The Couples Therapist
Couples Counseling & Marriage Therapy for Relationships that Feel Stuck, Disconnected, or in Crisis
Relationships can be one of the greatest sources of love, connection, safety, and meaning in our lives. They can also become one of our greatest challenges. When a relationship begins to struggle, couples can find themselves caught in patterns of conflict, distance, loneliness, and frustration. Communication may break down. Trust may erode. Intimacy may disappear. Sometimes couples begin to wonder whether their relationship can ever feel different. I believe that meaningful change is possible. While I do not necessarily believe every relationship is meant to last forever, I do believe that couples should have the opportunity to truly understand what is happening in their relationship and do everything they can to create positive change before giving up. That often means seeking help through couples therapy—ideally, sooner rather than later.
I am Bruno Lepore, MA, LPCS, a psychotherapist specializing in couples therapy and marriage counseling in Austin, Texas. I help couples understand the patterns that are creating pain and disconnection in their relationship and work toward creating greater understanding, emotional safety, intimacy, and connection. I truly believe that a relationship can be transformed when both individuals are committed to working together and are willing to take responsibility for their part in the relationship. Most deep wounds happen in a relational context. I believe that much of our healing can happen there as well.
OFFICE HOURS
CALL OR TEXT
| Wed – Saturday | 8:00 – 7:00 |
| Monday | 8:00 – 5:00 |
| Tuesday | 8:00 – 5:00 |
Good relationships don’t just happen, they’re created!
When Austin couples come to see me, I often meet people who are frightened that their relationship may be beyond help. They may have spent years having the same arguments. Communication may have broken down. Trust may have eroded. They may no longer feel emotionally or physically close. Sometimes couples tell me they feel more like roommates than partners. Other couples describe feeling lonely while sitting in the same room. By the time many couples seek marriage counseling or couples therapy in Austin, they are often carrying years of hurt, resentment, disappointment, and misunderstandings. But a relationship is not simply the sum of two individuals. When two people come together, they create something new: a relationship. And that relationship develops its own patterns, habits, expectations, beliefs, and ways of responding. When we fall in love and become a couple, we invest part of ourselves in a shared identity. This shared identity can provide us with intimacy, security, and a sense of belonging. It can also become one of our greatest challenges. I find it helpful to think about a relationship and a family not simply as a collection of individuals, but as a system—a unique culture within the larger culture that has been shaped over time by both partners. Each person brings experiences from their own family, relationships, history, values, and expectations. Together, couples create a new culture.
The question becomes:
What kind of relationship culture have you created together?
And perhaps even more importantly:
Is it the relationship you both want to create?
Couples therapy can provide an opportunity to better understand that relationship culture and consciously begin changing it. My approach to couples counseling in Austin focuses on helping couples understand these recurring patterns. Rather than focusing exclusively on who is right or wrong, we work to understand what happens between you. Together, we explore the emotional patterns that create conflict and disconnection and look for new ways to create understanding and connection.
RELATIONSHIP TOOLS
From Dr. Gottman
Austin Couples and Marriage Counseling
Couples often come in for counseling at a point where they believe their relationship is beyond repair. Communication has broken down, they lack trust, and intimacy no longer exists. Giving yourselves a chance to address this in therapy increases your chance of resolution.
Infidelity Therapy
The causes of infidelity vary and can be incredibly complex. Affairs can happen in happy marriages as well as troubled ones, and although we’re all susceptible to the betrayal, the good news is that the majority of marriages not only survive infidelity, but they can become stronger and more intimate after therapy.
Preventative Therapy
Come in and address important topics that all couples should talk about and explore together. Preventative Therapy is a great option for you if you feel you have a strong, solid relationship, a strong sense of “we” and see yourselves as a unit that is able to communicate effectively.
