Couples come to therapy to resolve conflicts, repair their relationship, and learn how to live in harmony. They come, as well, to seek the return of happier times or to experience happiness and satisfaction for the first time. The ultimate goal is for the couple to learn (or re-learn) how to build and maintain a loving emotional, spiritual, and physical relationship. Couples generally come to therapy when they are in crisis or are experiencing ongoing conflicts due to poor communication, stress, or re-enactment of past emotional trauma. This can occur in ant stage of couple’s relationship, especially prior to their marriage. The prospect of future commitment can intensify anxiety and conflict even when love is deep and strong.

When working with couples, Dr. Brunn helps both partners to grow and develop as individuals and as a couple by keeping a dual focus ― on the individual and the couple. She focuses on helping the couple to improve their understanding of one another, their communication, their interactions, and their problem solving. This is not to say that all problems can be resolved but, rather, that the couple can learn what cannot be changed and how to work with and accept their differences. Importantly, Dr. Brunn helps couples to learn how to nurture one another’s strengths and to understand that they want the best for each other. As needed, she obtains histories of the couple’s families of origin and helps each individual to work through any issues that remain from his or her family of origin that may be affecting their marital relationship.

Even brief treatment can provide long-lasting results, particularly because Dr. Brunn ensures that couples leave therapy with the understanding that any loving relationship needs ongoing work. Most importantly, she provides them with the skills needed to maintain a harmonious relationship that satisfies the needs of each individual and strengthens the relationship between them. She models for them ways of maintain respect for each person while building their strength as a couple.