Helping Individuals, Couples and Families Navigate Crisis with Clarity and Compassion.
Whether you are working to strengthen your relationship, deciding the future of your marriage or learning to co-parent after separation - therapy provides a safe space to reduce conflict, improve communication and forge a healthier pathway forward.Our mission is to help families not only survive difficult times but also create opportunities for growth and stability.
Psychotherapy
When a family is in crisis, it can feel overwhelming and difficult to know where to turn. Psychotherapy provides a safe and supportive space for individuals to sort through their feelings, reduce stress and gain clarity during challenging times. Whether the crisis is related to conflict, divorce, illness or unexpected changes, therapy helps people find stability and strength when life feels uncertain.Working with a therapist allows you to explore your emotions without judgment, while also learning tools to manage stress, anxiety or anger in healthier ways. Many people discover new ways to communicate, set boundaries and make decisions that are more in line with their values. Therapy is also a place to find validation and support—especially when it may feel like family relationships are strained.Most importantly, psychotherapy helps individuals see the bigger picture and identify what is within their control. This can bring a sense of calm, reduce helplessness and create space for healing. Even in difficult times, therapy can help you feel more grounded and resilient, and it can open the door to building stronger, healthier relationships moving forward.
Couples Counseling
Many couples reach a point in their relationship where communication feels difficult, conflicts repeat without resolution or the closeness they once shared feels distant. Traditional couples counseling offers a supportive and structured way to address these challenges and begin rebuilding the foundation of the relationship.In counseling, couples learn to listen and speak to one another in ways that reduce defensiveness and increase understanding. A therapist helps each partner express their needs and concerns more clearly, while also guiding the couple to recognize patterns that may be keeping them stuck. By creating a safe environment, therapy makes it easier to have honest conversations about difficult topics, from trust and intimacy to finances and parenting.Couples counseling also provides practical tools for managing conflict and repairing after arguments. These skills not only help resolve current issues but also strengthen the relationship against future stress. With support, many couples are able to rediscover empathy, rebuild trust and reconnect emotionally.While every relationship is unique, counseling often helps couples see new possibilities where they once felt hopeless. It can be the step that turns a struggling marriage into one that feels more connected, supportive and resilient.
Discernment Counseling
Discernment counseling is designed for couples who are ambiguous about the status or the future of their relationship. Often, one partner may be leaning out already, while the other seeks to reconcile. It is common that these feelings may be concealed in an effort to maintain a status quo in a marriage, especially if there are children involved. This "ambiguity gap" presents specific challenges that are sometimes difficult to attend utilizing traditional couples counseling methods.Couples that can benefit from discernment counseling do not need to have a common goal at the onset. Discernment counseling offers a structured and non-judgmental space to explore options and make decisions with compassion and honesty.
The Structure:Discernment counseling is a short-term structured therapy typically spanning 2 - 5 weeks. While all cases are unique, most couples benefit from the mix of conjoint and individual counseling time. Through the convenience of our tele-health services, couples can engage their counselor from a setting that is most comfortable for them.The objective is clear - in contrast to couples therapy, we do not initially seek to repair relational problems, but rather to understand the relationship and develop a compatible plan for both partners.Typically, this plan would either be:1. Maintain status quo
2. Commit to six months of couple's therapy - with divorce off the table
3. Pursue separation with compassion, honesty and equitability
With you Every Step of the Way:Our therapists are aware of the complex nature of major decisions and both the immediate and lasting effect that divorce will have on a family.Couples that have completed discernment counseling report:1. Reduction in ambivalence
2. Greater self-esteem moving forward
3. Greater ability to de-escalate conflict
4. Renewed interest in reconciliation
5. Reduced conflict in divorce proceedings
6. A stronger foundation for co-parenting
Co-Parenting Support
Separation and divorce bring many changes, not only for parents but also for children. While the relationship between partners may end, the role of being a parent continues. Co-parenting support helps families navigate this transition with less conflict and more stability, ensuring children feel secure and cared for during a difficult time.In therapy, parents learn practical strategies to reduce tension, improve communication and create consistent routines for their children. A therapist provides a neutral space where both parents can work through disagreements about schedules, discipline or decision-making without escalating conflict. This focus on cooperation helps children experience less stress and allows them to maintain strong, healthy relationships with both parents.Co-parenting support also emphasizes keeping the child’s well-being at the center. Parents are guided to set aside differences, manage their emotions and build a respectful partnership focused on what their children need most: love, stability and reassurance.Even when parents struggle to get along, therapy can provide tools to make the process less adversarial and more manageable. With guidance, families can shift from conflict to collaboration, creating a healthier environment where children can thrive after separation or divorce.
Peter J. Tulaney LMFT 155282
Peter Tulaney is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, practicing psychotherapy since 2007. His early clinical work focused on child development and the many systems that shape children across stages of maturation, cultivating a deep sensitivity to how children communicate their needs and form their identities.More recently, Peter’s work centers on individuals, couples and families in crisis - particularly those who may be contemplating change. He understands family crisis as existing on a broad spectrum, ranging from an acute disruption to the more gradual erosion of connection over time. As a couples’ counselor, he enters each therapeutic relationship with a clear and hopeful bias toward reconciliation and the pursuit of a healthier and happier life together.
At Times, However...
The traditional structure of conjoint couples therapy does not allow the therapeutic intervention to reach its full potential. This is particularly true when couples are highly conflicted or ambivalent about remaining together. Through a discernment counseling model, rather than asking couples to commit to fixing their marriage presently, he guides them toward understanding their relationship more fully so they can decide whether and how to move forward in the future. This approach supports clarity, primacy and compassion during moments of uncertainty.Across his work in psychotherapy, couples counseling, discernment counseling, mediation, transitional therapy and co-parenting support - Peter focuses on reducing familial conflict, improving parental communication and prioritizing the well-being of children. He helps individuals and families navigate crises in ways that honor dignity and foster healing and cooperation.
For Referring Professionals
Building a network of strong clinicians, mediators and legal practitioners is at the heart of our mission. A short diagnostic tool like our relational crossroads survey - can provide clear insights to the preparedness of a couple to join in either traditional couples counseling or the more structured and short-term method of discernment counseling.Our responsibility is to provide not only the highest level of compassion and care; but also, to ensure that our interventions are subjectively appropriate and clinically accurate. Thank you for sharing this information with your clients, associates and acquaintances.We are fraternally grateful for your dedicated work in the field of mental and relational wellbeing.
Relational Crossroads Self-Check
It is often the case that couples come to couples counseling with different ideas about their future.1. On a scale of 1-10, (1) being completely set on divorce and (10) being dedicated to reconciliation,
How would you rate your attitude about the future of your relationship?2. On a scale of 1-10, (1) Being completely uncertain and (10) being totally clear,
How would you rate your clarity about what you want for the future of your relationship?3. On a scale of 1-10, (1) Being completely aligned and (10) being totally opposing,
How do you believe you and your partner are about whether to stay together or separate?4. On a scale of 1-10, (1) Being completely ready and willing and (10) being totally opposed,
How would you rate your current position on receiving professional help in your relationship?5. Do you have any experience with couples counseling in the past?
If yes, on a scale of 1-10, (1) Being completely unproductive and (10) being totally helpful,
How would you rate experience?
If you would like a professional perspective on your responses from a licensed clinician, you may choose to submit them for review by clicking the "Email Self-Check" button above. This is offered at no cost and does not establish a therapeutic relationship. All submission will be treated confidentially.