MARISA GIULIANI-O’KEEFE
L.P.C., L.M.F.T., ED.S.
“A Contemporary Approach to Marriage Therapy”
Most Requested Couples Therapist in Essex County, NJ
DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, I WILL BE TAKING ALL SESSIONS VIRTUALLY FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
Singles Therapy
Many of us are walking through each day feeling lonely. Maybe you haven’t yet met the right partner, or perhaps you are “single-again” and are just feeling a little lost. Counseling is a great way to kick start your life in the right direction. In therapy, we can define the boundaries needed to pick the right partner and learn how to assess new mates instead of just simply “falling” into another go nowhere relationship. Therapy is a time to set goals for yourself and for what type of life you want to have. I offer individual counseling with a focus on finding a mate, as well as, offer groups in my office for “single-again” and divorce.
The most successful relationships are those where the individuals have a common value system. This means that you must know yourself very well and understand what it is that you want from life, that way you can share this with a new partner. It is also essential to understand what type of mate you are looking for and what your expectations are of a partner. This way communication can be clear and common goals can be created as a couple.
Break-Up Therapy
“Breaking up is hard to do…” a truer statement has never been said. Break-ups often come out of nowhere and leave individuals feeling depressed, uncertain, and bewildered. Many individuals feel alienated and that they no longer have control of their lives. Counseling can be a helpful way to begin to put the pieces back together in your life. Most clients find that having someone that is there to listen and offer advise feels comforting. During weekly sessions, clients have the time to mourn the loss of their relationship and begin to create a plan for how they want to move forward in their lives. Break-up therapy is once per week and can last for as little or as long as a client needs.
Date Coaching
Couples therapy is hard work and as I tell most couples, staying together is often more difficult than just walking away from a relationship. Although, it is often one of the most painful events a family (children) can experience.
Couple’s therapy (or relationship therapy) is a subset of relationship counseling. It normally last six months and focuses on both the “here and now,” as well as, each partner’s past and how they each have learned to love. Couples therapy is more about seemingly intractable problems with a relationship history, where emotions are the target and the agent of change. My brand of Couples therapy is quite different from most others because I believe in a skills based approach to marriage and I believe that I can teach people how to be “better” at being in a relationship. I use a variety of techniques including: Emotionally Focused Therapy, Gottman Techniques, Imago Therapy, Love Mapping, Sex Training, and Generational Genograms just to name a few. My sense is, if you are willing to work at your marriage, than you will find success in my office.