Couples Therapy in the Washington, DC Area

For Gay and Straight Couples

Are You Struggling in Your Relationship?
Don't Give Up—Couples Therapy Can Help You Move Forward

Most of us begin our relationships with love, excitement, and the hope that we will have a great life together with our partner. Few of us imagine how difficult it will be, at times, to be a couple.

If you're visiting my website and considering couples therapy, you're probably having a tough time in your relationship or marriage.

Maybe you're struggling over an important issue, and are seeking couples counseling to figure out how to resolve your difference and move on. Maybe one of you has had an affair, or trust has broken down between the two of you, and you hope that couples therapy can help you to heal.

Perhaps you're fighting over seemingly small or petty issues that you know aren't worth fighting about, and hoping that through couples counseling, you can improve your communication, and find ways to stay calm rather than becoming reactive. Or perhaps you're feeling distant from your partner and thinking that maybe marriage or relationship counseling can help you both feel close and caring again.

Maybe your sex life isn't what it was, or what you would like it to be, and you wonder if couples therapy can really make a difference. Possibly you're struggling over parenting; or who makes the decisions in your house; or how the money should be spent...or not. You may be seeking relationship or marriage counseling simply because you're frustrated and scared about how hard it seems to get along with your partner and build a life together.

You have surely heard that a committed relationship requires hard work to succeed. But how do you figure out what you must do to build a strong and loving partnership?

I will help you learn effective tools for change, so that you can build the relationship that you want to have. I have a doctorate in clinical psychology; many years of specialized training to help couples who are struggling; and many years of experience helping couples through couples counseling here in the Washington DC area.

These principles guide my couples counseling and couples therapy work:

Relationships are challenging. For many reasons, it it often difficult to live intimately with another person. So it is inevitable that when you are building a life with another person, you will have conflict. All couples will get stuck at various points in their relationships, because all relationships are going to pose new and difficult challenges at times. You can't know how to deal with these challenges until you run into them. Then, you have to learn how to handle them, by struggling and growing. If you want to develop a strong, healthy relationship, and grow as a partner in your marriage, you will need to struggle with yourself in order to figure out how you want to handle the differences, conflicts, and disappointments that are part of being in a relationship. Stuck points can be painful, but they give you the opportunity to get better at handling the tough parts of marriage. Couples therapy can help you make the most of opportunities to develop yourself as a stronger, more open, more flexible, and more loving human being. Changing the way that you do things in your relationship can be scary even when you see the benefit of changing, and will require you to learn to soothe your own anxiety. Learning to soothe yourself is an invaluable skill that will help you as you try new behaviors; and will benefit you in your entire life. You never need to wait for your partner to change before you put forth effort to turn things around. You can make positive changes in your relationship on your own, without waiting for your partner to make a move.

I offer couples therapy for gay and straight couples in the Washington, DC area. My office is in the Woodley Park/Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington DC. It is close to Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and other Montgomery County, Maryland suburbs; and to Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, and other Northern Virginia Suburbs.

Individual issues can often impact your marriage. I also offer individual therapy in Washington, DC.

My therapy dog Aviv is often a soothing, unobtrusive presence in my sessions.

Check out my articles to get a sense of my work.

Michael Radkowsky, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist

~ 15 years experience ~

"I help clients create strong relationships
and fulfilling lives."

3000 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 137
Washington, DC 20008

Ready to take the next step?
Call or e-mail Dr. Michael Radkowsky:

202.234.3278

michael@personalgrowthzone.com
www.personalgrowthzone.com

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