Couples Therapy in Wilmington
Effective Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling in New Castle County, Delaware
Dr. Kathleen Dobek, Psy. D.
Licensed Psychologist & Couples Therapist
Meaningful results for a happier, stronger relationship.
To be seen, heard, and understood
Couples therapy can help you come together to safely and successfully explore your relationship and break the cycle of distress.
“Ninety percent (90%) of couples who go through EFT significantly improve their relationship, and 70-75% no longer fit the criteria for relationship distress following treatment. Compare that to a 35% success rate for the next leading couples therapy.”
— Psychology Today
— Psychology Today
Couples Therapy
Couples One-Day Workshop
Individual Therapy
About
Dr. Kathleen Dobek
Kathleen is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with both individuals and couples. She has always had a keen interest in couples' relationships, not only in what attracts one person to another but the particular nuances that define each couple as unique. Over time, each and every couple together create rich and dynamic patterns of interactions between them, some of which may develop into rigid habits of miscommunication, misunderstanding, emotional disconnection, and mistrust. As a result, couples have the same painful, frustrating arguments again and again; when they try to communicate with each other, neither one feels heard nor understood. When this occurs, it doesn't feel safe between them. This cycle of disconnection gets triggered quickly by things that they don't completely understand. One person may see their partner as not putting forth the effort for change and conclude that they are the only one fighting for the relationship. Their partner may feel like he or she can never get it right. At times, both people can feel very alone in the relationship. Despite their mutual distress and desire to repair the hurts and misunderstandings, it may seem futile or emotionally risky to show softer feelings for fear of being rejected, criticized, wrong for what they feel and need, or worse, not even being responded to by their partner.
Kathleen's model of therapy is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), based on adult attachment science. EFT is unique because it focuses on emotions and how individuals manage and make sense of them. The model is grounded in the principle that emotions are central to our experiences and relationships. It holds that people are naturally "hardwired" for connection. The building of a "safe haven" in a relationship is a primary task of EFT, as is a focus on primary needs—such as the need to feel close, secure, and responded to—which often underlies conflict in relationships. This approach helps couples understand their own feelings and the feelings of their partner, communicate more clearly, and hear each other’s perspectives with less defensiveness. The ultimate goal of Kathleen's couples therapy is to restore or create emotional safety and security so that both partners feel like they are on the same team, able to better manage conflict and meet each other’s needs.
In addition to Kathleen's formal education to acquire her doctorate degree in psychology, Kathleen has obtained training provided by the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, and she continues to advance her skill with ongoing workshops presented by EFT trainers.
Couples Therapy
Kathleen’s experience as a therapist and the model of EFT are appropriate for the majority of couples, whether they have been together for a brief period of time or for many years. Couples come to therapy to address different issues and concerns during specific phases in their relationship. Concerns could include:
Difficulty communicating
Having chronic, unresolved arguments about a particular issue
Nagivating through challenging transitions including the arrival of children, empty nest syndrome, and retirement
Recovering from infidelity
Feeling emotionally and physically disconnected from your partner
Feeling hurt and resentment from unhealed emotional injuries
As an EFT therapist, Kathleen will help you to:
Individual Therapy
Although Kathleen’s work is primarily with couples, Emotionally Focused Therapy can also benefit individuals who may not be in a relationship, have recently ended one, or have had difficult, unsatisfactory relationships in the past and wish to gain insight into their own attachment style, patterns, and needs. The EFT model can be a clarifying lens into oneself that reveals and validates important insights about emotions, fears, and yearnings that long to be understood and acknowledged.
Couples One-Day Workshop
A one-day workshop, typically a Saturday from 10:00 am-4:00pm with one hour for lunch for couples who wish to learn about Emotionally Focused Therapy but whose schedules don’t allow for ongoing therapy sessions.
This educational workshop will provide tools and insights to strengthen your relationship in a single day. It will enable you to see and explore negative patterns and conflicts that you and your partner may have been experiencing for some time.
Often, couples say, “We just need to communicate better.” This workshop will help your communication and strengthen your connection with one another as you gain new insight into how your relationship became stressed and as you begin to see each other in a different light. In a safe, supportive environment, you will begin to make sense of your relationship cycle.
You will learn to:
Address stuck patterns and negative cycles
Make sense of your own emotions
Learn more about your partner's inner world
Develop a deeper understanding and hopefulness
The components of the workshop include education about EFT through both a PowerPoint presentation and lecture; viewing of brief video material about the model and couples discussing how EFT has positively affected their relationship; and segments where each couple in the workshop sits privately to complete written assignments.
The workshop can be offered to just one couple or consist of multiple couples. Kathleen emphasizes a warm, safe, and supportive environment, regardless of the number of couples in attendance. There is a substantial teaching component in the workshop, and the exercises that couples complete together are private. If there are other couples in the workshop, they may choose to share their experiences, but there is no pressure or expectation to do so.
Testimonials
FAQs
& ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Hidden
Out-of-Network and Self-Pay Fees
- Initial Consultation for Couples and Individual Therapy (60 minutes): $200
- Couples and Individual Therapy (60 minutes): $170
- Couples Workshop (one day): $425
Note: Insurance does not cover the Couples Workshop
I will provide you with a Super Bill to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. You can call your provider to see what the reimbursement policy is if you have a policy that I do not accept.
Session Fees
Out-of-Network and Self-Pay Fees
- Initial Consultation for Couples and Individual Therapy: $200
- Couples Therapy: $175
- Individual Therapy: $175
- Couples Workshop (one day): $435
Note: Insurance does not cover the Couples Workshop
You will be provided with a Super Bill to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. You can call your provider to see what the reimbursement policy is if you are not in-network.
Insurance Reimbursement
The following insurances are accepted:
- Highmark
- Blue Cross
Note: If you are not familiar with what portion of the therapy that is your responsibility, the practice will verify your benefit and inform you before your second session if you have to satisfy a deductible or a copay.
Co-payments and full session and/or couples workshop fees can be made with a credit card, check, or cash.
Therapy/Couples Workshop (Fee/Cancellation Policy)
Unless there is a genuine emergency or conflict, there will be a $50 fee for a couples or an individual therapy session cancellation that is not within a 24-hour time period.
The full fee for the Couples Workshop will be refunded if cancelling one full week before the workshop. If notice cannot be given one week in advance, the cancellation fee will be credited toward a workshop scheduled in the future.
Office Hours
Office hours are Monday-Friday with varied hours that provide ample flexibility for a variety of schedules and appointment times to accommodate your particular life schedule.
Deciding Between Individual and Couples Therapy?
There are good reasons why you may wish to engage in individual therapy to address relationship concerns rather than couples therapy. Sometimes a person needs a therapist to hear about their experience in the session before they feel ready to undertake couples therapy. Or, sometimes the other partner isn’t yet open to working with a couples therapist. In your initial phone consultation with Kathleen, she will discuss your particular relationship and determine how best to proceed. However, if she begins individual relationship therapy with one person, she cannot later transition to couples therapy as there could be a perceived bias when the other partner joins the therapy. Kathleen would certainly offer a referral to another couples therapist.
What can couples benefit from Emotionally Focused Therapy?
EFT has proven effective for couples of all phases of their relationship, regardless of their ages or stages in life. EFT also helps couples who are coping with other concerns in their relationship such as depression and anxiety. EFT is a dynamic model in which the relationship negative cycle is fueled by strong emotion. Learning about the emotion, what it is trying to say, and expressing it in a new, safe way so that a partner can truly hear and understand it is the ultimate goal toward relationship renewal.
There are some instances when EFT is not a suitable choice. Severe addictions, physical, emotional, or verbal abuse are all contraindications since the goal of EFT is to insure that each person feels the relationship is a safe and secure place.
Are therapy sessions in-person?
Yes. Although Kathleen knows that tele-health therapy sessions can be convenient for many clients, she only conducts sessions in her office. She finds that a quiet, dedicated space away from home and distractions allows both you and she to intentionally focus on and prioritize you and what you need.
Schedule a Complimentary
Initial Phone Consultation Today!
Since first impressions are so valuable, it’s always a good idea for Kathleen’s new, prospective clients to speak with her and hear her voice before making a final decision to take the first step towards working with her. That’s why she’d like to offer you a complimentary 15-minute initial phone consultation to make sure you and she are a great fit. Fill out the contact form and you’ll receive a prompt response by email with a few dates and times in which to choose from to schedule your initial conversation.
DR. KATHLEEN DOBEK: Licensed Psychologist, Couples Therapist, Relationship Therapy for Couples, Marriage Counselor, Marriage Therapy and Couple Workshops. Couples Therapy Improves Your Communication, Deepens Emotional Connection, Resolves Partner Conflicts, Builds Stronger Relationship with Couples. Therapist Dr. Kathleen Dobek and Evidence-Based Emotionally Focused Licensed Therapy in Wilmington, Delaware.
Dr. Kathleen Dobek Provides Wellness Couples Therapy Sessions, Relationship Counseling, Individual Counseling, Marriage Counseling and Additional Couple and Relationship Workshops in Delaware, New Castle County, and The Following Delaware cities: Wilmington, Newark, Hockessin, Greenville and surrounding communities.
SERVICES
Couples Therapy
Individual Therapy
Couples One-Day Workshop
CONTACT
(484) 354-1232
drkathleendobek@gmail.com
ADDRESS
Wilmington, DE 19806