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Sharon Road/SouthPark
5203 Sharon Road
Charlotte, NC 28210
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Selwyn Avenue/Myers Park
3009 Selwyn Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28209
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(704) 554-9900

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Couples Counseling

Couples Counseling

Our couples counselors welcome couples of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, faith or no faith, and sexual orientations.

Our Couples Team offers
  • Couples Wellness Checks
  • Counseling when Coupling is Distressed
  • Counseling for Uncoupling with Care

Couples Wellness Checks

Why a Couples Wellness Check?

Going to couples counseling once in a while for a maintenance check and “tune-up” builds on the strengths of your partnership and catches little issues before they balloon.

Getting some couples counseling before big decisions — marriage, children, moving, taking in an aging relative — can help clarify goals and feelings related to proposed changes.

A Couples Wellness Check can also be helpful at transition times, such as empty nesting or pre-retirement.

The Wellness Check Process

During a wellness check, the couple and the clinician focus on a series of life areas to determine the level of satisfaction each partner experiences, to build on the strengths of the couple, and to identify issues that may need negotiation or compromise.

Topics Covered in a Couples Wellness Check
  • Career/Job/Work & Life Balance/Retirement
  • Children/Parenting/Empty Nesting
  • Communication Patterns
  • Conflicts: Disagreeing/Negotiating/Resolving
  • Finances: Handling the Money/Making Financial Decisions
  • Friends and Relatives
  • Religion/Spirituality
  • Sex
  • Values: Revisiting Priorities

When the Coupling is Distressed

When to seek Couples Counseling

A serious relationship or marriage is almost sure to hit some bumps or fall into some ruts along the way. Couples counseling is indicated when:

  • The usual conflict resolution strategies are no longer working
  • There has been a loss that is overwhelming the resilience of the couple
  • A serious betrayal has shattered trust – infidelity, financial excesses by one partner, secret and habitual accessing of porn, gambling, or another practice that jeopardizes the relationship
  • Addiction – alcohol, drugs, porn, gambling, food – has hurt the relationship
  • Disagreements about parenting are building anger, hurt, resentment
  • Extended family dynamics are creating disharmony in the coupling
  • The work-life balance is out of kilter
  • Sex is not satisfying one or both partners or just isn’t happening
Earlier is better

Couples counseling is likely to be more effective if the partners begin the process as soon as possible after a rupture is identified


Uncoupling with Care

Uncoupling is painful and disruptive, but it does not have to be destructive.

Counseling can help each partner move from fear, hurt, and anger to mourning the loss inherent in uncoupling. Regaining mutual respect and care for each other as a fellow human traveler can prevent the ugliness sometimes accompanying uncoupling.

When kids are involved, counseling can be instrumental in preserving the children’s sense of safety, security, and trust that they are still loved and have two supportive parents.

Presby Psych also offers preparation counseling prior to marriage, remarriage, or cohabitation.

Learn More

Our Couples Team

Katie Boone, MA, LCMHC-A, NCC
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate
Perry Griffin, M.Ed., LCMHC, NCC
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor,
Director of Training
Daniel Miles, M.Div., MA, LCMHC
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
John C. Simpson, III, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist