Imago Couples Therapy

What is Imago Couples Therapy?

One of the most important benefits of using Imago Couples Therapy with our clients is that of safety. Very often a couple will come in with guns blazing and be expecting to tell the therapist or counsellor a list of complaints they have about their partner. If only he/she would see things they way I do or just change their behaviour. He/she wasn’t like this when we were dating – what happened?

Becoming Love Detectives

Harville Hendrix, together with his wife Helen, introduced Imago Dialogue to the world and as a result we feel able to answer the questions above by teaching a couple to actually listen to each other and respond rather than be defensive and reactive and not actually hear what is going on for their partner. We teach the couple to become ‘love detectives’ and understand what is underneath the behaviour which is causing so much pain.

Creating A Safe Space for Couples

Our primary target is to create safety for both parties, whatever the back story is. As relationship therapists we need to ensure that both people can express themselves without the feeling of being judged, criticised, shamed or blamed. Dialogue the Imago way is a great tool for this.
We teach people to actually listen, which is very different from just hearing. Additionally, we show a couple how to validate the others view even if they are not able to agree with that view. Then comes the E word – Empathy – so important and so needed. Unfortunately, most of us were not bought up in homes where we were able to model these skills. However, the good news is that we can always learn new ways and skills as long as we are prepared to learn and practice the new tools.

Integrative Therapy and Relationship Coaching

All our work is integrative and sometimes we will jump from Imago Couples Therapy to the work of Tony Robins and Chloe Madannes of Robins-Madannes Life Coaching Institute. Tony maintains that if a couple started off in love and passionate about each other, we can always get them back to that place. See more details on our Relationship Coaching page. As well as using the Imago techniques with couples, we have also helped parents and children come back into relationships and people in the work force. There is something indescribable when we see relationships begin to heal before our eyes and blocked love arteries begin to flow. Of course, Covid -19 played major havoc to many relationships but to others it helped bring people back into connection. This in itself was a major learning curve for us as a couple of more than 40 years; to observe and discover why some fared so much better than others.

Connect with us to learn more and Start Healing your Relationship Today

If you would like to know more from either Ruthie or Joel, please hit the book now button and set up a free 15-minute Zoom meeting.
It could be the best decision you will ever make.