Couples Therapy and Counseling in Kansas City — Licensed Therapists Helping You Build the Relationship You Want

Strengthen your relationship with evidence-based couples therapy at Brookside Anxiety & Mental Health. Our licensed therapists help partners improve communication, rebuild trust, and deepen emotional connection through compassionate, personalized counseling.

How Couples Therapy at Brookside Helps You Rebuild and Thrive

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Our primary relationships are integral to our well-being and yet often are neglected. We offer an evidence-based approach tailored to your needs, drawing from the Gottman Method as well as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Couples, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Couples.

These modalities have been proven to be effective in improving relationship satisfaction and stability and are marked by a focus on:

  1. Friendship & Intimacy: Couples are oriented to building a sound relationship house, which includes creating shared meaning, building love maps, nurturing fondness and admiration, and turning towards each other. This holistic approach ensures that couples not only resolve conflicts but also enhance their friendship and emotional connection.

  2. Conflict Management: Unlike some therapies that focus solely on resolving conflicts, we work to teach couples how to manage conflicts healthily by addressing the “Four Horsemen”–criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling. We also teach skills from mindfulness and acceptance therapies to help patients self-regulate.

  3. Shared Meaning: Building a healthy relationship involves couples learning about each other’s deepest hopes and dreams. The Gottman Approach helps couples support one another in making their individual dreams come true as well as creating shared purpose.

  4. Customized Approach: Each couple can opt to receive a personalized assessment that highlights treatment targets tailored to their unique needs and goals.

  5. Practical Tools and Exercises: By providing couples with practical tools and exercises they can use outside of sessions, we are able to help reinforce what they learn in therapy and support ongoing relationship growth.

Relationship Challenges We Help Couples Overcome Through Therapy

A woman with glasses and hoop earrings leans over a man sitting on the floor, both smiling and appearing happy in a living room.

Brookside Anxiety & Mental Health’s couples counseling in Kansas City help partners strengthen communication, rebuild trust, and navigate life’s challenges together. Whether you’re facing ongoing conflict, emotional distance, or major transitions, our therapists provide evidence-based guidance to help you restore connection and create a more fulfilling relationship.

  • Communication difficulties

  • Chronic conflict or frequent arguments

  • Loss of trust or infidelity

  • Emotional or physical intimacy issues

  • Financial stress and disagreements

  • Parenting or blended family challenges

  • External stressors affecting the relationship

  • Boundary and autonomy concerns

  • Major life transitions or adjustments

  • Differences in values, goals, or lifestyle choices

Couples Therapy Process

Couples Therapy Process

  1. Step 1: Assessment

    • Joint session with both partners.
    • Individual interviews with each partner.
    • Couples complete detailed questionnaires.
    • Therapist analyzes strengths, challenges, and relationship dynamics.

  2. Step 2: Feedback & Goal Setting

    • Therapist provides feedback from assessment.
    • Together, therapist and couple set therapy goals and expectations.

  3. Step 3: Therapeutic Interventions

    Focus on three primary areas:

    • Friendship & Intimacy: Building love maps, sharing fondness and admiration.
    • Conflict Management: Addressing the “Four Horsemen” — criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling.
    • Shared Meaning: Making dreams come true, creating shared purpose.

    Includes use of structured exercises and homework to practice skills.

  4. Step 4: Relapse Prevention & Follow-up

    • Strengthen new skills.
    • Address challenges as they arise.
    • Plan for maintaining progress after therapy.

“I really appreciate the teaching aspect of the treatment. I recognize that to be better, I'm going to have to learn and practice new ways of thinking. My provider is very clear and measured. I can see that she has a plan for me.”

— BROOKSIDE ANXIETY & MENTAL HEALTH CLIENT

A couple sitting closely together on a rooftop with candles, watching the sunset over a city skyline.

Get started with Brookside Anxiety & Mental Health today

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