Couples Coaching Sessions Either By Phone, Skype Video, or In-Person
Jerry Donoghue is available for private session work with individuals and couples pertaining to relationship communication. Rates and information to set an appointment are at the bottom of the page. Any questions, please feel free to call 828-252-0538.
Couples Coaching
Couples come to me either in crisis or are tired of long-standing conflicts that continue to recycle and want resolution, completion, and peace to restore their loving connection via communication. Some people are looking for an alternative to marriage therapy. Some want to improve their communication to make their marriage therapy more effective. Some couples also seek coaching to enrich and deepen an already solid relationship; they want to “top off” their relationship with exploring deeper levels of intimacy and expressions of love.
For couples in conflict I offer:
• A powerful way for each person to be deeply heard and understood about specific conflicts that are currently presenting themselves. Facilitating such quality connection itself often inspires a softening and natural resolution to occur. Here’s more info about layers of couple’s conflicts.
• Assistance in clearly defining what each person wants in the relationship and supporting the couple to generate specific strategies so that both people can get their important needs met.
• An understanding and application of a paradigm outside the right/wrong frame of reference in which most of our conflicts reside. I invite couples to resolve their conflicts from a different level from which they are created. Many long-standing, seemingly intractable conflicts, can get a sense of completion and the relationship can be restored to wholeness. More Info.
For couples wanting relationship enrichment I offer:
• Exploring subtle obstacles that prevent deeper levels of intimacy and closeness.
• Deepening the capacity to want to freely give and receive from each other.
• An open and nonjudgmental way to honestly explore. I don’t evaluate or prescribe to couples some ideal way to be or a viewpoint about what they should be doing and where they need to go. I yield to the couple’s own values and needs to inform the process.
Private 8-week Course
Sometimes couples choose to do the 8-week course privately either due to challenges with scheduling in attending the course, or they feel more comfortable doing the course privately instead of group learning.
What this looks like is the couple will read a book, and do exercises and partner homework from a companion workbook which will be given to you.
They’ll schedule a session each week for 8 weeks. This intensive learning period has done wonders for many couples. Please feel free to call to ask any questions about the way I work. There is more information about how the compassionate communication model is effective with relationships on this page.
Couples Coaching Logistic Considerations and Concerns
General Considerations: Depending on the circumstance, ideally, I would like to see each person separately before coming together in a joint session. This gives me an opportunity to connect and really explore and hear the deep needs that are and are not being met in the relationship with each party. I also enjoy getting to know the person before proceeding as a couple in a joint session.
My general approach is to create the conditions where each person can be heard and understood. I do this in a variety of ways. We start by making agreements about what will happen and how I might intercede to support the
My overriding intention is to create the quality of connection where each person is actively willing to find a way where both people’s needs can be met. People do not have to know the compassionate communication model in order for a session to be effective. I use the model in the background to restore the connection, facilitate understanding, or deepen the connection with each person.
Common Concerns: Some couples have concerns pertaining to fairness and impartiality. Sometimes the gender of the facilitator might stimulate fairness concerns for the opposite sex person. I try to assure couples that I am on the side of the compassionate communication model. My being male doesn’t mean I support people from a male perspective or the male in the relationship. Rather, I support each person to get what they are wanting and support a process that tries to get them what they want. The model itself is a neutral instrument. This model forces me to work within your own value system and prevents me from consciously or unconsciously superimposing my values on to yours.
One concern I have is I would like both people to be willing participants. Often I find one of the people dragged to a session and this doesn’t make for a productive session. If one person is reluctant, please have them call me and I can discuss this. Any concerns and reluctance this person has will be alleviated by letting them know that their needs will be considered and held valuable in the session.
Schedule Your Session Today!
Sorry, I do not accept insurance. To make an appointment, just call me at 828-768-8093 or e-mail me. Sessions can be done in-person in my Asheville office at 150 E. Chestnut St., or via phone or Zoom video.
In-person Sessions: You can pay via check, cash, or swipe your credit card in the office.
If scheduling a phone/Skype session: Payment needs to be received 24 hours before the start of your session. Use the button below to pay by credit card.
To pay by check please send your check to the address below in time for it to be received before the start of the session. Make checks payable to Jerry Donoghue and send to Jerry Donoghue 150 E. Chestnut St. #1 Asheville, NC, 28801
24-hour cancellation notice is required for all canceled appointments or you will be charged for a session.
