Most couples don’t come to therapy because they stopped loving each other. They come because the same patterns keep happening and neither person knows how to stop them.
I work with couples to understand those patterns at the level where they actually start, how each person is wired to respond under stress, what happens between you when things get hard, and what it would take to change it. This is not about blaming one partner or fixing the other. It is about building something that works for both of you.
You don’t need to arrive with the right words or a clear account of what went wrong. We’ll talk about what’s been hard, what keeps breaking down, and what you’ve already tried. And we’ll work with what’s alive between you in the room, because that’s where something new can actually take hold.
That means paying attention to more than what you’re saying: how you land on each other, what happens in the seconds before things go sideways, and how to quickly get back after conflict.
The goal is a relationship that feels genuinely safe, mutual, and close. Not one where you’re managing each other or negotiating a tolerable distance. One where you’re actually on the same team, where repair is possible, where emotional intimacy isn’t something you caught a glimpse of once and have been trying to get back to ever since. It’s something you build together, and it holds.
A brief conversation to talk about what brings you in, what you’re hoping for, and how I work with couples.
We’ll work in real time to understand the patterns between you, shift what is not working, and strengthen how you connect, respond, and repair.
Learn what it takes to show up for each other in a steady, dependable way and create a relationship that works in real life.
PACT sessions are 1 hour and 50 minutes. That length is deliberate. This kind of work needs room to unfold.
You are in good hands if you are seeing Dr. McGuffin for couples counseling. She is a PACT Level 3 Couples Counselor and seasoned clinician. PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy) is a cutting-edge counseling approach which incorporates principles of neurobiology, attachment and nervous system regulation.
Her PACT skills combined with her warm, intuitive counseling style and clinical experience will enable you and your partner to create the close, trusting relationship you both deserve. I highly recommend Dr. McGuffin!
Dr. Nicole McGuffin is a psychotherapist for individuals and couples, with a focus on attachment, developmental trauma, and the patterns that shape relationships and the sense of self.
Individual Psychotherapy, PACT Couples & Relationship Therapy
