Get the relationship you deserve… and keep it!
*Skype and FaceTime Sessions Available*
About Trina
Born in Hertfordshire in England, she studied Zoology at London University and then later in life began her formal training as a couples counselor in Cambridge, England, obtaining a Graduate Certificate in Marital and Couples Counseling. She then went on to obtain a Relate Post Graduate Diploma in Couples Therapy, validated by the University of East London. Her continuing professional development has included further study in domestic violence and extramarital affairs..
“My clients often come in feeling nervous and apprehensive, but once we have met a few times, they can even start to enjoy it. At the end of the day, it’s a brave move to come to Therapy, but for almost everyone, it’s one of the best moves they have made.”
Trina Dolenz
Call Trina Now
My Blog
The Four Horsemen: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling
31 Jul 0 CommentsThe Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a metaphor depicting
How to Have Better Conversations with Your Partner, and Just About Anyone Else
31 Jul 0 CommentsDo you want to create a richer connection with your
My partner is always criticizing me
24 Jun 0 CommentsFrequently criticizing your partner or being criticized by them can
I’ve been faking orgasm, but I don’t know how to talk to my partner about sex
03 Mar 0 CommentsFeeling like you aren’t getting what you want in bed
Moaning effectively: how to tell your partner you’re not happy
17 Oct 0 CommentsMoaning can sound like a lighthearted problem, or something that’s
Contact
I’d really love to hear from you so we can discuss how I can help your relationship thrive. All calls and emails will be kept confidential.Fees are $175 per hour. I do not accept insurance, meaning I am not “in-network” with any health plans.
However, many of my clients submit claims to their out-of-network health insurance and receive 40-60% reimbursement.Zoom, Skype and Facetime sessions are available.
Phone: 202-270-3937
Opening Hours: 9.00pm – 6.30pm Tuesday and Thursday
If appointments are rescheduled there is no additional charge – and no problem. Should you fail to turn up for an appointment without prior warning (24 hours notice) then you would be charged for that appointment.
FAQ
It is suggested that you should think in terms of an initial six sessions though there is nothing to say that you cannot end sooner than that if you wish to. During the sixth session you can review what has been achieved and whether or not you would like to continue. No pressure is brought to bear on you… some clients like to take a break and return later (or not at all), and others like to continue. There is no rule!Yes! Sexual problems can affect many couples and individuals. Sometimes the problem is longstanding whilst at other times it is linked to recent events causing stress and unhappiness. Trina is specifically trained to work with sexual problems in the context of a couple’s relationship. However complicated the cause, Trina is skilled in helping people understand what has gone wrong and to resolve the sexual problem and the confused and painful emotions it evokes.Nothing you say is revealed to anyone else without your specific consent. The only time confidentiality would be breached is if it was thought there was a danger of you committing serious harm to yourself or another – especially, but not exclusively, where children might be at risk.It will be up to you to decide what changes you want/can make. Positive interventions can be used to make a real difference in helping you to sort out your difficulties, by enabling you to look at the difficulties and possible solutions in detail and from different angles and new perspectives.Although it is a difficult decision, especially if there are children involved, sometimes separation is the right solution. By helping you to talk to each other and helping you to come to terms with the ending, counseling can help make the break less acrimonious. This is vital, because if there are children involved you will be parents for the rest of your lives and it would be enormously helpful if you can both be closely involved in your children’s lives.Improved communication
Awareness of others needs
Anger management skills
Self-discovery
A realization that the relationship could not work
Increased confidence
Decision to get married, start a family or get back together.
Improved sexual relationship
Reduced jealousyWhy Counseling?
There are some areas of our lives that we feel we would like to improve but we just don’t seem to be able to make the necessary changes. No matter how hard we try, we seem to remain stuck in the same groove.
By coming to couples therapy you can express and identify your feelings, values and expectations, and gain assistance with communication and problem solving by looking at new options, possibilities and perspectives with a non judgmental, experienced and caring therapist.
You can Increase your understanding of underlying problems as well as more obvious difficulties between yourself and your partner, reduce the power of disappointments and hurts, both past and present, and open a way to greater fulfillment in your life, both as part of a couple and as an individual.
For couples seeking premarital or pre-commitment therapy, I offer a 4-5 session series where we will explore the reasons you have picked each other, have open discussion about topics that have been difficult to talk about or have been overlooked, identify your individual dynamic and use this understanding to help turn alienating cycles into collaborative ones, now, and in the next stage of your relationship.
If you want to talk about:
- Your Relationships, Past, Present & Future
- How Your Family is Affected by Your Relationship
- How You Can Improve Your Relationship
- Infidelity
- Moving On
Take the Relationship Test
How Does It Work?
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Improve communication and help you get unstuck
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Address sexual and intimacy issues such as different levels of desire
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Prepare for a long term commitment with pre-commitment / pre-marital therapy
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Recover from infidelity or an affair
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Navigate major life changes, such as moving in, changing careers, having children, or committing to each other
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Learn how to have healthy conflict rather than destructive conflict
Couples often come to therapy polarized by reactivity and power struggles that make them feel increasingly disconnected. Trapped in a stalemate that they are unable to change on their own, they invite the therapist into the intimacy of their struggles, hoping for a new direction. It is the work of the therapist to understand the complex interactions and experience of the couple caught up in stalemate or an ‘impasse’. The therapist’s approach helps to identify the couple’s pattern and investigate and challenge emotional undercurrents that might be fueling and informing their dynamics. In working with couples’ impasses in the here and now, the goal is to help the partners move from being reactive to being more able to discuss, and from a view of themselves as victim and villain to positions of increased responsibility and personal agency. The process of change is facilitated by awareness, behavioral changes and negotiations, and the creation of alternative scripts based on greater empathy and connectedness…
Your Problems
The type of counseling I provide includes the following. Please click on the relevant topic to learn more about how I can help you deal with your problems.
Why Trina
Finding a therapist when you are feeling overwhelmed by your relationship issues isn’t easy.
I truly understand the need for a safe, confidential and empathic environment for you to be able to trust your therapist, to be listened to and understood, so you are able to resolve or manage the problems and issues you are having with your partner.
I am a British Couples Therapist specializing in relationship issues.
I can help you with conflict, sexual difficulties, divorce or separation, loss of intimacy, the impact of a new baby or an affair and its aftermath.
The most important factor for picking a therapist is trust. Therapy works when you feel contained, safe and understood, where confidentiality is taken seriously.
You both will feel equally listened to in a non-judgmental environment, allowing you the space to rework your relationship together with my professional guidance.
Couples of all backgrounds are warmly welcomed, including consensually non-monogamous couples, LGBTQIA+ and gender diverse couples.
Google+Couple Counseling is open to everyone aged over 16. Whether you are married, living together, in a same-sex relationship, separated, divorced or single, my confidential service can help you to deal with your relationship difficulties. Google+
