Reconnect & Rise™ for Couples

Trauma-Informed Relationship Healing for Partners Who Want to Rebuild, Repair & Rise Together

Unique Connections Counseling & Consulting – Phoenix, AZ + Telehealth Across Arizona

Relationships Are Living Systems

They breathe, shift, evolve — and sometimes get tangled in fears, past wounds, and misunderstandings. When emotional injuries or communication challenges go unaddressed, couples can end up feeling:

  • disconnected

  • unheard

  • misunderstood

  • stuck in arguments that repeat

  • fearful of saying the “wrong thing”

  • more like roommates than partners

None of this means your relationship is broken.
It means your nervous systems are overwhelmed, not that you don’t love each other.

Couples counseling offers a safe, grounding space where both partners can slow down, understand one another, and rebuild a relationship based on emotional safety, trust, and genuine connection.

Whether you’re navigating conflict, healing after trauma, recovering from narcissistic abuse, or simply wanting to communicate better — this is the place to rebuild together.

Contact us.

Why Couples Struggle — And Why It’s Not Your Fault

When one or both partners carry unhealed trauma, emotional triggers, or past wounds, relationships often experience:

  • shutting down during conflict

  • emotional distance or numbness

  • defensiveness or reactivity

  • misreading tone or intention

  • feeling criticized or dismissed

  • “walking on eggshells”

  • difficulty expressing needs

  • fear of abandonment or rejection

  • repeating the same argument again and again

These are trauma responses, not character flaws.
And they can be healed.

Introducing the Reconnect & Rise™ Couples Model

A trauma-informed relationship healing model designed specifically for partnerships impacted by:

✔ trauma
✔ attachment wounds
✔ childhood emotional neglect
✔ narcissistic abuse (past partner or family system)
✔ communication breakdowns
✔ betrayal or relational ruptures
✔ emotional disconnect
✔ conflict cycles that won’t stop

Reconnect & Rise™ for Couples blends:

  • Gottman Method

  • EMDR (individual + dyadic when appropriate)

  • IFS (Internal Family Systems)

  • Attachment repair

  • Somatic & nervous-system regulation

  • Trauma-informed relational skill-building

This model supports both partners, both individually and as a unit.

The 5 Pillars of Reconnect & Rise™ for Couples

  • Before healing can begin, both partners must feel emotionally safe.
    In this phase, couples learn how to:

    • de-escalate conflict

    • prevent overwhelm

    • validate one another’s experience

    • soothe each other’s nervous systems

    • shift from defensiveness to openness

    When safety returns, communication transforms.

  • This pillar helps couples understand what is actually happening beneath the arguments.

    Partners explore:

    • attachment needs

    • emotional injuries

    • unmet needs

    • triggers

    • deeper meanings beneath conflict

    • the cycle they repeatedly get stuck in

    This is where Gottman tools and trauma-informed insight work together.

    Truth heals confusion.

  • Partners learn to show up as grounded, regulated individuals.

    Here, couples practice:

    • setting healthy boundaries

    • managing reactivity

    • values-based behavior

    • emotional responsibility

    • understanding their triggers + childhood echoes

    Healing the “self” heals the relationship.

  • This pillar deepens emotional intimacy and connection.

    Couples learn how to:

    • communicate needs clearly

    • listen without defensiveness

    • repair after conflict

    • rebuild trust

    • practice emotional attunement

    • restore closeness and vulnerability

    Connection becomes safe when both partners feel seen, heard, and understood.

  • The final pillar focuses on long-term repair, resilience, and partnership growth.

    Partners create:

    • healthy relational habits

    • rituals of connection

    • a shared vision and meaning

    • trauma-informed communication practices

    • emotionally safe intimacy

    • a plan for continued relational strengthening

    You rise together — not alone.

Specialized Support for Trauma & Narcissistic Abuse Survivors

Couples where one or both partners have survived narcissistic abuse, childhood emotional neglect, or relational trauma often face unique challenges:

  • fear of conflict

  • difficulty trusting

  • people-pleasing

  • emotional withdrawal

  • bonding over shared wounds

  • confusion between intensity and safety

  • heightened sensitivity to rejection

In therapy, we focus on:

  • rebuilding secure connection

  • strengthening boundaries

  • healing triggers that show up in the relationship

  • rewiring the nervous system for safety

  • preventing past trauma from recreating itself

  • helping both partners feel emotionally supported

Your past does not have to define your relationship.

For Couples Healing After Betrayal or Relationship Ruptures

If your relationship has been affected by:

  • infidelity

  • secrecy

  • emotional withdrawal

  • broken trust

  • years of distance

  • lonely, disconnected partnership

…healing is possible.

We help you:

  • understand the root of the rupture

  • repair emotional injuries

  • rebuild trust with evidence-based tools

  • reconnect emotionally and physically

  • create a new foundation — not return to the old one

Many couples grow stronger through the repair process when guided safely.

What Sessions Look Like

Sessions are structured, balanced, and grounded. You can expect:

  • guided communication tools

  • space for each partner to feel truly heard

  • nervous-system regulation practices

  • trauma-informed Gottman interventions

  • EMDR or IFS when individual wounds affect the relationship

  • a non-blaming environment

  • clarity, not confusion

  • action steps to grow between sessions

This is a space for clarity, healing, connection, and rebuilding.

When to Seek Couples Counseling

Couples therapy is helpful when you want to:

  • reduce arguments

  • communicate without escalation

  • repair past emotional wounds

  • strengthen trust

  • deepen intimacy

  • prevent future conflict

  • understand each other’s emotional needs

  • create healthier patterns

  • rebuild closeness

You don’t have to wait until the relationship is breaking.
Couples counseling is most effective before things hit a crisis point.

A Stronger, More Connected Relationship Starts Here

Your relationship deserves a space where healing, understanding, and emotional safety can grow. With the right support, couples can:

  • rebuild trust

  • strengthen connection

  • deepen emotional intimacy

  • repair past hurts

  • create a partnership rooted in safety and love