Client Reviews
Page Two
More voices. Same truth.
Real couples. Real change. Real therapy that works.
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We were questioning if this relationship was salvageable.
We were honestly afraid this would be the nail in the coffin. We would go and uncover we had nothing left to save.
Catherine Pfuntner listened and took notes. I know that sounds elementary, but she actually paid attention and circled things back to what we said and what we did. In each of the exercises, she would stop us immediately when she saw a behavior that was detrimental to our success. It had become so ingrained in the way that we spoke to each other we were not even consciously noticing the eye rolls or backhanded compliments.
She did not get frustrated with our lack of understanding and always checked in to see if she was reading the relationship correctly. She zoned in on what we said and what we didn’t say. She also held us accountable in a soft way that our bruised hearts needed. When one of us got off track, she quickly got us on point again, and we stayed focused. She also modeled the behavior she was asking of us to emulate. By giving us real examples, it helped us to implement the tools she was teaching us.
The process is different from others, and that is why it works. The BIG BIG Book was a little odd, and some of the questions were difficult to understand, but it sheds so much light. That alone would have accounted for several meetings to uncover. Our therapist videotaped us and had our heart rate and pulse rate monitored. While that seemed silly to us, it actually sheds a lot of light. Being able to see your facial features when you’re responding to your partner is helpful. Also, even though my husband’s facial features never changed, I could see when I said certain things how much his heart rate increased. This is truly different from anything else we have ever done in the past, and I can see why it works so well now.
My husband went into this with dread and trepidation. He was difficult to work with because it takes him a long time to come up with an answer. Usually, for me, I get frustrated and think he isn’t willing to work on a solution. However, Catherine never became frustrated with him. She also didn’t let him off the hook. She held him accountable to participate, but she came from it in several different ways. She was the gentlest and most caring person I have ever spoken with in this type of setting; however, that does not mean she was a pushover. She never let us feel like we were beyond saving or that there was something wrong with us. The fact that she pointed out this was normal for people in our stage of life to experience took off so much pressure.
Hands down, I would recommend working with Catherine. I felt she wanted us to succeed as much as we did.
We were on the brink of divorce and previous couples therapy was not very effective.
Couples Therapy Inc. practiced the Gottman Method and was science-based.
Rebecca Lanier was non-biased and to the point. There is a method to the madness and it isn’t just you sharing your feelings while others share their untested opinion.
We are now turning towards more, understanding the hurt; it created a pathway toward forgiveness.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.? The best thing you’ll ever do for your marriage.
We were on the verge of divorce.
We wanted to improve communication and address issues with our sex life.
We tried couples therapy before and it didn’t work.
Jenny Fang had a very calming, caring disposition which made it easy to open up and be honest during the therapy session. Our communication has gotten better. We now have a better understanding of each other, better communication, and a better understanding of how to deal with issues from the past that affect us today.
I would recommend Jenny as a therapist.
We were stuck. We were recovering from the damage caused by cheating…
We were recovering from the damage caused by cheating and had worked for years with various therapists to sort it all out, but couldn’t get past some key issues that had created the atmosphere that allowed it to happen. Some was helpful, but it eventually got to the point that we weren’t making any progress.
We needed something to get us unstuck and an intensive seemed like the most likely option. We chose CTI because we were able to find a therapist who was more mature and also had some background in sex addiction.
Angela Voegele helped me re-frame how I see my husband in regard to sex; that a healthy sexual relationship requires work and he’s the perfect partner, in many ways, with whom to explore. I liked that she’s older than us and has more life experience; that she could understand the phase of life we’re in and help us see what might be important as we get older.
I appreciated the ability to do an intensive and move forward in a meaningful way in such a short amount of time. The key, however, is being sure the therapist is a good match.
I understand that seeking sex outside my marriage won’t be meaningful, that I have a better chance of finding good sex with my husband, and that we have an overall solid relationship that would be a shame to throw away.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Make sure you talk to the therapist before committing to the whole thing – it would be a total waste of money if it wasn’t a good fit.
From Head of Operations: This is excellent advice, while all our therapists are highly experienced and qualified “fit” is important and it’s personal. This is why we require all potential clients to have a no-obligation phone call with their selected therapist prior to scheduling an intensive.
What an amazing and life changing weekend. Angela, you must be exhausted!
My wife and I are forever in your gratitude for how you helped us learn more about ourselves and each other. You have renewed my faith in counseling. The materials, visual aides, environment and your calm, professional approach were exactly why this weekend was so impactful… and special to us. Thank you just doesn’t seem good enough to express how grateful we are to you and the program.
We have a lot of new things to incorporate in our daily lives, and it’s been a wonderful beginning for us. Therapist: Angele Voegele
I was very troubled by my partner’s affair and we were unsure how to work at healing from this.
We tried couples therapy with two different therapists, one actually detrimental and one neutral but not affair specialized.
Angela Voegele is incredibly talented, warm, comforting, and insightful. Her sex therapy experience was also a very helpful combination.
Angela is simply amazing.
We feel so lucky to have had her as our therapist. We took very significant steps forward in healing and understanding how this happened. We learned tools to navigate this as well.
This is the best couples therapy we’ve ever had.
Extremely talented therapist, very well structured intensive, lots of resources to access in continuing the work on our own post-intensive.
If you think there is even a chance that you want to repair your marriage do this immediately.
This was our first time in couples therapy, we were hesitant because we thought that it would be a “bash the husband” session.
Since our work with Couples Therapy Inc. we are talking again and connecting daily about the little things. Three benefits that we have experienced; communication, love life, and addressing the issues we both had.
Marisa Mundey was fantastic!
She was very bi-partisan and listened to both of our issues. She gave great suggestions on how we can improve our marriage. Marisa is a great therapist and really helped both of us get through this rough patch.
There was a distance between us that needed to be investigated and repaired.
Dr. Patricia Gorman was very helpful and did not favor one of us over the other. She was able to identify the big issues and help us focus on them, she did a good job. It really digs deep and gets to the bottom of issues. We did learn a lot and came away with some tools that should help us in the future.
We now have a better understanding of each other, tools to work within the future, and a resource we can call on in the future if we have more problems. We are both very glad we did it.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Definitely worth trying.
Our relationship was distant and painful.
We needed help with communication, understanding attachment and conflict resolutions.
We really needed something drastic and out-of-the-box.
Diane Foy was very easy to talk to and gave great advice and guidance without being condescending.
We accomplished more in our marriage in three days than we would have in years of weekly counseling sessions. We have a better understanding of ourselves and each other. We have tools to use as we move forward. We feel hopeful that we’ll be able to make this work!
We fight much less and feel a new sense of trust. It was like a giant reset button
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Do it! It was worth every penny.
We were not communicating well & we didn’t understand each other’s POV [point of view.]
We’ve been attending couples counseling off and on for years.
I wanted a marriage retreat/intensive that was not religiously based. I liked that CTI was a one-on-one set up for a weekend, it wasn’t incredibly far from home and it was affordable.
My only worry was that CTI wouldn’t deliver what was on the website.
Marisa Mundey was knowledgeable and really good at drawing me out to get to the root answer. I wish that the handouts that we received were already in a binder in a logical order – so we could focus on review and usage. We left with a better understanding of each other as individuals.
My husband and I have tools to help us communicate better and I have some defined areas to work on with my individual counselor.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Go with an open mind and heart. It is definitely worth the investment in your relationship.
We were looking for affair recovery; re-igniting the spark and re-building trust.
We hesitated because of the expense; the sense of vulnerability when divorce may be imminent anyway; and of course, the fear that it wouldn’t work.
Angela Voegele has a calming presence and is dedicated to addressing all the issues and bringing you closer together. I appreciated that she recommended reading and ways for us to keep up the momentum, acknowledging the fact that things may change at home in “real life” rather than being caught up in a few focused days.
Now I am learning to appreciate my husband like I did way back in the beginning; ensuring we are both communicating our needs and feelings on a regular basis; re-igniting our attached and loyal relationship rather than living separate lives.
I think without it, we would have gone through with an unnecessary, costly, divorce and thrown away a lifetime of future togetherness with our family. We will not be divorcing; we have begun to heal and have started to restore the Loyalty phase of our relationship that had broken in the first place.
Thank goodness my husband didn’t give up on me and finally agreed to this retreat. We both feel forever grateful that we just decorated the Christmas tree together with our family rather than apart, in different homes. We realized that our relationship is not only repairable, but that we were so lucky to have found someone we are so compatible with way back when…and we both WANT to stay together – it makes us happy. I’m excited for what the future holds. Thank you.
Our marriage was in dire straights.
We had trust and communications problems. We had tried couples therapy before, but very unsuccessfully. And I was concerned that my wife would not be an active participant…
However, vital issues were cleared up. We have better communication and more trust.
Dr. Patricia Gorman was our couples therapist. She asked pertinent and vital questions. Was able to direct the sessions in the right direction for constructive results. We got very positive results. Our intensive prevented a divorce, increased communication, and we’re able to enjoy each other again.
I would recommend it. It takes a lot of work but it is worth it in spades.
We wanted to be more connected and were looking for tools to help us work through issues with the bigger family.
We had a few sessions with a counselor a few years ago, but it did not help much.
Sierra Kehoe was very well prepared from our BIG BIG Book work, a great listener and problem solver. We are more connected, this gave us a forum for talking through difficult topics, and great tools were suggested to continue our work. We feel more connected.
Our relationship was near the end…
Our relationship was near the end with a lack of trust and misdiagnosis of intentions, wants, and needs.
Previous couples therapy was slightly successful, but at one visit/week it had limited effectiveness. It was emotionally-based therapy.
We were nearing our end, and we needed to go all in for our last attempt. We were hesitant about hearing the truths, receiving the unadulterated diagnosis, and concerned that things would not change regardless of the therapy.
Angela Voegele’s approach to us, her ability to speak openly and honestly about our issues, and her knowledge of the Gottman Method opened up my Wife so that healing could occur and it drastically altered (for the good) her misinterpretation of me, my actions, intentions, and persona. We liked Angela’s openness, honesty, emotion, and knowledge of our situation and Gottman. We have increased trust, greater openness, and communication through a feeling of safety.
Angela was amazing to work with through the intense therapy.
Although it wasn’t easy for me or my wife, we both came out of it with an in-depth understanding of each other, our relationship, and past family and personal hurts. Angela help us start the healing process and we are much closer now than we ever were. Thank you, Angela, for bringing us back together.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Absolutely do it. The benefits/potential benefits far outweigh the investment.
Our marriage was terrible; near divorce. This was our last chance, a Hail Mary.
Our daughter found you online; presented it as a last-ditch attempt that has worked for other couples.
Scott Wolfe was our therapist and he was great – my partner and I had several tough moments during therapy that Scott was able to navigate.
What three benefits resulted from working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Not sure – too early to tell, but we were in a very tough spot prior to therapy.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Would strongly recommend Couples Therapy Inc.
We were disconnected emotionally and physically.
We were both harboring years of hurt caused by the other. We desperately needed therapy regarding communication, sex and intimacy.
We did a few months of Christian couples counseling several years ago and although it was initially helpful and encouraging, it didn’t provide us any real tools to help us when things got difficult again.
We found Couples Therapy Inc online and were impressed by your website – the mission of the company, the promptness of response and help when we reached out, and the outstanding reviews of the therapists and their work.
We chose to fly halfway across the country to see the therapist we had selected and felt comfortable proceeding with. I was worried that the cost to fly there, stay there, and attend the intensive would be too great for such a short time, but thankfully, it was worth it.
Dr. Kathy McMahon was very neutral and understanding of both sides of the story. She was easy to open up with and talk to. I felt that she was genuine in her desire to help our marriage.
We were able to reconnect emotionally and see each other in a new light. We were taught some helpful communication skills to keep that progress going, even after returning to the ‘real world.’ My spouse was given an official diagnosis regarding his mental health and a plan to pursue healing in that, and that was very encouraging to him individually and to our marriage.
Dr. K was so wonderful. She is well-educated, experienced, open-minded, practical, genuine and honestly, just funny and enjoyable to be around. We wished we lived in Boston so we could continue to receive therapy and follow ups with her.
The company itself, including the staff, is great. Everything was very organized, thorough, and kindly communicated.
Absolutely invest in this for your marriage. These reviews are genuine!
My positive experience with my own personal therapist in my hometown and now another incredible one with Dr. K stirred something in my heart to return to school to become a therapist myself. Helping others is really such a cool thing. Who knows if it will actually fall into place for me to do this, but I love the desire that it created in me.
We have tried couples therapy before and it was not successful
Dr. Patricia Gorman was incredible, gentle, intelligent and was able to help us right away and picked up on our problems almost immediately.
We now have improved communication, better listening and the ability to talk again….
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Please do it!
My marriage was on the verge of divorce before couples therapy.
We wanted to learn how to disagree in a calmer way. I was willing to try anything to help improve and save my marriage. We tried couples therapy once before and it was unsuccessful (probably because we only attempted one session).
Marisa Mundey was patient and had actually used our pre-work to help move straight to our problems. We finally got a chance to address a few of our top issues. After the sessions were over, however, I felt as if the therapist was relieved and ready to move on. She was extremely nice, but there was no immediate follow-up or opportunity to schedule more sessions (and I asked).
The programs and material are good, but one weekend isn’t long enough for all couple situations. It was a lot of money and we somewhat practiced the therapy skills for about 2 – 3 days following. Then our relationship resumed its bad habits and continued as if couples therapy never happened.
As of now, I am making arrangements to separate from him and possibly divorce.
I would recommend this therapist but not Couples Therapy, Inc. I was hesitant about spending so short amount of time, to help improve 8 years of built up relationship issues. Although we spent 2.3 days discussing our relationship issues, it was nowhere near enough time to divulge as deep as we needed on more specific issues. Also, not enough time to practice various scenarios of the couple exercises.
I would not recommend this treatment. I’d suggest couples find a therapist and schedule ongoing sessions. This way they have the ability to continue working on their issues with that particular therapist.
From Dr. K: To clarify for this client, Marisa does, in fact, schedule regular ongoing follow-up with couples in Texas. Relapse prevention is an important part of science-based couples therapy. In addition, if our couples prefer to work with a local therapist in weekly work, we contact the couples therapist of your choice and provide guidance, based upon the work you’ve accomplished with us, and feedback to this new therapist, to help you accomplish your long-term goals. Our Intensives are a “jump-start,” and don’t promise to be an end solution for every client. Please contact Marisa for either ongoing online work, or for help finding a local weekly therapist.
Our marriage was headed for the exit ramp – each of us unsure whether we wanted to continue the relationship.
This was a last ditch effort for a course correction. The primary issues seen as marriage killers were both communication and conflict resolution.
Each previous couples therapy experience was worse than the last. The therapists guessed their way to a diagnosis using their proprietary template as an overlay to diagnose our challenges and treatment. All of these attempts were very ineffective.
This time I started narrowing the field of therapists ensuring that the Gottman method was not just known to them, but well-practiced. Proximity was the next priority because I believed that face-to-face was our best option. Rebecca Lanier was not only one of the closer therapists with this background/experience, but she exhibited confidence within our pre-call.
Rebecca Lanier was both tactful and direct within our interaction. It was clear that although there was an agenda for the weekend, she was re-shaping that agenda to suit our needs in-the-moment during the weekend – just what I’d hoped for.
We’re only one day out, but there’s a different attitude and confidence we both have for the future of our marriage. We possess the tools needed to make our marriage better aligned to both our individual expectations.
Rebecca is both kind and direct. She pulled and nudged us onto a better path. We’ll be seeing her again!
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Lay your soul bare – don’t hold back. If you don’t risk all, the potential reward may slip through your fingers.
We had a pretty solid foundation to our relationship.
We experienced an infidelity in our marriage, which shook our marriage to the core. The purpose of our therapy was to process the infidelity and create a plan to move forward.
The therapy coordinator through my husband’s employer suggested that we seek a therapist who uses the Gottman Method.
I was reluctant starting through your practice, but more with starting in general. It was tough to talk through the difficult questions and we were nervous to being up such tough topics, but knew it was necessary.
It was brutal, but worth sticking through. We had put in some work on our own through the use of a couple’s workbook prior to therapy.
Debbie Wooodall Carroll guided us through some of the same questions we had discussed, but purposefully dug deeper and led us to a better understanding of the root causes of what led us to the infidelity. We appreciated that she balanced the excruciating conversations with more lighthearted activities. It encouraged us that we now know we can engage in difficult conversations at home and pull ourselves out of the pain of that topic with a more “light” topic.
We feel it helped us come to a better understanding of why things happened and what we can do to prevent it from recurring in the future.
We now have better communication techniques between us, weekly “state of the union” meetings to check in on one another, clarity of how we ended up where we were.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
You can’t get through the tough stuff without the tough conversations. It will be hard, but it will be worth it.
It was like working with a jedi master.
Our core issues were sexuality and connectedness. We hadn’t tried couples therapy before butt he change after this weekend was a 180 degree shift. We worked with Angela Voegele. It was like working with a jedi master.
We need to stick to our commitments following the session.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Do it
We were disconnected and felt isolated.
We’ve both done individual therapy. I attended his as a collateral at times, but it didn’t help.
I’m an LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and my husband is a psychologist PhD as well. I know that Gottman has the most developed and research driven approach to marriage anywhere. We couldn’t afford the Gottmans themselves otherwise we would have done that.
We are both therapists, so we were concerned about the skill level of Dr. Wolfe before beginning.
Dr. Scott Wolfe was respectful and responsive to the fact that we are also therapists and know a lot about therapy but were struggling in our own marriage. He did a great job of letting us drive the priorities and direction of our sessions. I would definitely recommend Dr. Wolfe, especially for couples who are both motivated to be there.
Benefits included:
- Allowed us neutral ground and a framework to process what has occurred in the past three years even though we technically know how to do it. We just needed the help.
- Understanding what my partner’s experience has been.
- Ability to express what has happened for me.
- Skills to use in our own practices!
I’m really glad we did the intensive. I like feeling that my spouse is the person I’m most connected to. I haven’t felt that way for at least two years.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
It definitely works if you come prepared to do the work.
We needed to recover from past harms and lack of intimacy.
Dr. Scott Wolfe had great skills at moving us through the process and keeping us in “space” where we could hear each other.
We have stayed married, healed past harms, and added skills for staying current.
The intensive option delivers massive results quickly.
Before CTI we were a 4 out of 10.
After the intensive, we’re at about a 7 out of 10 now with hope for even better.
Marisa Mundey was great we have a better understanding of each other.
I’d say ‘Give it a shot.’
The Intensive Couples Therapy is well worth the time and money.
Because of the BIG BIG Book, it’s like you’ve already had more than a year’s worth of therapy before the first session.
Our therapist [Diane Foy] was able to focus on our major issues right away and help us learn tactics to improve our relationship.
We needed a retreat setting away from home and enough time to get through everything.
Doug Buford connected with my spouse. A bit too traditional for me, lots of stereotypes about women being emotional. Maybe the truth hurts.
Now we have better listening, my spouse acknowledging proper marital boundaries like there is no such thing as a platonic relationship between a man and a woman (outside of work/family), my spouse opened up to tell me the truth about our previous home state and showing his weakness/vulnerabilities.
I am feeling pretty raw.
Dealing with the truth and learning that my partner did not have enough common sense to know proper boundaries. Still worry about his value system, but we now have the tools to talk. Hope I have the energy and faith to continue working so hard.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Get ready to work and bear the emotional aftershock.
I felt like years of progress were made in such a small space of time.
I want to thank Couples Therapy Inc and Dr. Evelyn de Villiers for such an amazing experience. I felt like years of progress were made in such a small space of time.
In my life, it will always be remembered as a positive experience no matter where my marriage ends up.
The sessions were not as hard as I expected them to be.
Angela is that reason.
I appreciate very much Angela Voegele’s efforts with my spouse and I during this past week. These sessions opened my eyes to many of the marriage issues between us and I believe they helped deepen our love and commitment to one another.
Also, the sessions were not as hard as I expected them to be. Angela is that reason. Her patience, softness and her understanding helped to bring us together and enabled us to see for ourselves what is most important in our lives and marriage.
Our relationship was in trouble and we scheduled the intensive as a last resort effort.
We had some past issues that needed to be resolved and wanted to work on communication.
We tried couples therapy briefly before Covid. I didn’t have a good connection with the counselor.
I did an online search of marriage counseling, and CTI came up. I was already familiar with the Gottman method and did some additional research of CTI and decided to give it a try.
Dr. Carolyn Cole was amazing! We couldn’t have asked for a better fit for both of our personalities than her. She was very intuitive about who we are as people and I left knowing myself better than I ever have. She is certainly gifted in providing insights into us as a couple and as individuals while using a communication style that was perfectly aligned to our needs and relationship. She was extremely helpful and also challenging in getting us to open up about ourselves and to each other.
We have committed to making our relationship work and continuing to use the specific skills and strategies she taught us for listening and communication.
It was a game changer for my relationship and probably saved my marriage. It’s the best thing you can do for your relationship and worth every penny.
Dr. Cole is just a phenomenal human being, and I am so thankful to have done this therapy with her.
We were on the brink of divorce and had trust, infidelity, communication, partnership issues.
My husband thought we couldn’t possibly benefit from just three days. Marisa Mundey was down to earth, genuine, kind, nonjudgmental, a good listener, creative, funny, sincere, caring, compassionate. I feel like she was truly partnering with us to save our relationship.
She showed that she cared about us early on and seemed to have a vested interest in seeing us succeed together and to learn to love each other better than we ever thought was possible.
After researching other couples therapy I believed you were our best chance as a couple.
Our work with CTI opened up our communication and provided tools to assist in communicating and connecting
Dr. Scott Wolfe had the ability to work on most important issues but there was not enough time to get into other issues. The intensive therapy and questionnaire cut through months of weekly therapy before getting to the heart of issues.
This work opened up communication with my spouse, provided tools to improve connecting with my spouse, and showed me that my spouse cares.
This approach gets to the point. You start working on your issues much sooner than weekly therapy, which can be a benefit depending on the couple’s issues.
My only wish was that the Friday session was a little longer and included the individual sessions, so that on Saturday you can start running.
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We intentionally end Friday night focused on memories of your early relationship that we hope will spark pleasant bonding. For many couples, it might be the first time they’ve thought about these “better times” in many years. After a night’s rest, the individual sessions help you approach your problems with (hopefully) fresh insight. This is our thinking…
This isn’t just therapy.
It’s the turning point.
→ Learn how it works
We had difficulties with communication, conflict avoidance.
Our previous couples therapy was helpful at the time but didn’t leave us with many tools.
Kathy McMahon (Dr. K) was very thoughtful and very direct. It was a difficult, intense experience but necessary, I think.
I think we have more compassion for each other and are aware that we both want to work on our relationship.
I think the format (marathon couples therapy) is great for busy people who are feeling stuck.
It’s efficient. You’ll learn a lot in a short period of time. I would say that your issues won’t necessarily be resolved once you’re finished.
Benefits?
1) It gave me a clearer view of our problems. The focus on conflict avoidance was eye-opening. 2) It helped me to see that he still values our relationship. 3) It gave us some moments of intimacy and understanding.
Our relationship was strained and we wanted to improve our sexual relations.
Prior to signing up for a weekend intensive with CTI, we were seeing a couples therapist for several months without making any progress solving our core issues.
My husband discovered CTI through a Google search.
Patricia Gorman created a safe and welcoming atmosphere that helped us communicate better as a couple.
We better understand each other’s needs and have the tools to communicate more productively.
The weekend intensive with Patricia was exactly what we needed to improve our relationship.
We have a more positive outlook, a better understanding of our core issues, and improved communication.
Angela was fantastic!
We can’t say enough great things about her – she was patient, had very clear goals and content planned for the session and was excellent at outlining a curriculum that was interesting and engaging but also varied given the number of hours over the course of several days.
Angela Voegele was extremely experienced and was able to break down complicated theories into simple and practical terms that were easy to understand and interpret.
We would (and have) recommended Angela and the organization to many friends and colleagues. Thank you!
Our relationship was good, and we wanted a better way to argue. Sex was a really big issue as well.
The option to do it over the course of a weekend, and to travel somewhere new made us choose Couples Therapy Inc. Since we moved to online sessions, I was worried we wouldn’t get the same feedback as we would in person.
Havi Kligfeld really gave us time to finish our thoughts and add to them if we needed to. She never cut us off and we usually cut each other off when speaking so it was really helpful to be able to say everything we needed to before the other person started talking.
Havi was GREAT. We can’t recommend her enough and look forward to working with her again in the future!
We have a better understanding of sex life, better understanding of wants, and why we have those wants (for example, not going out so late), and better communication tools.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Do it now! Don’t worry about the online portion of it, it really is so similar to in-person counseling!
Our relationship has been very strained. We had lost a sense of goodwill…
We had lost a sense of goodwill and we were not able to resolve conflicts or do any repair work. Much revolved around my Aspergers limitations. Our house was full of “poop.”
I have done a lot of individual work and we had a few couples sessions about 3 years ago.
Couples Therapy Inc. was recommended by AANE.org, Grace Myhill.
Dr. K readily put me at ease and served as a mediator to help each of us see the other’s perspective and get in their shoes. She was awesome.
I felt she explained how my partner has been grieving and that is why she has been so angry and resentful. How I can self-monitor myself to respond with empathy. Also practical follow-up steps for me and for us. What she applies to help us is science-based and will make sense as well as be effective.
Initially, we had a restart that I felt lasted a week. We are back with the tension and “poop” yet I feel strongly Kathy gave us the insights and tools to work on this. We are struggling again and if we do end our relationship it is NOT due to the effectiveness of the couples therapy.
Loneliness and festering hurt feelings abound.
We were feeling distant and misunderstood. Our relationship was suffering from avoidance, lack of communication, and lack of teamwork. Loneliness and festering hurt feelings abound.
We had previously tried couples therapy, the counselor was not the right fit for us as she was not trauma-focused. One of us didn’t feel safe to continue so we stopped and didn’t return until we found Couples Therapy Inc.
Couples Therapy Inc. was recommended to us by one of our individual counselors as an accelerated train to get to the root of issues vs. weekly sessions drawn out over a period of time.
The cost felt scary. It’s a lot of money to invest in a short period of time, but being on the other side of it, we now understand its price and value.
Sierra Kehoe’s presence was incredibly grounding and she held a warm, nonjudgmental space for both of us. Her expertise at navigating emotional and trauma-charged spaces was evident. She offered the right amount of structure and guidance along with flexibility for whatever came up in the sessions. We feel really grateful for our experience with her.
Now, we’re fighting more! (We feel grateful for Sierra’s heads up to expect this so we aren’t seeing it as a negative.) We’re not avoiding things now, and even if navigating new terrain can be hard, we feel more connected.
We hope to continue work with Sierra as needed in the future. Sierra, as we’ve said above, was incredible. It was clear that she took the time to really read through our BIG BIG Books© and understand where each of us was coming from to lay out a weekend where we could touch on a wide variety of things. We have a lot of work to do ourselves, but feel we gained so many valuable tools to keep working towards safe, secure attachment and communication.
The BIG BIG Book© is something we cannot rave highly enough about. The time and work on the frontend to fill it out was so worthwhile as it created a sense of safety. It really allowed us to go into the intensive de-burdened from the need to explain what’s happened in the past or how we got to this place and instead focus on the emotional work at hand to move forward.
- This intensive has allowed us to show one another our commitment to wanting each other to feel seen, understood, and loved.
- Practical tools, skillsets, frameworks to look and refer back to as new/different things come up has been priceless.
- The feeling that we don’t have to navigate alone if we don’t wish to has been freeing. There is support that we now know feels safe for both of us that is available.
While the cost initially scared us, investing in this intensive wound up being one of the best things we could have done for our relationship. It felt incredibly meaningful to set aside an entire weekend to focus on us and we are so glad we did.
So far we have had meaningful conversations, gotten along a lot better, and even became closer and better friends.
Our relationship was awkward, we had a loss of connection, and were unable to communicate well. We had little improvement from our previous therapist.
We wanted a weekend to focus on what we needed, to have tough conversations with a professional mediator and understand how each other felt through each issue we’ve experienced.
Sierra Kehoe was able to connect with both me and my partner, understand each side and the pains caused. She was efficient in explaining different reasons we interpret things, and assisted using many conversation formats where we became better listeners and communicators.
So far we have had meaningful conversations, gotten along a lot better, and even became closer and better friends. We will continue to work on our conversation skills and carry them through other communication with our children to learn.
Sierra is a pro and very genuine.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Take notes on issues you want to discuss before going. Its a lot easier to have tough conversations with a great mediator.
Loved the “safe space” and active listening to help guide us on the path to a better understanding with Dr. Wolfe.
Never thought in a million years things could turn around so much in one weekend! Forever grateful for the tools we learned and plan to keep it up. (Therapist: Scott Wolfe)
Our marriage was very troubled. We had trouble communicating and resolving issues.
Our marriage was very troubled. We had trouble communicating and resolving issues.
Had you considered or tried couples therapy before? If so, how successful or unsuccessfully was it?
Several times, it was a waste of time and money. We were worried that this therapy would be as ineffective as that other therapy we tried.
Jenny Fang was well researched, intuitive, and positive. She helped us focus on building a better future rather than arguing about the past. Now we are more appreciative of each other and able to engage in effective communication, I have a better understanding of where we each come from and how that affects how we, each, perceive the world. I also have a better appreciation of the goodness in my partner.
For a couple in trouble this has been the best experience.
Our relationship was OK but needed some work.
We have found some tools to help us with Dr. Scott Wolfe. It has helped us; communication, tools to go forward and improve, and we addressed some specific issues.
Anything else you’d like to add?
We both felt that it would have been a bit more of a “Retreat” type of experience. We were somewhat disappointed that it was strictly a sit in the office on a couch with a counselor-in-sessions setup. I think we both wanted maybe a better setting or more pampering for lack of a better word. It just is not what we were anticipating.
It wasn’t bad in any way to be clear!
Just thought that for the $ there could have been more offered. The therapy is good but by nature is hard and leaves one feeling drained and vulnerable. A bit of something to offset that would be good to have together while at the therapy itself. We realize that this isn’t a vacation retreat nor the focus of the therapy but it may enhance the overall experience.
Note from Dr. K: Sounds like you would have liked suggestions for things other than lodging, like massage recommendations, or spa experience. We’ll look into including that. Thanks!
We are very thankful for the whole process with CTI
Catherine Pfuntner is amazing at what she does. She helped us to reinvent our relationship and how we communicate through issues and everyday living. She had the ability to call us out on our negative statements. We have a better understanding of one another’s barriers to communication.
We are very thankful for the whole process with CTI, from the initial consultation through follow-up. You all are amazing, and we are very thankful for you all!
We now have appreciation, gratitude, and understanding of one another
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Do it! Take the plunge; you won’t regret it. The benefits outweigh the risk immensely.
We were arguing a lot without getting to resolutions. Our arguments had become very intense, with yelling and walking away.
We did not have much success with therapy before. We tried two other therapists prior to this and did not gain any ground. This weekend really helped us.
Our intention is to use the skills of checking in weekly, showing more appreciation and affection, going over exercises together, etc.
Rebecca Lanier was absolutely amazing. She was easy to talk to. She was a great listener and very intuitive as to our needs. She interjected with great questions that helped us go deeper.
I learned where my partner’s anger was coming from, which is not where I thought it stemmed. I feel more connected to them. I have hope for our future as being a healthier couple.
Advice to other couples…]be sure to do all of the work requested prior to the weekend. The more you put into it, the more you will gain. It is worthwhile!!
Our relationship was strained, there were power struggles and different levels of energy committed to the relationship.
It is a difficult job to step into a relationship and try to address difficulties in 2.25 days but Dr. Scott Wolfe did well. He understood the need for flexibility; he checked in to find out about our conversations between sessions to maintain momentum and appropriately be involved in the relationship. In an effort to maintain calm and allow emotional expression, he did not see emotional abuse as it occurred.
We now have awareness of relationship challenges, specific relationship goals, and we practiced the aftermath of a fight. We have a greater stalemate but we ask about the other person’s day.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Don’t wait until it feels “too late.”
Note from Dr. K: It’s often a real struggle for some folks to express themselves clearly without resorting to harsh language. Our therapists are skilled to know when to interrupt the flow, in order to interrupt emotional abuse and when to emphasize the “meaning” instead of “the delivery.” If you could see through your partner’s words to their pain and could empathize with that pain, they can also certainly learn to soften their language. A tricky distinction!
Before CTI, I was not optimistic about my marriage.
My wife and I often had disagreements and it was frustrating not being able to have conversations on specific topics.
We had experienced couples therapy before through my wife’s EAP employer benefit. The quality of the therapy sessions and the skill of the therapist resulted in the sessions not being helpful.
My wife did considerable, on-line research and found CTI. Certainly the cost was a significant factor. Deciding what location would work best for us was also a consideration. Having had a unproductive experience in prior couples counseling also was of concern. After several discussions, we concluded we could not afford the fees but we couldn’t afford NOT attending the intensive 2-day session.
As a couple, my wife and I during times of argument, stopped listening to each other and used the time when we weren’t arguing to create new strategies to win the argument.
Scott Wolfe helped us to listen to each other and make comments that were not offensive. He taught us to listen to each other by paraphrasing what the other person says and use disarming language when something is said to gain clearer understanding. We are now aware of issues/factors that impact behavior stemming from early in life and how such events influence what and how we say and do things. He provided a communication model whereby we are now able to converse on practically any topic and do so without defensiveness occurring.
I would recommend CTI. Marriage is complex and life factors can create stress and miscommunication. Often, it takes a trained person to help bring couples back from life’s complexities and refocus people on treating each other with kindness/respect.
We have a solid relationship however, we are currently dealing with a major business-related issue.
This brought to the surface communication issues and emotional betrayal within the relationship. This situation has caused several escalating arguments between us and that was the reason we choose an ICR [Intensive Couples Retreat.]
We hadn’t done any type of couples therapy before and we definitely learned a lot about ourselves, each other and how we needed to alter our communications.
We felt like we needed a quick fix for our problem.
What I liked best was that Patricia Gorman could tell when we need to dig deeper into an issue and we would spend the time doing that deeper work and we gained clarification and understanding around these issues that were caustic to our relationship.
We were able to get into a session within a month’s time, we gained improved communication skills, and we understand our deeper issues within our current situation. We enjoyed working with Patricia and we plan to continue to see her monthly for now.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
If you truly want to improve your relationship and you are will to do the work than this type of therapy will definitely help.
We had trust and intimacy issues. I was afraid there would be no resolution and tension for the entire weekend.
Instead, we have hope, a restored trust, and a plan.
Angela Voegele was patient and just very effective at getting us to recognize issues.
I’d like to have refresher weekends on an annual basis.
I was anxious going into the weekend knowing it would be a difficult one, and it was.
Dr. Patricia Gorman, I wanted to thank you again for this past weekend. I was anxious going into the weekend knowing it would be a difficult one, and it was. But I don’t think we could have selected a better therapist. You put me at ease from the first evening we were together. I appreciated how thorough you were going through our Big Big Book. I am amazed at how many times you referenced something we said or a family member we talked about by name.
Your genuine interest/concern for us came through very clearly to me. It made me feel very comfortable and able to express the things I haven’t been able to previously. I learned a lot about myself and how I chose the path I did (even though sub-consciously in many ways).
I am also grateful for the tools you gave us to help communicate more effectively. I do believe that my partner and I have both tried really hard and we are both good people. Although he and I are still struggling with how to act around one another, I am hopeful we will work together to improve that.
Our departure on Sunday from your office felt very sudden (although I knew our time was winding down). We were also so emotionally drained at that point, I didn’t feel I gave you a proper goodbye. I really want you to know how much I appreciate everything you did for us.
My husband and I both agreed on our ride home (regardless of the outcome of our relationship/marriage) that we were glad we went.
Our relationship was terrible…
Our relationship was terrible, core issues were trust and communication. We did therapy a couple of years ago, it was not successful. We chose CTI because we wanted consecutive sessions as to not lose track of topics by going to weekly therapy. There haven’t been any changes as of yet.
Angela Voegele was calm and direct which was appreciated. I’m not certain that I would recommend it [CTI]. It was helpful to get everything out in a faster manner however you think of additional topics that could have been spoken about afterward [when you get home]. I believe there could have been a bit more one-on-one time with the therapist as well as one-on-one time on the last day of the retreat.
Benefits were the consecutive hours to try and work things out, neither of us could leave until the day was over and the therapist was there as a referee.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Go into it knowing that the therapist is there for those couple days but to carry on the lessons is extremely difficult without someone being the referee.
We were at a place where we could not connect
Anytime we tried to discuss difficult topics or express our feelings we would argue, get defensive and attack one another. We were both questioning if this marriage would work long term.
We had been to 3 sessions of previous couples therapy and we had not made much progress
The reviews and the idea that we could work on a lot of issues and learn skills quicker and more intensively made us choose Couples Therapy Inc.
Jenny Fang was able to connect with me and my husband in a very positive way and quickly and easily establish trust from both of us. There was space for my feelings to be heard and validated, we understand each other better, we have a new outlook on our relationship and how we navigate it together.
We are connected in a new and more positive way. We are daily practicing the skills that we learned and have a new and deeper commitment to our relationship.
Jenny was fabulous she really helped my husband and I connect and restore our love for one another
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Do It!!! It is worth it. 100 percent
We wanted to improve our communication, empathy, understanding, and affection in public.
We had participated in some weekly sessions before, but we realized that going that route would be a very long process. We wanted and needed faster results.
Angela Voegele was very kind and her guidance came from a place with good intentions.
We re-connected and have improved our relationship by learning how to take time to work on it correctly. We learned how to have real conversations again, we were in a rut before and only discussed the mechanics of the household and the schedule.
We needed a defined schedule and process to work on how to be a couple again and concentrate on us, which we received. We needed to be taught about how to deal with anger and how to be empathetic towards each other, to avoid getting angry. We learned how to comfort one another and be compassionate which made a huge difference in repairing our relationship.
After being married for 18 years we needed a refresh and re-set and the intensive helped us accomplish what we wanted.
I wanted to feel like I was heard.
Before the weekend, it was impossible to talk about the relationship without huge arguments and silence for days or even weeks.
I had wanted to go to therapy for years, but my husband wasn’t willing.
CTI’s scientific approach and that it was a weekend workshop made it more palatable to sell to my husband on those points.
I was hesitant that it would lead to my realizing we couldn’t work as a couple.
I loved everything about Marissa Mundey. She has the perfect demeanor and sees right to the heart of the situation without scaring anyone away. She asks the right question at the right time and has a very gentle approach, especially with reluctant spouses.
I recommend CTI wherever women tell me about their marriage woes: to friends, at the dentist, hair salon, etc.
I appreciate my partner and his childhood trauma more, which gave me more empathy for him.
We are better able to talk through major disagreements, even if we have them more than I’d like to. It brought us temporarily much closer together. I wish we could hold on to that for longer, but I felt an important connection to him that weekend as he was more open. I still feel closer to him and hope, in the future, he’ll be open to more sessions together, as I think it’s healthy to dialogue with another observer about the relationship.
We are now able to work through most of our major disagreements. There has definitely been a shift to continued and better communication. There are still many frustrations, but they don’t seem as dire most of the time. We feel closer. Like two steps forward one step back, whereas before it felt like one step forward, two steps back.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
It is well worth the money and time. I was really at the end of my rope and considering leaving, which would have been really hard financially and on our family. I don’t feel that way anymore. I thought it’d be a chance to air all of my grievances and finally feel heard, and in many ways it was, but I never expected to come away from the weekend feeling so much empathy for my partner and what he went through. I felt a deep connection to and affection for him that had been buried under all that anger for many years, and it only took one weekend for it to shine through. That was a blessing.
Marissa is a very gifted therapist. I can’t thank her enough for her approach and time with us. Things aren’t perfect, but they are so much better six months later. I feel grateful for her every day.
After an affair, there were many things that were not addressed…
After an affair, there were many things that were not addressed, unanswered and caused lots of issues of distrust and anger. Calling Couples Therapy Inc. was a final effort to make it work.
Angela Voegelewas amazing, she asked all the questions that I was wanting to ask but did not know how. She watched us argue and gave us feedback on how to communicate and repair.
We now have a new outlook on our lives and marriage. We have been given a platform where we can talk openly and frequently on many levels, daily stressors, state of the union and date nights. We are implementing them and feel that we are able to be an even better couple than ever.
I have already recommended Couples therapy and will continue to be your biggest referral to anyone that I know can benefit from it. It was a lifesaver, that should speak for itself.
We needed affair recovery help, and our previous couples therapy was not helpful.
Couples Therapy Inc had great reviews and a scientific process.
Catherine Pfuntner was amazing. We loved Catherine, from the peaceful environment to her honest and supportive manner, we both appreciated her. We’d love to continue to see her, but the cost is too high for us. We both feel they we’ve shared the hard things that were built up inside for a long time.
She is so understanding and no-nonsense.
Our communication has improved, our understanding of each other’s feelings, and respecting each other’s point of view
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Just do it if your marriage matters to you.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I wish they’d accept insurance.
From Dr. K:
It isn’t up to us. Insurance doesn’t cover couples therapy, it only covers diagnosable mental disorders as the focus of treatment. You can read more about that here.
Real change takes courage.
You’ve already started.
We were on the brink of giving up our 39-year marriage.
When we first contacted Couples Therapy Inc., our relationship was in danger of ending. We were having a lot of trouble communicating. We were fighting a lot. There was a lot of resentment toward one another. We were on the brink of giving up our 39-year marriage.
We had never tried couples therapy in the past.
When researching other options, we both liked the one-on-one experience and read multiple reviews from other couples. We felt all of the therapists were very qualified.
Once we made our decision to start couples therapy we never looked back and booked our appointment with Dr. Kathy McMahon immediately.
We both learned a significant amount about each other. A lot of the way we both behave today stems from our childhoods. We understand each other so much better now. We learned a lot of techniques to communicate in a positive way.
Dr. K was very direct, yet easy to talk to. She gave us great direction. She was very knowledgeable. She made us feel very comfortable and we could share anything with her. She really seemed to study our Big Big Book. She knew so much about us before we ever showed up. We never felt like strangers around her. We felt she was our cheerleader and really wanted the best for us. She continued to remind us how strong our marriage actually is. If anything we would have loved more time with her.
We really understand one another better now, and we also understand ourselves much better. We returned home feeling rejuvenated. We are practicing our techniques to improve our communication.
We would strongly recommend this to other couples but would recommend going in with an open mind.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
We both would strongly recommend Couples Therapy Inc. because Dr. K saved our marriage. She made us see things more clearly. She set us up for success by providing us with many tools. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.
I was skeptical given how many issues we had to work on.
Our relationship was stressful. I was skeptical given how many issues we had to work on.
We have more patience, less resentment
Diane Foy’s one on one intensive help was extremely helpful, like 6 months of work in one weekend. We learned new communication skills, reparative language, and how to fix negative sentiment override. We are taking time outs, using reflective listening, and we learned about past triggers
For couples that are considering Couples Therapy Inc… Be open to trying new things.
We feel confident in our new tools and skills that Dr. Doug has taught us.
Dr. Doug Burford was very kind and easy to talk with. He was great at promoting spiritual involvement without feeling preached to. He was absolutely great. We feel confident in our new tools and skills that Dr. Doug has taught us. And we feel stronger that we can face future challenges together as a team. We feel we are now capable of continuing healing and communicating without hurting each other. We don’t fear a potential conflict. We know each other on a deeper level that we never knew existed and now we can pursue getting stronger.
We had an amazing experience with Couples Therapy Inc. The whole process has helped us so much.
Our relationship was a disaster, lack of communication and trust.
Our previous therapy was completely unsuccessful. Angela Voegele was excellent and very good at listening and understanding. We have more understanding of; our behavior, that we are both at fault, and how to communicate with each other.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
BEST CHOICE YOU CAN MAKE.
My core issues included: trust, communication, abusive behaviors.
Angela Voegelewas calming for our situation. She understood many things and was able to help my husband and I put emotions into words. She provides a nice and comfortable venue for the sessions. I was able to open up with her and felt comfortable.
Since our work with Couples Therapy Inc. our communication has improved, I don’t hold things in and I am trying to stop my “stonewalling”. We share more positive comments and “thank you’s” are given. I’m not on the computer/phone as much. All drinking has stopped in my other half.
At no time have I experienced the same sort of breakthrough event that my wife and I did with Havi.
Havi Kligfeld is an incredibly talented and thoughtful therapist. She helped my wife and I find insights into ourselves and into our marriage that have renewed our commitment to one another. I have seen several therapists over the years–both in an individual and a couples setting–and at no time have I experienced the same sort of breakthrough event that my wife and I did with Havi.
Havi is thoughtful and caring and motivating. At no point did she let us find the easy way out or dodge important issues, but she always directed us towards doing deep work with compassion. There was no shame in Havi’s office, and for this I am forever grateful.
We have found a new sense of urgency in our marriage and have rediscovered the depth of our friendship. I can truthfully say that my wife and I would not have arrived here had it not been for Havi’s help and guidance. The weekend intensive is miraculous, with enough consecutive hours of therapy to dive deeply into our marital issues–and come out the other side with a real understanding of what we felt. I can’t recommend this highly enough.
We needed some sense of order when we communicated over situations that we both felt strongly about.
Dr. Patricia Gorman was fantastic at listening to each of our sides, validating us, and bringing attention to what would work to build our bridges of differences toward better communication. We were fortunate to have Dr. Gorman as our therapist. I guess we could say we would have liked more time with her!
We understand each other’s “side” better and learned techniques to use when differences arise between us. We have a stronger commitment with a better understanding of why we each have differences and how to respect those differences and compromise in a healthy way.
We were at the end of the line.
We were at the end of the line; it felt like we had nothing left after struggling through the fallout of emotional infidelity. Every conversation led to increasingly cruel fights, and we were both ambivalent about staying together. I felt like I could never trust him again after the lies and betrayal, and I had no idea how to process or heal that wound.
We had gone to traditional couples counseling several times over several years, and nothing had seemed to help.
I felt like I needed to have tried absolutely everything before walking away; because I didn’t want our relationship to be over, but I couldn’t keep going the way that we were, and nothing had helped.
I was worried that we were too far gone and that we’d tried so many times before and nothing had worked. It felt like we were so stuck in our pattern that nothing could fix it. It also felt like previous couples counselors hadn’t accurately seen the pattern we had going, and I had felt blamed before and like I’d been hurt worse by not being understood or seen accurately by the counselors.
Angela Voegele was wonderful. I didn’t dislike anything. I felt like she was truly present and engaged with us through our difficult conversations and processing, and she provided so much guidance without lecturing or provoking any defensiveness. I felt immediately that I could trust her, and she was very kind and put us at ease in what is naturally a very challenging circumstance. She was calm and connected and seemed to know exactly when to step in and help and when to silently support us as we talked through things.
It was transformational. I felt like we were able to get “our” story back. We made a huge amount of progress on rebuilding trust over the weekend, and we have a shared vision now for our life together moving forward. This retreat gave us a way of framing what we’ve been through together that is connecting instead of separating. It also reinvigorated our sex life. We are having so much fun, and we feel like we’re allowed to step away from all of the tension and just enjoy one another again!
I can’t say enough about how much she helped us. Having “failed” out of so many conventional couples therapy settings, the retreat format provided exactly what we needed to have the time to work through things and practice skills. Healing, connection, and hope. It was an exhausting, draining, life-giving weekend. We have hope and love for the first time in years.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
It is worth all of the time, money, and effort. Yes, it is expensive and exhausting, and it was saved our relationship when we’d literally tried everything else. With so much at stake, having exceptional, expert help was so needed.
Thank you so, so much. You helped give us- and our family- our story back. After years of suffering and hurt and disconnect, it’s not an exaggeration to say it’s like finally breathing again. Thank you.
Our relationship was almost to divorce before the intensive.
We wanted to work on communication and trust.
Our previous couples therapy was a religious program and not a very good experience for us.
The biggest hesitation was the cost and wondering if it would work for us.
Debbie Woodall-Carroll’s best skill I thought, was getting the information she needed out of us. The intensive was tough for me to let everything out.
I would recommend Debbie. She was patient and allowed us to talk to each other more than her which was very helpful.
Our communication is getting better and identifying the Horsemen. We are turning toward each other, have more affection.
To those considering an intensive I would say don’t hesitate!
We wanted to improve communication, expectation setting, and accountability
We were getting off track and needed to reset and get some new tools to help us communicate better.
We wanted to make sure it wasn’t a waste of time and we walked out with some concrete things we could do that would help us improve.
Dr. K was a great resource and was able to keep us focused on the actual issues we were trying to deal with instead of talking about everything and going off track. It was good to have dedicated time that was more than an hour so we could really work on some things. The “6 steps on how to make an effective complaint” was a good framework to use moving forward.
We haven’t really made any changes since we both started traveling very soon after the session. We will be implementing much of what we learned when we get back together.
We didn’t want a “touchy/feely” therapist since both of us are engineers.
We have been through several ups and downs with our similar personalities and expectations for the relationship. Core issues are who is in control and how are decisions made along with raising a young boy. Financial questions between us are also something that we did not communicate effectively.
We didn’t want a “touchy/feely” therapist since both of us are engineers. The approach mentioned on the website and our preliminary interview with Dr. K made us feel welcome and also we were able to talk to her on a logical level.
I was not sure how it would go with the past issues I had opened up to in the BIG BIG Books. However, it went extremely well and I have been able to move forward in my own thought process while repairing issues and conflict with my husband in a fair way. We know how to fight better now and handle the issues that we all face as couples more effectively.
It has reshaped my perspective on conflict and complaints. Relationships are hard and I am committed to it so I was very happy to have support from Dr. K and also my loving husband. It was great. Very relaxed and at the same time intense.
No complaints from me. Just worked through a lot of issues very quickly and now need to plan for next steps moving forward.
100% of it was worth it for me and I would be glad to recommend it to any other smart ladies out there who are struggling to relaunch a career while working in a “man’s world” of technical engineering.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Go for it and take it seriously.
This was a very important experience for us to have.
The session gave us clarity on what can be done and overall what leads to happier relationships. This intensive gave us a good restart and path ahead. (Therapist Dr. Patricia Gorman)
Our relationship was pretty good but with hidden issues that we must resolve.
We fight and cannot deescalate.
We had tried couples therapy before. It was too late for my marriage. Couples therapy can be the most effective when the relationship is still decent.
My psychoanalyst recommended Couples Therapy Inc.
The biggest challenge was finding the right therapist. The operations team was not effective in helping us to close the deal. The consultation call with the OPS team was unhelpful. There was also no follow-up after our initial meeting. Thus, we navigated by ourselves and went outside of CTI. Luckily, we found Angela Voegele.
Angela is quick to get the situation and knows the solutions. Angela is very effective in driving toward a resolution. Angela is direct and yet soft. Angela holds each of us accountable for what she sees. It was illuminating.
What three benefits resulted from working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Individual growth, the relationship is pushed forward one way or another, and unspoken topics are now out in the open.
From our offices: I want to extend additional gratitude to this reviewer who took extra time to connect with me personally so that we could tighten up our follow-up procedures. I am confident that future clients will not feel that they are left alone to navigate their choices.
We had some deep resentments that prevented us from being close and feeling connected.
We have gone to see a few different therapists over the years but did not find one we felt comfortable with. I was interested in an intense therapy that would tackle our issues in a short amount of time.
Jenny Fang was great! Jenny is very personable and easy to talk to. We both felt like she heard us and understood each of our points of view. She is very intelligent and also warm and sweet.
We learned about our triggers and how they affect our relationship. We were able to speak honestly to one another because Jenny created a safe space for us both.
This helped to break down walls and get rid of some harboring resentments. We have more empathy for one another and feel closer.
Our walls have been broken down. We are closer and feel connected. Our resentments seemed to have melted away.
The weekend saved our marriage, or at the very least, made it much, much better. We intend to do future sessions for maintenance.
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Do it! Don’t wait.
It is helpful to do the needed work over a weekend rather than take months to get through the issues. When you have a regular 50-minute session, you may not have the time to get to the core issues and then you have to regain whatever momentum you had in the next session, one or two weeks later.
We have more patience and we’re expressing more emotions.
What hesitation did you have about starting couples therapy with us?
Not much, it was geographically close. We hadn’t tried couples therapy before. We had no personal referrals. But we needed therapy to resolve issues that were problematic with this relationship. My husband’s former wife and the direction of the relationship were core issues we wanted to resolve.
What specific qualities did you like about this therapist?
Partner One: We like Jenny Fang from the introductory phone call. She was warm, insightful, and made some great interpretations that opened things up as a couple.
Partner Two: Jenny was pleasant and knowledgeable and was able to get to some areas of discussion which were hidden to us before.
What changes resulted in your marriage from the work you did?
Partner One: It’s a little early to tell but we seem more patient with each other. We have more patience and we’re expressing more emotions.
We received tools and had an opportunity to use some.
Our relationship was struggling
We both were trying really hard to communicate, but weren’t being heard/seen by the other person in the ways that we needed. There was a lot of hurt and defensiveness getting in the way of meaningful connection.
We had tried “standard” couples therapy before – 45 minute sessions once a week – and though there was some minimal value to it, I never felt like we got to the heart of many of our long-standing issues.
I wanted an intensive to help us fix our most common/destructive communication breakdowns so that we could begin to re-build our relationship. I chose CTI because of the BIG BIG Book. I liked the idea that we would both have an opportunity to put all of our history and concerns out for the therapist to see before meeting with her, so that we didn’t have to spend time in the in-person session going through all of that, and could jump right into the work.
I didn’t know, of course, if the therapist would be a good fit, and didn’t know if my partner would participate at a meaningful level.
We are only two weeks out, but already there has been a shift. I think the most significant shift is that we’re practicing daily appreciations and setting aside time for meaningful connection, which is helping to re-train our brains to see the GOOD in each other and to feel more affectionate and loving toward each other. We had both fallen into patterns of seeing mostly the negative in each other, and so this change towards a more positive view of each other has been really wonderful.
Catherine Pfuntner was WONDERFUL. She was warm and kind, but also very neutral and good at containing the conversation and redirecting us when we needed it. I felt very emotionally safe with her.
Would you recommend your couples therapist and Couples Therapy Inc.? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes – it was an important investment for us in this relationship! But I also recognize how expensive it is and how hard it could be for couples to find time (and childcare) to be able to get away for an intensive.
If you can spend the time and money to do it, you should 100% do it.
What three benefits resulted from working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
- Identification of where we’re “missing” each other’s cues and how to tune in better.
- Identifying and implementing regular opportunities for appreciation/connection/etc.
- Acknowledgment that we can have hurt from the other person and also feel love and affection towards them – that those two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive, and we can be working on both at the same time and keep them compartmentalized, rather than allowing the hurt to impact opportunities for affection.
Thanks Dr. R! We are so grateful for all you did for us!
We’re looking forward to a beautiful future together.
Thank you for offering this type of intensive support to couples like us. I learned more about myself and my partnership in our three days together than I learned in three years with another therapist! Therapist: Dr. Heide Rodriguez
We were lost, confused and very frustrated.
This was our first time with couples therapy.
We were afraid of the reality that it was possible we were not good for each other.
Jenny Fang was very direct. She seemed to really understand us as individuals and as a couple.
I felt we were enlightened. It was a breath of fresh air to truly understand what our issues were and how we can go about repairing our relationship. We now have (1) better communication skills, (2) a better understanding of spouse, and (3) refreshed hope of a long-lasting marriage
Jenny Fang was truly a blessing when we needed it most. My wife and I were on the verge of separation and after our weekend we are stronger than ever.
I highly recommend CTI. I couldn’t imagine a better way to gather the tools to work on a successful relationship
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
You have absolutely nothing to lose. At very least you will get a lot of questions answered in regards to how you and your spouse are feeling and where they are coming from.
It was all I had hoped for.
Our intensive with Sierra Kehoe was all I had hoped for. We learned how to talk about hard stuff and stay connected.
We learned how to build intimacy through connection. I feel we are back on track for the future. Sierra is highly skilled and has a ton of knowledge. She is also 100% tuned in. I attribute the success of our weekend to her delivery and skill.
I was really dreading it, but came out feeling much better not only with my marriage, but about myself.
Thank you so much Marisa Marisa!! I can’t stop taking about how good our session was with you!! It’s already made a big difference!! Thanks again for your great advice and suggestions! I was really dreading it, but came out feeling much better not only with my marriage, but about myself.
It was truly a great experience! Thank you for all your suggestions and helping us “reconnect” with each other. It’s nice to know we are “normal” and hearing good things goes a long way!
Being a “words of affirmation” guy, believe me, it goes A LONG WAY!!!!
We had tried “standard” couples therapy before – 45 minute sessions once a week – and I never felt like we got to the heart of many of our long-standing issues.
Our relationship was struggling – we both were trying really hard to communicate, but weren’t being heard/seen by the other person in the ways that we needed. There was a lot of hurt and defensiveness getting in the way of meaningful connection.
We had tried “standard” couples therapy before – 45 minute sessions once a week – and though there was some minimal value to it, I never felt like we got to the heart of many of our long-standing issues.
I wanted an intensive to help us fix our most common/destructive communication breakdowns so that we could begin to re-build our relationship. I chose CTI because of the BIG BIG Book. I liked the idea that we would both have an opportunity to put all of our history and concerns out for the therapist to see before meeting with her, so that we didn’t have to spend time in the in-person session going through all of that, and could jump right into the work.
I didn’t know, of course, if the therapist would be a good fit, and didn’t know if my partner would participate at a meaningful level.
We are only two weeks out, but already there has been a shift. I think the most significant shift is that we’re practicing daily appreciations and setting aside time for meaningful connection, which is helping to re-train our brains to see the GOOD in each other and to feel more affectionate and loving toward each other. We had both fallen into patterns of seeing mostly the negative in each other, and so this change towards a more positive view of each other has been really wonderful.
Catherine Pfuntner was WONDERFUL. She was warm and kind, but also very neutral and good at containing the conversation and redirecting us when we needed it. I felt very emotionally safe with her.
Would you recommend your couples therapist and Couples Therapy Inc.? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes – it was an important investment for us in this relationship! But I also recognize how expensive it is and how hard it could be for couples to find time (and childcare) to be able to get away for an intensive.
If you can spend the time and money to do it, you should 100% do it.
What three benefits resulted from working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Identification of where we’re “missing” each other’s cues and how to tune in better.
Identifying and implementing regular opportunities for appreciation/connection/etc.
Acknowledgment that we can have hurt from the other person and also feel love and affection towards them – that those two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive, and we can be working on both at the same time and keep them compartmentalized, rather than allowing the hurt to impact opportunities for affection.
We had tried “standard” couples therapy before – 45 minute sessions once a week – and I never felt like we got to the heart of many of our long-standing issues.
Our relationship was struggling – we both were trying really hard to communicate, but weren’t being heard/seen by the other person in the ways that we needed. There was a lot of hurt and defensiveness getting in the way of meaningful connection.
We had tried “standard” couples therapy before – 45 minute sessions once a week – and though there was some minimal value to it, I never felt like we got to the heart of many of our long-standing issues.
I wanted an intensive to help us fix our most common/destructive communication breakdowns so that we could begin to re-build our relationship. I chose CTI because of the BIG BIG Book. I liked the idea that we would both have an opportunity to put all of our history and concerns out for the therapist to see before meeting with her, so that we didn’t have to spend time in the in-person session going through all of that, and could jump right into the work.
I didn’t know, of course, if the therapist would be a good fit, and didn’t know if my partner would participate at a meaningful level.
We are only two weeks out, but already there has been a shift. I think the most significant shift is that we’re practicing daily appreciations and setting aside time for meaningful connection, which is helping to re-train our brains to see the GOOD in each other and to feel more affectionate and loving toward each other. We had both fallen into patterns of seeing mostly the negative in each other, and so this change towards a more positive view of each other has been really wonderful.
Catherine Pfunter was WONDERFUL. She was warm and kind, but also very neutral and good at containing the conversation and redirecting us when we needed it. I felt very emotionally safe with her.
Would you recommend your couples therapist and Couples Therapy Inc.? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes – it was an important investment for us in this relationship! But I also recognize how expensive it is and how hard it could be for couples to find time (and childcare) to be able to get away for an intensive.
If you can spend the time and money to do it, you should 100% do it.
What three benefits resulted from working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Identification of where we’re “missing” each other’s cues and how to tune in better.
Identifying and implementing regular opportunities for appreciation/connection/etc.
Acknowledgment that we can have hurt from the other person and also feel love and affection towards them – that those two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive, and we can be working on both at the same time and keep them compartmentalized, rather than allowing the hurt to impact opportunities for affection.
Our relationship was very rocky. A lot of mood swings. A lot of silence.
Our relationship was struggling – we both were trying really hard to communicate, but weren’t being heard/seen by the other person in the ways that we needed. There was a lot of hurt and defensiveness getting in the way of meaningful connection.A lot of being short with each other, some trust issues, disrespectful. Issues for improvement-I wanted to have my manhood back that was so deeply taken away–I am an expert craftsman, very seldom I was told “wow, Honey that looks great,” “That will really improve the value of our house,” “our friends and family will really enjoy your work as well.” I am constantly being put down, even in front of friends and family. If I don’t understand how to do something, I get yelled at and she was then pissed off at me the rest of the day. She had no understanding for me, at all. How can we have an intimate relationship with no manhood?
We tried therapy a few times. The first one worked out pretty good but was missing something. A big part of it was only spending 50-minutes a week was not working. Others we tried were not successful at all.
My wife had found out about you and ran it by me. I said “absolutely” I will try CTI!
It is a lot of $, I just thought it would be the same as the others.
I’m so glad I was wrong.
OMG-Already my wife has treated me with respect. She has changed her attitude towards me. I get complimented. She catches her self starting to say something negative and corrects herself. I have totally changed how I speak to my wife, I encourage her when she is doing things. I compliment her when she is doing things and the way she dresses. I stop and listen & don’t talk over her.
Jenny Fang was amazing!! She did her homework. Every session, after every break she was prepared to guide us! She listened and remembered everything my wife & I were telling her. She interrupted us when the time was right. She was very friendly, understanding and FUNNY! I don’t think I have any negative comments about Jenny. I wanted to take Jenny home with us! When we left for the final time, I felt she was part of the family.
I would absolutely recommend CTI to everyone that is having issues. You all put so much effort into our sessions. At any given time, I never felt it was a waste of money and or time. You all made it so real, you can say anything you want. CTI cares!
What would you say to couples that are considering working with Couples Therapy Inc.?
Be ready for the time of your life. Go in with an open mind. Do not hold back. it’s very intense, you will leave absolutely worn out (in a good way). “I guarantee you will come home with a whole new meaning for your relationship.”
I want to personally let Jenny know that she saved our marriage! Thank you all so very, very much from the bottom of my heart for all your hard work! Thank you.
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