Couples Communication Counseling Bethesda

1. Couples Communication Counseling Bethesda

2. Micah Brady, LCSW-C, LICSW I’m Micah Brady. I have been fortunate to practice Social Work for over 17 years with a rich diversity of people, places, and personalities. I chose this profession as the Social Work values of “start where the client is,”“understand that the person is a product of their environment,” and the inherent “importance of human relationships” spoke to me. I believe interpersonal connections are important for our health and well-being, our resiliency, and making the most of life. I’m a strong advocate of a strengths-based, collaborative, evidence- based approaches, and implementing strategies and solutions that bring about the best result. There is so much “advice” from “experts” how can you possibly know who to turn to? Well, I follow the evidence. To that end, I turn to the Gottman Institute of Relationships and their wealth of research. Dr. John Gottman and his trained clinicians can assess with over 90% accuracy whether couples will stay together, or go their separate ways based on evidence-based data. I have learned the data, and I stand ready to help you achieve the connection, communication, and conflict-management tools you need to have a healthy, happy relationship. I have a passion for helping couples learn how to connect on a deeper level, and how to make their love last.

3. Treatments I enjoy offering clients assistance in their journey to find alternative ways of coping with stress, and findings ways to relax, revitalize, and create new healthy habits. I especially enjoy skill building with couples who are ready to give counseling a try. Affair, Affair, Infidelity Infidelity Recovery This is a difficult and sensitive topic for those going through it. It is natural and expected for either party to feel ambivalent, angry, hopeless, frustrated, scared, resentful, or even relieved, hopeful, and ready to put it behind them. We will meet together to discuss your relationship history, and I will ask questions about your respective view points on your relationship and your connection to each other. I have to balance getting important data, with how honest each partner is ready to be as well as protecting the non-affair partner from any potential blame or perceived blame. Physical Physical Intimacy Intimacy Issues Issues I offer a judgment-free, bio-psycho-social approach for assessment, education, intervention, and relapse-prevention for couples. I will help to address male and female sexual dysfunction including pain, inhibited desire, ejaculatory problems, and non-orgasmic response. We can use several tools and strategies including psychosexual skill exercises, attitude change, cognitive restructuring, utilization of bibliotherapy, and adopting a healthy, integrated attitude towards sexuality. Recovery

4. Treatment Focus Areas for Couples Premarital Premarital Premarital counseling is such a wonderful investment in your relationship. There are so many people who look back and wish they would have known many of these things before they ran into trouble. I have a proposed list of topics that couples may wish to request or learn more about. Topics include the 12 questions every couple should ask themselves when deciding if they are ready to move to the next level, the six skills that every successful couple needs to master, compatibility, connection, communication, conflict- management, and traps and pitfalls to avoid in relationships. Conflict Conflict Management Management Every couple will have conflict because conflict simply means difference of opinion between two people. You can and should have your own opinions. The goal of conflict is not to think like each other, but to understand each others respective points of views, and move closer to a solution. I often help couples develop a new model of conflict management that allows them to be curious rather than judgmental, assertive rather than anxious, and help identify what their needs are rather than talking only about what they do not want. There are six skills every successful couple needs to develop when it comes to conflict management, and I help them step by step. Self Self- -esteem esteem People with low self-esteem regard themselves critically and may feel a perpetual sense of failure or lack of accomplishment. Feelings of low self-esteem are perpetuated by constantly comparing themselves to others and criticizing themselves. These negative messages are rarely true, but the thought patterns may be so ingrained in a person’s behavior that he or she does not recognize the frequency with which they occur. Upon examination, people often admit that the negative messages are inaccurate and that they would never say such things to another person.

5. Couples I help couples connect, communicate, navigate conflict, develop trust and a satisfying intimate relationship. Connection Connection Statistically, more relationships end by ice, meaning increasing distance between partners, than fire, meaning arguments. The risk of couples going on auto pilot and not putting energy into the relationship is high if unaware. It can lead to leading separate but parallel lives, not connecting enough, and can cascade into loneliness, isolation, and wondering if you can ever get back to what you had before. The good news is that if you have decided to make an appointment with me, the desire is there. Let me give you the tools to get back on track. Relationship Relationship Check Check- -up up The relationship check-up is a fantastic way for couples who want an evidence-based full assessment that don't mind filling out private, HIPPA protected questionnaires on-line. The Gottman Institute offers this service privately to each individual within the pair. Each individual can look at their results, and/or bring it in to me for discussion and intervention. This is a $39 fee directly to the Gottman Institute. Communication Communication I assess the couples strengths and vulnerabilities using research-backed criteria and interventions. Once we have identified what we need to work on, we do it together with my feedback so you know when you are on the right track.

6. For more information please visit http://www.mbradycounseling.com