Couples & Sex Therapy in Fairfax & Alexandria, VA
Private-pay couples therapy for intimacy, betrayal, and rebuilding trust — including affair recovery, sexless marriages, and open relationships.
Every couple begins with a complimentary 20-minute consultation call. This gives us time to ensure the work we begin together is thoughtful, intentional, and a good match before you invest in an intake session.
The 90-minute in-person intake session. What sets my practice apart is that you don’t just come in and talk — before your intake, both partners complete the Gottman Relationship Checkup, a research-based assessment that has been called the “gold standard” in couples therapy.
This tool gives us a comprehensive, science-backed map of your relationship, including communication, intimacy, trust, conflict, and shared meaning. I review your results before we meet so that our intake session can immediately focus on the areas that matter most.
The Gottman Checkup is automatically included in your intake at no additional cost. To track progress over time, the Checkup can be re-administered every three months at the publisher’s $40 fee.
I integrate multiple evidence-based frameworks to support couples in crisis, couples in transition, and couples wanting to deepen intimacy:
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Developed from decades of research, the Gottman Method provides practical tools for communication, conflict repair, and relationship strengthening. Using the Sound Relationship House framework, couples learn how to de-escalate conflict, build rituals of connection, and foster trust and shared meaning. Combined with your Gottman Relationship Checkup results, these tools allow us to focus on your most relevant areas of growth with a clear, evidence-based plan.
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Intimacy is about more than physical touch — it’s emotional, relational, and embodied. Integrative sex therapy looks at the full picture: desire, arousal, pleasure, and how life experiences, stress, or trauma can shape erotic connection. This approach combines traditional sex therapy with relational, developmental, and trauma-informed perspectives, creating space for both partners to explore their sexual narratives with compassion and curiosity.
In session, we might work on:
Understanding patterns of desire and arousal
Healing ruptures around sex and intimacy
Exploring erotic identity and sexual expression
Rebuilding passion and connection after betrayal or long-term distance
This lens is inclusive and affirming, whether you are in a monogamous, open, or polyamorous relationship, and it’s designed to help couples rediscover intimacy that feels authentic, nourishing, and sustainable.
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Rooted in the traditional Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, Intimacy from the Inside Out is a relational adaptation designed specifically for couples. IFS teaches that we all carry different “parts” of ourselves — protective, vulnerable, playful, critical — and in relationships, these parts often collide in ways that create conflict or misunderstanding.
Through IFIO, couples learn to slow down and speak from their core Self rather than from reactive parts. This shift creates space for compassion, truth-telling, and deeper emotional intimacy, even around difficult or painful topics. By recognizing and softening the parts that get in the way, partners can access more openness, empathy, and connection with each other.
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When conflict escalates, your nervous system can shift into survival mode — fight, flight, or shut down. In these moments, it’s easy to lose connection with yourself and your partner. Using the concept of the window of tolerance (developed by Dr. Dan Siegel) and insights from polyvagal theory, I help couples learn to recognize these states in real time.
In session, we map your nervous system responses and practice tools to return to regulation more quickly. These practices build awareness of your triggers, expand your window of tolerance, and create more safety in moments of stress. The goal isn’t to avoid conflict, but to stay connected through it — so you can move from reactivity back into openness and repair with one another.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Every couple’s journey is different. Some begin to notice changes within a few sessions, while others choose to work together for several months. I also offer 90- and 120-minute mini-intensives if you want more focused time together.
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Yes. Betrayal is painful, but healing is possible. In therapy, we’ll work on rebuilding trust, understanding what led to the rupture, and creating a path toward either repair or a respectful redefinition of your relationship.
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Yes. I am poly-affirming and experienced in supporting couples exploring open or non-traditional relationships. Together, we’ll work on strengthening communication, setting boundaries, and maintaining intimacy in ways that align with your relationship agreements.
A complimentary 20-minute consultation is offered before scheduling your 90-minute intake.
Couples Therapy Intensive. A Boutique, One-Day Reset for your realtionship
Sometimes a 50- or 90-minute session just isn’t enough. A couples therapy intensive gives you and your partner(s) the space to pause, reconnect, and focus deeply on what matters most.
These 4-hour sessions combine the gold-standard Gottman Relationship Checkup, immersive therapy using IFS/IFIO, Integrative Sex Therapy, and nervous system practices, and a personalized written roadmap for what comes next. Whether you’re navigating crisis, healing from a rupture, or wanting to strengthen your connection, an intensive offers a powerful reset.
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Before investing in a couples intensive, all new clients begin with a complimentary 20-minute consultation call. This gives us time to connect, ask questions, and make sure the fit feels right. You can note your preferred consultation times directly on the therapy inquiry form.
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Each partner completes this research-based assessment before your intensive. It gives us a clear map of your relationship — including communication, conflict, intimacy, and trust. I review your results in advance so we can start with clarity and focus.
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Your intensive is carefully structured to balance depth with grounding, so you can do meaningful work without feeling overwhelmed.
Here’s the flow:
Check-In & Grounding. We’ll begin with a brief somatic practice to settle and connect.
Agenda Setting. Using your Gottman Checkup results, we’ll choose 2–3 priority areas for the day.
Shared Language & Psychoeducation. Before diving into the work, I’ll introduce research-based concepts and give you both a common language for understanding your dynamics. This shared map helps you talk about challenges in a way that feels less blaming and more constructive — and it becomes a toolkit you can keep using long after the intensive.
Intervention Work. Through guided conversations and experiential exercises, we’ll address your priority themes in depth. A short break midway helps you rest and reset.
Closing & Next Steps. We’ll end with a somatic grounding and a closing ritual to help you integrate the day’s work. Together, we’ll reflect on the insights you’ve gained and create a personalized plan for practice — concrete ways to continue building connection and resilience after your intensive.
Think of this as a retreat for your relationship — structured enough to guide you, but flexible enough to meet what arises in the room.
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After your intensive, you’ll receive a tailored summary of insights, tools, and resources. This serves as your roadmap for continued growth, whether through ongoing therapy, follow-up sessions, or your own practice at home.
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Three months later, you’ll retake the Gottman Checkup to measure progress and celebrate change. This also helps you decide whether you’d like a follow-up session or simply continue applying what you’ve learned.
Investment & Payment
4-Hour Couples Therapy Intensive: $1,300
Includes:
Pre-intensive Gottman Relationship Checkup
4-hour in-person session
Personalized written report with resources
Post-intensive Gottman Checkup (3 months later)
Payment Policy:
A 50% deposit ($650) is required at booking to reserve your intensive.
The remaining balance is due on the day of the session.
Deposits are nonrefundable, but may be applied toward one rescheduled intensive with at least 14 days’ notice.
Think of your intensive as a private retreat for your relationship — once it’s reserved, it’s yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Weekly sessions build slowly over time. An intensive condenses months of work into one day, allowing you to address issues more deeply and efficiently.
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Not at all. Intensives are designed both for couples in crisis and for those wanting to strengthen intimacy, deepen connection, or create a reset for the relationship.
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You’ll leave with a written roadmap and tools to keep practicing on your own. Some couples continue with regular therapy, others schedule another intensive in the future, and some feel the intensive gave them exactly what they needed.
A complimentary 20-minute consultation is offered before scheduling your couples therapy intensive.