with agrees or disagrees with you; you feel safe to share your ideas no matter what.

5) Sensual and sexual intimacy describes the intimacy of experiencing each other's body through the sensual experiencing of physical touch and having sex with your partner. I encourage couples to integrate sensual touch in a very specific way AND as a prelude to sexual intercourse. Giving significant time to just be sensual (without being sexual) can increase intimate connection and strengthen sexual intimacy.