MN Counseling and Couples Center LLC

We begin our time by asking about your goals. What do you hope to break free from or accomplish through counseling? We emphasize listening to your story and understanding your experiences, both positive and negative. By exploring your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, we can set practical, attainable goals. Whatever challenges you are facing, we will support you and equip you with new skills to start living a healthier life. Counseling can help with anything that is affecting your mental health. Anxiety, depression, panic disorder, anger, and stress management are all common issues that can be alleviated through therapy. Many people seek counseling to address concerns related to shame, self-worth, body image, and sexuality. Others find therapy can help during a challenging time such as a divorce, breakup, or the loss of a loved one. Our licensed therapists also have the experience and empathy to help clients who are struggling with addiction, trauma, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. Attending therapy is one of the best decisions you can make to maintain good mental health and overall well-being. Our compassionate therapists will create a supportive environment for you to share your thoughts and feelings. We listen to your story and help you develop practical strategies to overcome challenges and meet your goals. Contact us today to take the first step.

Relationships are difficult, and every couple will struggle with conflict, poor communication, or other challenges at some point in their time together. But you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Speaking with a compassionate, professional therapist can help you and your partner better understand each other and learn new ways to connect. Our therapists serve as impartial guides to help you understand why you are struggling and how you can build a foundation for a stronger relationship. We help couples overcome a variety of challenges, including the following: Conflict Most couples have never learned to listen and communicate effectively. Our couples’ therapists will teach you how to understand each other’s communication styles, break down false assumptions, and apply empathy to every conversation. Communication Issues Conflicts are inevitable in a relationship, but couples thrive when they learn how to manage and resolve them. We will help you recognize negative patterns, understand triggers, and create new strategies for resolving conflicts peacefully. Sex and Intimacy Problems Many couples struggle with sexual issues, and speaking with a therapist can help you address these concerns and achieve a healthier, more satisfying sex life. We will discuss whether these issues may indicate larger problems within the relationship and help you both find greater confidence and enjoyment. Learn more. Emotional Disconnection Unresolved issues often lead to one or more partners emotionally checking out of the relationship, leaving both partners feeling lonely and distant. We help couples listen to and validate each other, be vulnerable, and reconnect with one another. Infidelity and Affairs It’s common for both partners to experience depression, anxiety, and a profound sense of loss following an affair. Early guidance in the wake of such a situation is key to the long-term success of your relationship. We will help you navigate this crisis with wisdom, empathy, and hope for the future. Learn more. Reinvest in Your Relationship For those willing to put in the effort, marriage and couples counseling can completely change the dynamic of the relationship for the better. For couples seeking to incorporate Christian values into their therapy work, we are members of the Directory of Christian Counselors and are happy to provide Christian marriage therapy. Contact Minnesota Counseling and Couples Center today to start working toward a happier, healthier relationship.

It is very common for couples and individuals to seek therapy for a variety of sexual issues, including sexual functioning, satisfaction, and related emotional concerns. We understand that discussing these issues can be uncomfortable, and we go to every length to provide sensitive, supportive sex therapy. We promise to provide a safe, confidential environment for you to explore your concerns and work toward your goals. Please note that sex therapy is private pay only and cannot be billed to insurance. Our Approach to Sex and Intimacy Therapy Sex and intimacy therapy can be beneficial for individuals and couples of any age or gender who are struggling with sexual concerns. These issues may include sexual functioning and satisfaction, communication and awareness, needs and desires, and a longing for greater intimacy. We have helped individuals and couples address shame, anxiety, trauma, and performance difficulties. Whatever you are struggling with, we will listen to your concerns and help you find satisfying solutions. What Can Sex Therapy Help With? Whether you are seeking therapy alone or with a partner, we always begin by asking about your concerns and outlining goals. We then provide education and information regarding activities and techniques. We often prescribe additional reading, communication practices, and behavioral exercises for you to work on at home, either individually or with your partner. Achieve a Healthier Sex Life You deserve a fulfilling, satisfying sex life. Our licensed sex therapists will help you achieve that by exploring your concerns in a supportive, educational environment. Sex therapy is “talk therapy” and never involves physical contact. Reach out today to schedule a consultation.

Compulsive sexual behaviors and porn addictions can leave you feeling isolated, ashamed, and hopeless. But you are not alone, and there is always hope for recovery. Our professional therapists will listen to your struggles with compassion and understanding, never judgment. We will help you understand the root cause of your addiction and provide new skills and strategies to achieve lasting freedom. Please note that sex and porn addiction therapy is private pay only and cannot be billed to insurance. The Signs of Compulsive Sexual Behavior We create individualized treatment plans designed to help you overcome your specific challenges and find freedom. We often start by helping you to understand your addiction, come to terms with it, and address your feelings of shame and guilt. Then we can start developing practical strategies such as healthy thought patterns, accountability contracts, and progress charts. We will also equip you with the skills to maintain long-term freedom and rebuild damaged relationships. Our Approach to Sex and Porn Addiction Therapy The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity defines compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) as “engaging in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behavior acted out despite increasing negative consequences to self and others.” If you have lost control over your sexual behaviors or experienced negative consequences, such as damaged relationships or lowered productivity at work, you may be suffering from a sex addiction. Other signs of CSB include compulsive searching for partners, fixation on an unattainable partner, and compulsive pornographic use or masturbation. Helping Couples and Wounded Partners We also provide couples therapy and individual counseling for partners affected by sex or porn addictions. Stabilizing and rebuilding the relationship is an essential aspect of recovery, and we can help both partners navigate this difficult journey to restore trust and intimacy. This process involves a full therapeutic disclosure in which one partner reveals the full extent of their addiction or betrayal to the other. Addressing compulsive sexual behaviors can be deeply painful for both partners, but we are here to help. We will guide you through every step of the healing process so that you can once again experience a joyful and loving relationship. Freedom Is within Reach If you struggle with a compulsive sexual behavior, there is hope. You don’t have to face it alone. Our experienced therapists will show you new strategies for healing, breaking free, and rebuilding your relationships. Contact us today to start living a more fulfilling life.

Facing a divorce or separation can feel overwhelming, both emotionally and logistically. You may be experiencing so much stress or grief that you’re not sure how to proceed. We provide understanding and compassionate divorce counseling for individuals and couples. Our therapists will help you process your emotions, address pressing questions, and find clarity for your path forward. Divorce Counseling for Individuals Some couples wish to work through certain issues or discuss practical matters together amidst a divorce. We can help facilitate constructive conversations surrounding boundaries, conflict management, and co-parenting plans. We also provide insight and support to both partners as they heal, seek closure, and attempt to establish a unified narrative of what happened in the relationship and why. Divorce Counseling for Couples Many people going through divorce experience feelings of guilt, fear, anxiety, and depression. They may even perceive their divorce as a personal failure. We can help you obtain a rational perspective on the situation, work through your painful emotions, and ultimately emerge a stronger, healthier person. We can also discuss issues such as how to talk to your children about divorce and how to prepare for future relationships. Move Forward with Confidence Divorce can be a difficult process, but you don’t have to navigate it on your own. We will help you make peace with the past and find hope for the future. Many people who work through their divorce in a healthy manner learn much about themselves and come to see the situation as an opportunity for personal growth. Contact Minnesota Counseling & Couples Center today, and we’ll help you build a brighter future for yourself and your children after divorce.

The discovery of an affair can be a devastating blow to your relationship and your overall mental health. Infidelity, whether sexual or emotional, can lead to intense feelings of shock, rage, hurt, disillusionment, and depression. These feelings are normal, and thoroughly processing them is the next best step you can take. We will help you understand the situation so you can make decisions regarding your relationship’s future with a clear head. For couples who wish to repair their marriage, we provide a structured path toward healing and reconciliation. Phase One: Crisis Processing After you have both processed your emotions, we can take a closer look at how and why the affair happened. The unfaithful partner will give a full disclosure statement, express their remorse, and gain empathy for their partner. We will move past blaming and shaming and come to a rational understanding of the situation. This is also the time to make decisions about the relationship’s future, set boundaries to rebuild trust, and discuss how to talk to kids and others about the affair. Phase Two: Stabilization After an affair is revealed, the primary goal is for both partners to process their emotions and make sense of what just occurred. We provide emotional support and help both of you understand each other’s perspectives. We will guide you through bringing a formal end to the affair and help you address ambivalence about the relationship’s future. We can then discuss the recovery process and set a realistic timeline for healing. Phase Three: Rebuilding At this stage, you have both made a commitment to your marriage. There is still much work to be done, but couples usually discover a new sense of peace and hope at this point in the process. We will help you develop a closer connection with each other as you continue to heal from emotional wounds. We will work toward forgiveness, renewal of quality couple time, and eventually, restoration of sex and intimacy. Our focus is on helping you strengthen your marital relationship to prevent relapse and recover your love for each other. Restore Your Relationship Recovering from an affair isn’t easy. But couples who are willing to put in the work to repair their relationship can still enjoy a healthy, fulfilling marriage. We have guided hundreds of couples through the recovery process, and we can do the same for you. Contact us today to receive wisdom, understanding, and support on your journey to a restored marriage.

Trauma, complex trauma, PTSD, and painful experiences such as the loss of a loved one can sometimes stick in our brains, forcing us to relive them over and over. To help you resolve distressing experiences and memories, we offer trauma therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR is an empirically proven treatment method that changes the way our brains store experiences and memories. How Does EMDR Work? EMDR is effective at resolving PTSD, traumatic memories, and the symptoms associated with them. These experiences can include abuse, medical traumas, car accidents, bullying, the discovery of an affair, and the loss of a loved one. Research has demonstrated EMDR to be helpful in alleviating symptoms such as phobias, fear of vomiting, compulsive eating, chronic pain, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and negative emotions brought on by trauma. What Can EMDR Help With? EMDR targets the emotional distress surrounding a memory that your brain never processed properly. During EMDR sessions, you’ll access these memories while engaging in bilateral stimulation, which can involve eye movements, sounds, or tapping on both sides of your body. This stimulation of both the emotional and intellectual parts of your brain is believed to help your brain activate its regular healing function. This allows you to process the painful experience just like any other memory. EMDR helps you bring closure to an experience, leave it in the past, and replace negative emotions with new, positive beliefs about yourself and your life. Find Out If EMDR Is Right for You Our trauma therapists have undergone extensive training and will be able to assess if EMDR could be helpful for you. One or two introductory counseling sessions will allow our therapists to identify and discuss issues that could be addressed using this method. EMDR can be used to augment traditional therapy or as a standalone treatment. You don’t have to let trauma hold you back anymore. Reach out to us today to learn if EMDR could be a good fit.

Marriage is an exciting new beginning for you and your partner. But before you say “I do,” we can help you build a strong foundation for a happy and fulfilling married life. Our marriage therapists will guide you through important topics like communication, finance, conflict resolution, and expectations for the relationship. A key aspect of our premarital counseling is identifying potential concerns and addressing them in a safe environment. By working through these issues with a trained professional, you are setting yourselves up for a stronger, healthier marriage! Our Approach to Premarital Counseling Each Prepare/Enrich assessment is customized to the unique history and background of each couple. But whether you use the assessment or not, we will address many common topics that are sure to play critical roles in your upcoming marriage. For example, we will discuss beliefs, values, finances, communication, and other practical matters. We will also address marriage roles, parenting, quality time, and intimacy. Finally, we will work through areas of growth and discuss how to make decisions together, manage anger, and resolve conflicts. What Can Premarital Counseling Help With? Our therapists are certified providers of Prepare/Enrich, an evidence-based, comprehensive assessment used to identify a couple’s strengths and areas for growth. Following your initial session, each partner will complete the assessment individually. The results will form a comprehensive analysis of your relationship for your therapist to review and work through with both of you. Together, you will discuss your relationship’s strengths and address concerns in a healthy, structured manner. While most couples choose to take advantage of this assessment, it is not necessary. Your therapist will help you determine if Prepare/Enrich would be beneficial for you during your initial session. Build a Foundation for a Resilient Relationship Premarital counseling is an investment in your future life together. Marriage is a difficult but fulfilling journey, and the happiest couples are the ones who have prepared for the many challenges that may come their way. By discussing differences, expectations, and potential concerns, you will both be well-equipped to navigate the joys and hardships of married life together. Contact Minnesota Counseling & Couples Center to schedule your first session.