Couples Therapy & Marriage Counseling in Fort Collins, CO

Couples therapy for recurring conflict, improving trust, and connection.

At Empowering Hope, our Fort Collins couples therapists blend practical Gottman-informed tools with the emotional depth of Emotionally-Focused Therapy and Internal Family Systems for specialized care. We help partners slow down conflict, communicate needs more clearly, and create room for repair, connection, and change.

Appointments are available in Fort Collins and online throughout Colorado.

Gottman Couples Therapy in Fort Collins and online throughout CO

Relationships are exciting, complicated, and sometimes downright exhausting. If you are stuck in the same arguments, drifting apart, or simply wanting to strengthen your connection, Gottman couples therapy can be a space to figure things out together, without blame.

A couple lying in a green hammock tied between two trees in a forest, with sunlight filtering through the trees and a river or stream flowing below over rocks. They may benefit from a from therapy provided by Empowering Hope and our skilled therapist

At Empowering Hope, we use the Gottman Method to blend practical communication and active-listening tools with space for the emotions that have led to disconnection and hurt. Instead of only having the same fight over and over again, we get curious about what is happening underneath it and practice new ways to respond. Research on Gottman-based interventions has reported improvements in relationship adjustment and intimacy (Davoodvandi et al., 2018); a larger follow-up study of a Gottman relationship-education program also found improved self-reported relationship adjustment at six months (Zahl-Olsen et al., 2024).

We do not promise magic fixes. We create a space where both of you can feel seen, understood, and supported as you reconnect, recover, or realign. In Fort Collins and through online therapy across Colorado, we help couples communicate with more intention, repair after conflict, and truly hear each other again.

Meet our Gottman Trained Couples Therapists

At Empowering Hope, we currently have two licensed therapists who specialize in Gottman therapy.

Jessica Mehring, MA, LPCC

Gottman Level 2 • Treating Affairs and Trauma

Jessica works with couples navigating relational conflict and repair, relationship trauma, and relationships affected by addiction. She has completed training in Gottman Levels 1 and 2, as well as the Gottman Method’s Treating Affairs and Trauma training. Jessica combines structured communication and conflict-management tools with attention to the emotional patterns beneath them.

Rachel Berglund, MA, LMFT

Gottman Level 1 • Owner and AAMFT Approved Supervisor

Rachel is the owner, supervisor, and a couples therapist at Empowering Hope. She has completed Gottman Level 1 training and supports couples working through communication challenges, connection, and attachment concerns. Rachel integrates practical couples tools with a warm, relational, and non-blaming approach.

Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples
In Fort Collins & Online Throughout CO

Sometimes skills are not the only thing we need to repair a relationship. There can be hurt beneath the current argument—known or unknown—that need room to be understood before your relationship can begin to heal and flourish.

Silhouettes of two people riding bicycles holding hands against a colorful sunset sky with clouds. This couple may benefit from a from therapy provided by Empowering Hope and our skilled therapists.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an attachment-based approach to couples therapy. It helps you get curious about the emotional reactions happening between you: not just what you are arguing about, but what you may really be asking for underneath it.

EFT gives you and your partner space to slow down conversations and understand the patterns you keep getting pulled into. In one study, couples receiving EFT showed greater improvement in relationship satisfaction than couples receiving usual couples therapy (Wittenborn et al., 2019).

At Empowering Hope, we blend EFT-informed couples therapy with practical Gottman tools and other relational approaches, based on what you need. It does not have to be cold or focused only on “doing better.” It can be a place to learn, maybe be a little sad, and say the things that feel hard to say—with support, without blame, and without either of you having to be perfect.

In Fort Collins and through online therapy across Colorado, we help couples move beyond the same fight, voice their needs more clearly, and find more room for connection.

Meet our EFT Trained Couples Therapists

At Empowering Hope, we currently have three licensed therapists who specialize in EFT relationship therapy.

Kady Wilmer, MA, MFTC

Fundamentals of EFT • Somatic and attachment-focused care

Kady works with couples around communication and relationship patterns, attachment wounds, relational trauma, and the mind-body connection. She has completed EFT Level 1 and uses a whole-person, somatic approach to help partners notice how emotions and body-based responses can shape connection.

Jessica Mehring, MA, LPCC

Fundamentals of EFT • Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy Level 1

Jessica integrates emotionally focused work with a structured, Gottman-informed approach for couples navigating conflict, trust concerns, and relational trauma. Her EFT-related training includes Fundamentals of EFT and Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy Level 1.

Rachel Berglund, MA, LMFT

EFT-informed relational care • Owner and AAMFT Approved Supervisor

Rachel supports couples working through communication, connection, and attachment concerns. She integrates an EFT-informed relational approach with Narrative Therapy, DBT, and Gottman-informed tools. Her professional development includes an EFT workshop focused on couples and trauma.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)-Informed Couples Therapy in Fort Collins & Online Throughout Colorado

You hold a lot of roles in your life: partner, employee, student, parent, sibling, and more. Any one of those can feel hard to manage at times. On top of the roles you play in the world, there are also different parts of you that can show up in a relationship.

Maybe one part wants closeness, while another shuts down. Maybe one part gets defensive, tries to keep the peace, or reacts before you have time to slow down. Internal Family Systems (IFS) gives us a way to get curious about those reactions without treating them as the enemy.

A woman and a man embracing outdoors, with the woman’s face visible and eyes closed, showing affection and comfort. They may benefit from a from therapy provided by Empowering Hope and our skilled therapists.

In IFS-informed couples therapy, we look at the parts that can shape communication, choices, and conflict cycles. Instead of fighting against each other, you and your partner can work toward a common goal: understanding what these parts are trying to protect and creating more room for choice, repair, and connection.

IFS is an emerging psychotherapy model. A 2025 scoping review identified 27 peer-reviewed IFS studies, including six that involved couples (Buys, 2025). That is why we use IFS as a thoughtful, supportive framework within couples therapy.

In Fort Collins and through online therapy across Colorado, we can help you identify the patterns that are no longer serving your relationship and make small, intentional changes that can lead to bigger shifts over time. Couples therapy is not about perfect communication or never fighting again. We are all human. The goal is to fight less, listen more, and communicate instead of argue.

Meet our IFT Trained Couples Therapists

At Empowering Hope, we currently have three licensed therapists who specialize in Internal Family Systems relationship therapy.

Jessica Mehring, MA, LPCC

IFS-Informed Sex and Couples Therapy • Gottman Level 2 • Treating Affairs and Trauma

Jessica has completed IFS-Informed Sex and Couples Therapy and brings a relational, trauma-aware approach to couples work. She helps partners identify protective patterns that can fuel conflict or disconnection, while also drawing on Gottman Level 2 training and the Gottman Method’s Treating Affairs and Trauma training.

Rachel Berglund, MA, LMFT

IFS-informed relational care • Gottman Level 1 • Owner and AAMFT Approved Supervisor

Rachel brings an IFS-informed lens to couples work, helping partners notice the communication patterns and cycles that are no longer serving their relationship. She integrates this perspective with EFT-informed relational care and Gottman Level 1 communication tools to support more intentional connection.

Marriage Counseling FAQ

  • Couples therapy can be a helpful place to start if you keep having the same argument, feel more like roommates than partners, are struggling to rebuild trust, or want to feel more connected before things get worse. You do not need to be in crisis or have every word figured out. Sometimes the first step is simply being honest that the way things have been going is not working for either of you.

  • No. We work with couples at many stages of a relationship: dating, engaged, married, long-term, newly parenting, unsure, or figuring out what comes next. Whether you call it couples therapy, relationship counseling, or marriage counseling, the focus is on understanding your relationship and deciding how you want to move forward together.

  • Yes. Repeating the same fight usually means there is more happening underneath the surface than the topic of the argument itself. In couples therapy, we slow the cycle down, look at what each of you is protecting or needing, and practice more direct ways to communicate. The goal is not perfect communication or never disagreeing; it is learning how to fight less, listen more, and repair when things get hard.

  • We understand that trust rupture can leave both partners feeling hurt, angry, overwhelmed, or unsure what comes next. Our therapist, Jessica Mehring, has completed the Gottman Method’s Treating Affairs and Trauma training and can support couples where infidelity, current trauma, or past trauma is affecting the relationship. Reaching out is a way to learn whether couples therapy is the right next step for your situation; it is not a promise that every relationship will have the same outcome.

  • The first session is a chance for your therapist to learn about your relationship, what has been feeling hard, and what each of you hopes could change. You do not need to prepare a perfect story or agree on everything before you arrive. We will start where you are, ask questions to better understand the patterns at play, and begin talking about a plan that fits your goals.

  • Fit matters. Jessica Mehring may be a strong fit for couples navigating relational conflict and repair, relationship trauma, addiction-related concerns, or trust rupture.

    Rachel Berglund works with couples around communication, connection, and attachment concerns.

    Kady Wilmer brings an EFT-informed, somatic approach for couples exploring attachment wounds, relational trauma, and the mind-body connection.

    You can read each therapist’s profile or contact us if you are unsure where to begin.