Couples Therapy & Relationship Counseling in Louisiana


Sheryl Ford, couples therapist in Louisiana, seated in her office

When a relationship feels strained, it is easy to become caught in the same cycle: one person pursues, the other pulls away; a conversation turns into an argument before either of you feels heard; trust feels fragile; intimacy becomes difficult to talk about; or both of you begin wondering whether the relationship can truly change.

Couples therapy offers a structured space to slow those patterns down, understand what is happening beneath the conflict, and begin building a more honest, connected way forward. I work with adult couples who want support with communication, emotional distance, conflict, trust, intimacy, life transitions, and the lasting impact of individual or relational trauma.

My approach integrates Gottman Method Couples Therapy, trauma-informed treatment, nervous-system awareness, and sex-therapy-informed support.

The goal is not to determine who is right. It is to help you better understand the relationship you are creating together and make meaningful changes that reach beyond the therapy room.

Schedule a Consultation

Couples Therapy Intensives Coming Soon

✳︎

Couples Therapy Intensives Coming Soon ✳︎

telehealth therapy for couples counseling in Monroe, Louisiana
Gottman Method relationship guides for communication, listening, admiration, and repair

You may be experiencing:

  • Repeated arguments that never seem resolved

  • Emotional distance, loneliness, or loss of connection

  • Communication that feels defensive, tense, or unproductive

  • Difficulty repairing after conflict

  • Trust concerns, secrecy, or lingering hurt

  • Changes in intimacy, desire, or sexual connection

  • Unequal emotional labor or resentment

  • Parenting stress, family-of-origin tension, or major life transitions

  • The impact of trauma, anxiety, burnout, grief, or past experiences on the relationship

  • Uncertainty about how to move forward together


These concerns do not mean your relationship is beyond repair. They are often signs that the current way of relating is no longer working, and that both of you need a different structure for understanding, communicating, and reconnecting.

When a Relationship Feels Stuck…

Most couples do not come to therapy because they have one isolated disagreement. They come because the same concerns keep returning, even when both people genuinely want things to be different.

The argument you are having may
not be the real issue.


A disagreement about chores, money, sex, parenting, time together, or communication often carries deeper questions underneath it: Do you see me? Can I trust you? Am I important to you? Are we safe with each other when things are hard?

In couples therapy, we look beyond the surface-level conflict to understand the pattern that keeps taking over. We identify what happens before the argument escalates, how each partner responds under stress, what both people may be protecting, and where connection breaks down.

This does not mean every conflict has a simple answer. It means you can begin responding with more awareness and less reactivity.

Our work may include strengthening communication, practicing repair, addressing unresolved hurt, learning how to manage conflict more effectively, rebuilding trust, and creating space for conversations that have felt too charged or difficult to have alone.

How I Work With Couples

Gottman relationship resources including Love Maps and Rituals of Connection exercises

Therapy with me is warm, direct, and structured. I create space for both partners to feel heard while also helping you move beyond conversations that have become repetitive, defensive, or emotionally exhausting.

I do not see my role as deciding who is right or taking sides. My role is to understand the relationship dynamic, name the patterns that are creating pain, and help both partners develop more effective ways of relating.

That may include:

  • Identifying recurring conflict cycles

  • Building communication that is more clear and less reactive

  • Strengthening emotional attunement and repair

  • Addressing patterns of withdrawal, criticism, defensiveness, or escalation

  • Helping each partner understand how stress and past experiences affect the relationship

  • Exploring trust, boundaries, intimacy, and unmet needs

  • Supporting more intentional decisions about the future of the relationship

At times, therapy may feel tender or challenging. The goal is not to avoid every difficult conversation. It is to create enough safety, structure, and honesty for those conversations to become more productive.

Sex therapy and systemic therapy books supporting intimacy and relationship counseling

Areas of Specialty in Couples Therapy


Sheryl Ford, relationship therapist in Louisiana, at her office desk

Couples Therapy Session Options & Fees


Couples therapy is offered in traditional and extended formats so there is enough time for both partners to participate meaningfully, explore the dynamic beneath the conflict, and leave with a clear sense of what comes next.

The best session length depends on your goals, the concerns you’re bringing to therapy, and the level of support your relationship needs. We can discuss the most appropriate format during your consultation.

Couples Therapy Frequently Asked Questions

Begin Couples Therapy With More Clarity and Connection

You do not have to keep repeating the same cycle or carrying the weight of the relationship alone.

A consultation is a chance to talk about what has been difficult, ask questions about the therapy process, and determine whether couples therapy or an Accelerated Therapy Intensive is the right next step for you.