Research Shows:

Couples who undergo therapy report significant improvements in communication, learning to articulate their needs and listen actively to their partners, which is foundational for resolving conflicts more effectively.

Lift your Love Story!

  • Joselin Lai

    RSW, MSW

    Languages: English

    Specialty: Grief and bereavement, Chronic illness, life limiting illness, Anxiety and mood concern due to existential distress, Demoralization as a result of injury or illness, Major life transitions

  • Kim Christink

    Registered Psychotherapist | Registered Supervisor for Psychotherapist | Marriage and Family Therapy

    Languages: English

    Specialty: Marriage, Family, Individuals, Relationships, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Family in Business Together, Grief, Resilience, Stress Management, Spiritual Integration, Affair Recovery, Men’s Issues

  • Lisa Bynoe-Stevens

    Therapist and Seminar Facilitator | BASC (Family and Social Relations), MDiv (Counselling), CSFT, Registered Psychotherapist

    Languages: English

    Specialty: Children (ages 11 and over), Adolescents who have experienced bullying and anxiety, Young Adults trying to “find themselves” and create their life goals, Couples (communication, conflict, intimacy and post-affair) , Families in grief, Remarriage, Blended families, Step-Parenting, Race and Culture, Depression, Anxiety and Panic Attacks, including for athletes, artists, actors and writers, Trauma and PTSD, Grief, Substance Use, Workplace and Professional Stress, Work/Life Balance, Women's Issues, including miscarriage and infertility, Adoption and Foster Care, Affairs, Athletes and Artists with Performance-related Obstacles, Spiritual and faith-related concerns

Joselin Lai

RSW, MSW

Languages: English

Specialty: Grief and bereavement, Chronic illness, life limiting illness, Anxiety and mood concern due to existential distress, Demoralization as a result of injury or illness, Major life transitions

Kim Christink

Registered Psychotherapist | Registered Supervisor for Psychotherapist | Marriage and Family Therapy

Languages: English

Specialty: Marriage, Family, Individuals, Relationships, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Family in Business Together, Grief, Resilience, Stress Management, Spiritual Integration, Affair Recovery, Men’s Issues

Lisa Bynoe-Stevens

Therapist and Seminar Facilitator | BASC (Family and Social Relations), MDiv (Counselling), CSFT, Registered Psychotherapist

Languages: English

Specialty: Children (ages 11 and over), Adolescents who have experienced bullying and anxiety, Young Adults trying to “find themselves” and create their life goals, Couples (communication, conflict, intimacy and post-affair) , Families in grief, Remarriage, Blended families, Step-Parenting, Race and Culture, Depression, Anxiety and Panic Attacks, including for athletes, artists, actors and writers, Trauma and PTSD, Grief, Substance Use, Workplace and Professional Stress, Work/Life Balance, Women's Issues, including miscarriage and infertility, Adoption and Foster Care, Affairs, Athletes and Artists with Performance-related Obstacles, Spiritual and faith-related concerns

Choose A Therapist For Your Unique Situation

Category
Province
Issue
Modalities
Location

What is
Couples Therapy?

Couples therapy is a courageous and wise choice by two mature adults who want to protect what 90% of all Canadians agree are the most important things in their life – relationship and family. This means couples take a positive proactive step to protect their mutual love, trust, and commitment. Therapy is an investment in their love story!

Our couples therapists are here to help strengthen your relationship by creating a safe space for couples to examine the quality of their life together, learn better ways of communicating, and connect emotionally and physically. While resistant feelings are normal when asking for help, it is clearly the wisest choice for most situations.

How Couples
Therapy Works

  • 1Get matched and make a great connection with your therapist.
  • 2Sensitively examine unmet needs or issues. Set goals!
  • 3Provide effective relief through compassionate and sustainable small changes.

What Can You Expect from Your
Marriage Counselling Sessions?

  • A safe and balanced interchange of thoughts and feelings.
  • A restored sense of connectedness with your partner.
  • A fresh lift of hope.
  • A new perspective for understanding your partner.
  • New perspective on the stressors in the relationship.
  • The ability to retain a connection without sacrificing your sense of self.
  • Enjoying your partner’s company again.

When Is It Time To Seek Couples
Counselling in Hamilton?

Signs when you should take action!

  • Feeling Disconnected: If you realize the connection that bonded you together is no longer present, then emotional repair is essential.
  • Hurt: Feeling hurt, abandoned, lonely, unhappy and unseen.
  • Needs Not Met: Feeling like your emotional and physical needs are not being met.
  • Avoidance of Unresolved Issues: When one or both in the relationship avoid talking about unresolved issues that are now affecting the quality of the relationship.
  • Bickering: If your relationship is characterized by constant bickering and arguing over small and insignificant things, it may be a sign that there are deeper issues at play.
  • Walking on Eggshells: If you find yourself constantly walking on eggshells, afraid of saying or doing something that might upset your partner, it may be time to seek couple counselling. This constant fear and tension can lead to a toxic and unhealthy relationship.
  • Blame and criticism: When blame and criticism become a regular part of your communication with your partner, it indicates a breakdown in the relationship. Couple counselling can help you both address these negative patterns and learn healthier ways to communicate and resolve conflicts.
  • Cycles of conflict: If you find yourselves stuck in repetitive cycles of conflict, where the same arguments and issues keep resurfacing without resolution, couple counselling can help break this pattern.

When we feel unfulfilled or disconnected from ourselves or others it is an internal alarm that we are either out of balance or there is a pressing need to grow ... to change.

I’m not sure I want to be in this relationship, should we still be seeking couple therapy?

Many people come to couple therapy unsure about the future of their relationship. In therapy, we can work on understanding the underlying issues, improving communication, and gaining clarity on your feelings and needs. This process can help both of you make a more informed decision about whether to continue or part ways amicably. With either outcome, there is great benefit for moving forward.

Can I meet with the
therapist individually?

While the focus of couple therapy is on the relationship connection, it is not uncommon and completely understandable for individuals to want to express themselves to their therapist alone. In such cases it would be imperative for each partner to have equal opportunities to meet alone with the therapist. Your therapist will guide you through this process effectively.

Will the therapist take sides?

This is a great question, especially if you feel unheard or overpowered in conversations! Your therapist’s primary goal is to provide a safe, neutral, and supportive environment where you can explore your thoughts and feelings. It is important that both partners feel not only heard but understood. It’s important to clarify that your therapist’s role is not to take sides.

Your therapist’s job is to help facilitate understanding and resolution, rather than judgment or alignment with one perspective over another. Together they will bring effective solutions for both individual issues and relationship concerns. It is our commitment to facilitate sessions that nurture the wellbeing and growth of all parties involved.

What should I look for in a
couples therapist?

  • Someone who is qualified by being a member of a regulating college.
  • Someone who is not just nice but skilled and experienced in the issues that you are struggling with.
  • Someone who can challenge you but also someone you can challenge.
  • Someone you believe you can trust to respect both of you.
  • Our ‘therapist match specialist’ can help you identify the right therapist for you.
Browse Our Couples Therapists

View All Couples Counsellors

Mark Laing

Registered Psychotherapist | BA | Certified Imago Therapist | Certified Pastoral Counsellor

Languages: English

Specialty: Couples, Relationship Issues, Connection Issues, Affair Recovery, Repairing Disconnection and Learning to Maintain Connection, Pornography Addiction, Trauma

Dan Watterworth

Registered Psychotherapist |
BTh, MDiv, RP

Languages: English

Specialty: Depression and Anxiety, Phobias , Trauma and PTSD, Self-Esteem, Grief, Forgiveness and Spiritual Issues , Couple , Premarital Counselling , Parenting, Conflict Resolution and Communication, Intimacy/Closeness , Emotional Connectedness, Affair Recovery, Family, Child and Adolescent , Blended Family

Jeff Dieters

Registered Psychotherapist | MA, RP

Languages: English

Specialty: Adults, Trauma, Couples/Relationships , Grief, Criminal Justice Issues, Addictions, Spiritual/Theological, Emotional Regulation, Existential Therapy

The duration of marriage counselling varies depending on several factors, such as the nature of the issues, the level of commitment from both partners, and the progress made during the sessions. Some couples may find resolution after just a few sessions, while others may require more extensive therapy over an extended period. On average, marriage counselling can range from a few weeks to several months, but ultimately it depends on the unique circumstances of your relationship.

Marriage counselling offers numerous potential benefits. Therapy can help improve communication between you and your spouse, enhance understanding and empathy, rebuild trust, and strengthen emotional connection.

Counselling provides a supportive environment to address and resolve conflicts, develop healthier relationship patterns, and learn effective problem-solving skills. It can also help identify underlying issues that may be contributing to relationship distress and provide guidance on how to navigate them.

Ideally, both partners should be willing to attend marriage counselling for it to be most effective. However, if one partner is unwilling, it does not necessarily mean therapy cannot be beneficial. Attending counselling alone can still provide valuable insights and tools for personal growth and relationship improvement.

By working on yourself, you can significantly influence the dynamics within the relationship and potentially inspire change in your partner. Additionally, individual counselling can help you navigate your feelings and decisions regarding the relationship.

One misconception is that both partners must have equal levels of commitment. In reality, commitment can fluctuate. Another misconception is that commitment means never having doubts. In truth, it's normal to question and address concerns. Commitment doesn't guarantee a perfect relationship without challenges or conflicts. Commitment involves compromise but should also respect individual needs and desires. In the end, the only commitment required for couple therapy is curiosity.

Yes, everyone in the session must be added to the invoice for ethical and legal purposes; however, we can record who paid for the session for insurance purposes.

You and I are at our best when we are highly connected to both ourselves and others. In this way we celebrate our individuality and belongingness. We experience this as fulfillment and happiness.

Why work
with us?

Six Amazing Reasons to Choose Bayridge...

  • 1Our therapy is an invitation to be curious not directive, creative not corrective, and inventive not prescriptive. Together you will discover a brand-new way of thinking, feeling and being.
  • 2We have gathered a diverse team of highly trained therapists using the most advanced methods and tools from proven effective evidence-based therapy.
  • 3We have the experience of over twenty-five years of supporting growth and change in tens of thousands of individuals, couples and families.
  • 4You do not get just a great therapist; you get the benefit of the entire team! At Bayridge, we do not function as lone wolves in independent practices. Rather we work together as a team in concert with each other to support, equip, consult, be supervised and be accountable. We just believe that two heads are better than one. Can you imagine what sixty heads can do?
  • 5We approach our clients through kindness, trust, empathy and relationship!
  • 6We are honoured that you trust us with your growth. Thank you for your trust. Really, thank you!

Made You Mad!

After a tiring day of work, you find yourself hesitating to open the car door. You stare at your front door, frozen, and think, ‘What happened?’ What happened to the joy we felt when we found this house that was going to be our home? We were so excited! And now you allow yourself to acknowledge, perhaps for the first time, that you have no want or desire to walk through that door. What happened?

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that we receive. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

It’s important to note that couples counselling is designed for couples who are committed to working on their relationship together. It’s not a substitute for individual therapy, and both partners need to be willing to put in the work outside of counselling sessions. But if you’re both willing to commit to the process, it can be an extremely helpful tool for improving your relationship. Our goal is to create a safe and supportive environment where you can feel comfortable expressing your feelings and concerns. We’ll work with you to help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and each other, improve your communication and conflict resolution skills, and ultimately build a stronger and more satisfying relationship. So why not give your relationship a chance?

Are you and your partner considering couples counselling but unsure if it’s covered by your insurance? We’re here to help! In this guide, we’ll explore the topic of insurance coverage for couples counselling and provide you with all the information you need to know. So, buckle up and let’s dive in!

Several factors can influence whether insurance covers couples counselling:

  1. Insurance Plan Type: Plans with more comprehensive mental health benefits are more likely to cover couples counselling.
  2. Referral Requirement: Some insurance plans may require a specific licensing category for a care provider. (i.e. Psychologist, Marriage Therapist, Social Worker, Psychotherapist)