Center for Emotional Health
Regan Sheppard, M.A.
Couples Counseling
Imagine what your relationship would be like if... My philosophy:
I am “marriage friendly”. When we talk I make the assumption that you are here to save your relationship. My primary focus is helping you find solutions to your marital problems rather than helping you leave your relationship when things get rocky.
You don’t have to wait until there is a crisis in your relationship to start counseling.
You might benefit from relationship or pre-marital counseling to help you and your partner overcome challenges and establish some healthy patterns right from the start.
What to expect:
It takes a lot of courage to honestly assess your current situation, and commit to making changes in your relationship. In a supportive and collaborative environment, we will identify your concerns, and map out a strategy to achieve your goals.
In session we will use skill building and insight-- abilities that can move you toward a better relationship, and also to more deeply accept whatever experience comes to you without adding the pain of struggling to make the experience go away.
We will also talk about difficult topics, like sex and money. It may be difficult to talk about these topics with such depth at first.
I work with all types of couples: married or not, straight or GLBT, long-term or just starting out. Call to learn more and schedule a consultation: (360) 224-0110.
What couples say about working with Regan:
"My relationship was completely on the rocks, and I had no idea what to do about it. When we started couples counseling I was pretty sure it was over. Regan helped us repair things, and rebuild trust after an affair. We had a lot of issues, and sometimes we still do-- but both of us are willing to work hard for our relationship. I am so glad we didn't give up."
"My husband used to come home from work, grab some food and then sulk off silently. We hadn't had a real conversation in months- Just arguments over money or sex, but no heart-to-hearts. Regan helped us change all of that. We saw her more than 2 years ago, and we still are using the tools she taught us. Regan was such a blessing to our relationship"
"Regan never took sides, she was always fair. She helped my husband and I see how we were both creating the negative patterns in our relationship, and gave us the tools to change them."
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forward"
-- Soren Kierkegaard
Sex & Intimacy Therapy
Intimacy issues are frequently discussed in marriage counseling. Society doesn’t always want us to talk about sex, and we are often left feeling as though we lack the skills to deal with sexual issues. Using up-to-date methods we can address sexual desire issues, male and female sexual dysfunction, as well as feelings of guilt, anxiety or fear around sex.
Sexual dysfunctions do not occur in a vacuum. The marital relationship impacts on the sexual problem, and, in turn, the sexual problem impacts on the marital relationship.
This being the case, I take a comprehensive approach to the treatment of sexual dysfunctions that must include a thorough assessment of the marital relationship*.
*If sex therapy is contraindicated, (because of the presence of severe,
rather than moderate, marital distress), we will begin couples therapy
before the treatment of the sexual problem.