California Marriage Counseling: Transforming Relationships in Roseville, CA
In the journey of marriage, couples often encounter challenges that can test the strength of their relationship. From communication barriers to unresolved conflicts, these obstacles can create distance between partners who once felt deeply connected. California marriage counseling provides a structured approach to help couples navigate these difficulties. At Audrey Schoen's therapy practice in Roseville, CA, couples find a supportive environment where they can work through these challenges and rediscover the joy in their relationships.
The Transformative Power of Marriage Counseling
Marriage counseling provides couples with the tools and guidance necessary to address relationship issues in a constructive manner. Unlike casual conversations between partners, therapy offers a structured approach to resolving conflicts and deepening emotional bonds. With the support of a skilled therapist, couples can develop healthier communication patterns and gain valuable insights into their relationship dynamics.
When couples engage in therapy, they create a dedicated space for growth and healing. This intentional commitment signals a willingness to work through challenges together, strengthening the foundation of the relationship. Through this process, partners often discover new aspects of themselves and each other, fostering greater understanding and compassion.
Audrey Schoen, a licensed marriage and family therapist practicing in Roseville, CA, specializes in helping couples navigate the complexities of their relationships. With over a decade of experience and specialized training in advanced therapeutic modalities, Audrey offers personalized guidance tailored to each couple's unique needs and circumstances.
Understanding the Purpose of Marriage Counseling
Marriage counseling serves multiple purposes in supporting couples through various life stages and challenges. At its core, this specialized form of therapy aims to:
Enhance communication skills: Helping partners express their thoughts and feelings effectively while learning to listen with empathy and understanding.
Resolve ongoing conflicts: Addressing recurring arguments and finding sustainable solutions to persistent issues.
Rebuild trust: Working through breaches of trust and creating a path toward healing and reconnection.
Deepen emotional intimacy: Strengthening the emotional bond between partners, fostering greater closeness and understanding.
Navigate major life transitions: Supporting couples through significant changes such as career shifts, relocation, parenthood, or retirement.
While some couples seek therapy during times of acute crisis, others engage in counseling as a preventive measure to strengthen their relationship. In both scenarios, marriage counseling offers a structured framework for growth and development as a couple.
Key Benefits of Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling
Couples who participate in marriage counseling often experience significant improvements across various aspects of their relationship. Here are some of the most impactful benefits:
Improved Communication
Communication forms the foundation of a healthy relationship. In marriage counseling, couples learn vital communication skills that transform how they interact with each other:
Active listening techniques: Learning to fully engage with your partner's perspective without formulating responses while they speak.
Constructive expression: Communicating needs and concerns using "I" statements rather than accusatory language.
Emotional awareness: Identifying underlying feelings that may be driving conflicts and expressing them appropriately.
Conflict resolution strategies: Developing healthier approaches to disagreements that lead to mutual understanding rather than escalation.
Through guided practice and feedback from a skilled marriage counselor, couples develop communication skills that foster understanding and connection. These skills extend beyond the therapy session, enhancing daily interactions and preventing miscommunications that often lead to conflict.
Deeper Emotional Intimacy
Emotional intimacy involves the ability to share vulnerable feelings and experiences with your partner in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Couples therapy helps strengthen this vital aspect of the relationship through:
Vulnerability exercises: Creating safe opportunities to share deeper thoughts and feelings with each other.
Empathy development: Learning to understand and validate your partner's emotional experiences.
Reconnection rituals: Establishing meaningful practices that help maintain connection.
Appreciation practices: Cultivating gratitude for your partner's positive qualities and contributions to the relationship.
As couples engage in these practices, they often experience a renewed sense of connection that revitalizes their relationship. This emotional closeness serves as a buffer against stress and conflict, helping the relationship remain resilient through challenges.
Rebuilding Trust
Trust forms the cornerstone of a secure relationship, and when it's damaged, the entire relationship can feel unstable. Marriage counseling offers a structured approach to rebuilding trust through:
Transparency practices: Creating agreements that foster openness and honesty.
Consistent reliability: Developing patterns of dependability in both small and significant matters.
Processing past hurts: Working through previous betrayals or disappointments with therapeutic guidance.
Future-focused planning: Establishing clear expectations and boundaries moving forward.
The process of rebuilding trust takes time and requires patience from both partners. In the therapeutic setting, couples receive validation for their feelings while also developing concrete strategies for moving toward a more secure relationship.
Establishing Healthy Boundaries
Healthy boundaries protect the well-being of both individuals within a relationship. In couples counseling, partners learn to:
Identify personal limits: Recognizing each partner's emotional, physical, and psychological boundaries.
Communicate boundaries clearly: Expressing limits in a respectful, direct manner.
Respect each other's needs: Honoring the boundaries established by one's partner.
Balance togetherness and individuality: Creating space for both connection and personal growth.
When couples establish and maintain healthy boundaries, they create a relationship dynamic that honors each person's autonomy while fostering mutual respect and understanding.
Healing from Past Wounds
Many relationship challenges stem from unresolved hurts, whether from within the current relationship or from past experiences. Marriage counseling provides a safe environment for healing through:
Trauma-informed approaches: Using specialized techniques to address painful experiences without retraumatization.
Narrative restructuring: Reframing harmful stories partners may have developed about themselves or the relationship.
Forgiveness work: Finding pathways toward letting go of resentments when appropriate.
Future vision creation: Developing a shared understanding of how the relationship can move forward in a healthier direction.
Through these healing processes, couples can release patterns of interaction that no longer serve them and create space for more positive relationship dynamics.
Specialized Therapeutic Approaches for California Couples
At Audrey Schoen's practice in Roseville, couples benefit from evidence-based therapeutic modalities that are tailored to address their specific needs:
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
As a Certified Master ART Practitioner, Audrey offers couples access to this innovative approach that helps process difficult emotions and experiences. Accelerated Resolution Therapy combines elements of eye movement techniques with imagery rescripting to help individuals process traumatic or distressing memories.
For couples, ART can be particularly beneficial when one or both partners are struggling with:
Traumatic experiences that affect the relationship
Intense emotional reactions that seem disproportionate to current situations
Anxiety that interferes with emotional connection
Recurring negative patterns that resist conventional talking therapies
This approach often produces rapid results, allowing couples to move through blocks that have previously hindered their progress in therapy. The efficiency of ART makes it a valuable component of couples therapy, particularly for those seeking intensive treatment options.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting is another specialized modality offered at Audrey's practice that helps access deeper emotional processing. This technique identifies specific eye positions that correlate with emotional activation, allowing for more direct access to emotional material that may be affecting the relationship.
In couples therapy, Brainspotting can help:
Identify emotional triggers that lead to conflict
Process underlying feelings that drive reactive behaviors
Access deeper insights about relationship patterns
Release emotional blocks to intimacy and connection
By incorporating Brainspotting into couples work, Audrey helps partners access and process emotions that may have remained outside their awareness, leading to profound shifts in relationship dynamics.
Sex Therapy Integration
Intimacy concerns are a common issue for many couples seeking therapy. When appropriate, sex therapy approaches can be integrated into couples counseling to address:
Mismatched desires or expectations around physical intimacy
Communication barriers about sexual needs and preferences
Impacts of stress, anxiety, or past trauma on physical connection
Rebuilding physical intimacy after periods of disconnection
This holistic approach recognizes that physical and emotional intimacy are interconnected aspects of a healthy relationship. By addressing both dimensions, couples often experience more comprehensive healing and connection.
Intensive and Retreat Options
For couples seeking a more immersive therapeutic experience, Audrey offers intensive therapy sessions and couples retreats. These concentrated formats allow for deeper work in a compressed timeframe, often leading to breakthroughs that might take longer in weekly sessions.
Intensive therapy options include:
Half-day intensives: Focused sessions that allow couples to work through specific issues without interruption.
Full-day intensives: Extended sessions that provide space for both assessment and intervention around relationship challenges.
Weekend retreats: Immersive experiences that combine therapeutic work with opportunities for connection and practice of new skills.
These intensive options are particularly valuable for couples who:
Are navigating an immediate crisis
Have limited time for weekly sessions due to scheduling constraints
Live at a distance from Roseville but can travel for concentrated work
Want to jump-start their therapeutic process
The retreat setting removes couples from daily distractions, creating an environment where they can fully focus on their relationship. This level of attention often accelerates progress and helps couples experience meaningful shifts in a shorter period.
Online Couples Therapy: Accessible Support for California Residents
In addition to in-person sessions in Roseville, Audrey Schoen offers online couples therapy for clients throughout California and Texas. Virtual therapy provides the same quality of care while offering additional benefits:
Convenience: Participate from the comfort of your home without commuting to an office
Flexibility: Schedule sessions around work and family commitments more easily
Comfort: Engage in therapy from a familiar environment
Accessibility: Access specialized couples counseling regardless of location
Online couples therapy offers a convenient and flexible way for partners to work through relationship challenges. Whether it's improving communication, gaining new insights, or learning practical strategies, the virtual format allows couples to connect with a professional from the comfort of their own home. This can make it easier for both partners to participate fully and openly in the therapeutic process.
For California couples who may be separated by work travel or other circumstances, online couples counseling offers a way to maintain therapeutic momentum regardless of location. Partners can join from different locations if needed, making it ideal for:
Couples with demanding work schedules
Partners temporarily living apart
Families with childcare challenges
Clients with mobility or health concerns
Audrey's virtual therapy platform is secure and HIPAA-compliant, ensuring the same level of privacy and confidentiality as in-person sessions. Many couples find that online couples therapy allows for more consistent attendance, which can accelerate progress toward their relationship goals.
Who Can Benefit from Marriage Counseling
Marriage counseling can be valuable for couples at any stage of their relationship, from those considering commitment to those who have been together for decades. While the term "marriage counseling" is commonly used, these therapeutic approaches benefit various relationship configurations:
Individuals
Even when only one partner attends therapy, significant relationship improvements can occur. Individual therapy focused on relationship dynamics can help:
Clarify personal values and needs within the relationship
Develop healthier communication strategies
Address individual issues that affect the relationship
Prepare for future couples work
For individuals struggling with perfectionism, anxiety, self-criticism, low self-esteem, or people-pleasing tendencies, working through these challenges can positively impact how they show up in their relationship.
Committed Couples
Whether married, engaged, or in a long-term partnership, committed couples often seek counseling to:
Enhance their communication skills
Address recurring conflicts
Deepen their emotional connection
Prepare for significant life transitions
Rebuild after trust has been damaged
Work through unhelpful relationship patterns
Family therapy approaches can also be beneficial when relationship dynamics affect or are affected by the broader family system. Couples therapy provides a structured environment where partners can explore these issues with guidance from a skilled marriage and family therapist.
Couples Considering Divorce
For couples unsure about the future of their relationship, marriage counseling offers a space to:
Gain clarity about whether the relationship can be repaired
Process difficult emotions in a supported environment
Develop a clearer understanding of relationship patterns
Make thoughtful decisions rather than reactive ones
Even when divorce becomes the chosen path, counseling can help couples navigate this transition with greater understanding and less antagonism, which is particularly important when children are involved.
Entrepreneurs and Their Partners
Entrepreneurs face unique relationship challenges, including unpredictable schedules, financial stress, and the blurring of work-life boundaries. Couples therapy can help:
Establish boundaries between work and relationship
Develop communication routines that accommodate demanding schedules
Address the impact of financial fluctuations on relationship security
Balance individual ambitions with partnership needs
Audrey's experience working with entrepreneurs and their partners provides specialized support for navigating these complex dynamics.
Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Spouses
Partners of law enforcement officers navigate unique stressors, including concerns about safety, shift work disruptions, and the emotional impact of high-stress careers. Therapy can support LEO spouses by:
Developing coping strategies for anxiety related to partner safety
Creating rituals that maintain connection despite irregular schedules
Processing secondary trauma that can affect the relationship
Building a support system that understands the unique challenges of LEO families
With specialized experience working with LEO spouses, Audrey offers targeted support for these relationships.
Common Issues Addressed in Marriage Counseling
Couples seek therapy for a wide range of concerns. Here are some of the most common issues addressed in marriage counseling with Audrey Schoen:
Trauma & Painful Experiences
Unresolved trauma can significantly impact relationship dynamics, creating patterns of reactivity, withdrawal, or fear. Through trauma-informed approaches, couples can:
Understand how past experiences affect current interactions
Develop strategies for supporting a partner during trauma responses
Create safety within the relationship for healing to occur
Process shared traumatic experiences that have affected the relationship
Using specialized modalities like Accelerated Resolution Therapy and Brainspotting, Audrey helps couples address trauma in ways that promote healing and reconnection.
Perfectionism and Self-Criticism
High standards and harsh self-judgment can create significant strain in relationships. In therapy, couples learn to:
Recognize the impact of perfectionism on relationship satisfaction
Develop self-compassion practices that reduce criticism of self and others
Establish realistic expectations that allow for human fallibility
Create a relationship culture that celebrates effort rather than demanding perfection
By addressing these patterns, couples often experience relief from the pressure that perfectionism places on their relationship.
Anxiety and Low Self-Esteem
Anxiety manifests in relationships in many ways, from constant worry about the relationship's future to fear of conflict or abandonment. Therapy helps couples:
Identify anxiety triggers within the relationship
Develop coping strategies that don't burden the partnership
Communicate needs during anxious episodes
Create routines that provide security without excessive reassurance-seeking
With Audrey's expertise in anxiety treatment, couples learn to manage these challenges effectively. Issues related to low self-esteem that impact how partners perceive themselves within the relationship can also be addressed through supportive therapeutic interventions.
People-Pleasing and Boundary Issues
The tendency to prioritize others' needs at the expense of one's own can create imbalance and resentment in relationships. Couples therapy addresses this by:
Identifying people-pleasing patterns and their impact
Practicing healthy boundary-setting within the relationship
Developing comfort with appropriate conflict and difference
Building authentic communication that allows for true needs to be expressed
As couples work through these issues, they often develop a more balanced dynamic that supports both partners' well-being.
Unhelpful Relationship Patterns
Many couples find themselves caught in repetitive cycles of interaction that create distance rather than connection. Therapy helps identify and change these patterns by:
Mapping the typical cycle of conflict or disconnection
Understanding each partner's role in maintaining the pattern
Identifying emotional triggers that activate the cycle
Practicing alternative responses that lead to different outcomes
By disrupting these entrenched patterns, couples can create new ways of relating that foster connection rather than conflict.
Reactivity
Emotional reactivity—responding intensely to triggers without reflection—can damage relationship trust and safety. In therapy, couples learn:
Techniques for emotional regulation during heightened states
Recognition of personal triggers and early warning signs
Communication strategies for de-escalation
Repair practices for after reactive episodes
These skills help create a more stable emotional environment where productive communication can occur.
Money Anxiety and Avoidance
Financial issues rank among the most common sources of relationship conflict. As a therapist with specialized training in financial therapy, Audrey helps couples:
Explore the emotional underpinnings of money behaviors
Develop transparent communication about financial matters
Create shared systems for managing resources that respect both partners' values
Address differences in spending, saving, and financial risk tolerance
By bringing these often-avoided topics into the open, couples can develop greater alignment and reduced conflict around money.
Imposter Syndrome
Feelings of inadequacy and fraudulence can affect how individuals show up in their relationships. Therapy addresses imposter syndrome by:
Identifying how these feelings manifest in relationship dynamics
Challenging false beliefs about personal value and contribution
Developing practices that acknowledge genuine accomplishments and qualities
Creating relationship narratives that affirm both partners' authentic worth
As individuals gain confidence in their authentic selves, their relationships often benefit from greater vulnerability and genuine connection.
What to Expect from Marriage Counseling
For couples considering therapy, understanding the process can help set realistic expectations and reduce anxiety about getting started.
The Initial Assessment
The first few sessions typically focus on assessment, allowing the therapist to understand the relationship dynamics and each partner's perspective. During this phase:
Both partners share their view of current challenges
The therapist gathers information about relationship history
Couples identify specific goals for therapy
Assessment exercises may be completed to provide deeper insights
This thorough assessment ensures that the therapeutic approach will be tailored to the specific needs of the relationship.
The Therapeutic Process
Following assessment, therapy moves into active intervention. While each couple's journey is unique, common elements include:
Learning and practicing communication skills
Exploring underlying emotions driving conflict
Addressing specific issues identified during assessment
Developing new patterns of interaction
Building on relationship strengths
Sessions typically occur weekly, though frequency may vary based on the couple's needs and the therapeutic approach being used.
Between-Session Practice
Growth in couples therapy relies heavily on applying new skills between sessions. Couples may be asked to:
Practice specific communication techniques
Complete reflection exercises
Engage in planned activities to foster connection
Track patterns of interaction
Implement agreed-upon changes to daily routines
This practice component extends the impact of therapy beyond the session time, accelerating progress and integration of new skills.
Is Marriage Counseling Effective?
Many clients are curious about the effectiveness of marriage counseling before deciding to engage in therapy. Couples often find that marriage counseling helps them improve their relationship, leading to greater satisfaction and a healthier partnership.
Factors that influence effectiveness include:
Both partners' commitment to the process
Willingness to examine personal contributions to relationship patterns
Consistent application of new skills outside of sessions
The quality of the therapeutic relationship
Addressing issues before they become entrenched
For many couples, even a few sessions can provide valuable insights and practical tools that improve their relationship functioning.
Progress and Completion
As couples develop new skills and resolve key issues, therapy may transition to less frequent sessions before concluding. Signs that a couple is ready to complete therapy include:
Ability to communicate effectively about challenging topics
Development of strategies to handle future conflicts
Resolution or significant improvement in presenting issues
Renewed sense of connection and understanding
Confidence in maintaining positive changes independently
Many couples find that periodic "maintenance" sessions help sustain gains after completing regular therapy.
Choosing the Right Therapist for Your Relationship
Finding the right fit with a therapist significantly impacts the effectiveness of marriage counseling. Here are important factors to consider:
Specialized Training and Expertise
Look for a therapist with specific training in couples work and the issues affecting your relationship. Audrey Schoen brings specialized expertise in:
Accelerated Resolution Therapy as a Certified Master ART Practitioner
Brainspotting for addressing deeper emotional patterns
Financial therapy for couples dealing with money-related conflicts
Trauma-informed approaches for healing painful experiences
Intensive therapy models for concentrated work
This specialized training allows for a tailored approach that addresses your specific relationship challenges.
Therapeutic Approach
Different therapists utilize various methods in their work with couples. Understanding a therapist's approach helps determine if it aligns with your needs and preferences. Audrey's practice integrates:
Evidence-based techniques with proven effectiveness
Neurobiological approaches that address how the brain processes emotion
Body-centered methods that recognize the physical aspects of emotional experience
Systems-focused work that considers the broader contexts affecting the relationship
This integrative approach allows for flexibility in addressing the unique needs of each couple.
Personal Comfort and Connection
The therapeutic relationship itself plays a crucial role in successful couples therapy. Consider whether you and your partner feel:
Safe to express vulnerable thoughts and feelings
Understood and respected by the therapist
Confident in the therapist's ability to help
Comfortable with the therapist's style and approach
During an initial consultation, pay attention to these factors to determine whether the therapist is the right fit for your relationship.
Online and In-Person Therapy Options
Modern couples therapy offers flexibility in how services are delivered. At Audrey Schoen's practice, couples can choose between:
In-Person Sessions in Roseville, CA
Traditional face-to-face therapy in a comfortable office setting offers:
Direct personal connection with the therapist
A dedicated space away from home distractions
Full observation of non-verbal cues and dynamics
A physical environment designed for therapeutic work
Many couples prefer this traditional approach, especially for intensive work or when addressing significant relationship challenges.
Online Couples Therapy Throughout California and Texas
Virtual therapy provides convenience and accessibility while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness. Audrey is proud to offer online couples therapy that provides:
Elimination of travel time and associated logistics
Participation from the comfort of your home
Access to specialized care regardless of location
Maintenance of consistency during travel or schedule changes
With secure, HIPAA-compliant platforms, online couples counseling offers a convenient alternative without compromising quality or confidentiality. For many California couples, the ability to participate in therapy from different locations makes online couples therapy the perfect solution for busy schedules or when partners live apart.
Both formats provide effective pathways to relationship improvement, and some couples choose a hybrid approach based on their needs and circumstances.
Taking the Next Step in Your Relationship Journey
If you're considering marriage counseling, here are steps to move forward:
Reflect on your goals: Clarify what you hope to achieve through therapy, whether resolving specific issues or enhancing your overall relationship.
Discuss therapy with your partner: Share your thoughts about seeking support and listen to your partner's perspective.
Reach out for a consultation: Contact Audrey's practice to schedule an initial conversation about how therapy might benefit your specific situation.
Prepare for your first session: Consider what you hope to share and learn during your initial meeting.
Commit to the process: Approach therapy with openness to change and willingness to engage fully in the work.
Marriage counseling offers a pathway to a more connected, satisfying relationship. With the support of a skilled marriage and family therapist like Audrey Schoen, LMFT, couples can transform challenges into opportunities for growth and deeper connection.
California Marriage Counseling: Building a Connected Future Together
Relationships thrive when partners commit to growth, both individually and together. Through marriage counseling with Audrey Schoen in Roseville, CA, couples gain not only resolution to current challenges but also skills and insights that benefit their relationship for years to come.
The therapeutic journey offers couples the opportunity to reimagine their connection—building patterns of communication, emotional intimacy, and mutual support that create a resilient foundation. With specialized approaches like Accelerated Resolution Therapy, Brainspotting, and intensive options, even long-standing issues can be transformed.
Whether you're facing specific challenges or simply want to strengthen an already positive relationship, therapy provides a structured environment for meaningful change. By investing in your relationship through counseling, you create the possibility of a more authentic, connected, and satisfying partnership.
To learn more about marriage counseling services or to schedule a consultation, reach out to Audrey Schoen, LMFT. With both in-person sessions in Roseville, CA, and online couples therapy throughout California and Texas, quality therapeutic support is readily accessible. Contact the practice today to discuss your specific needs and begin your journey toward a more connected relationship.