Is your relationship stuck in the same cycle, and are you not sure how to get out?

Over the years, we have worked with couples and learned that most couples who reach out to us aren’t in crisis. They’re just tired. Can you relate? Tired of the same argument that never seems to resolve. Tired of feeling more like roommates than partners. Tired of trying and feeling like nothing seems to work.

That’s exactly where couples counseling helps.

At Santos Counseling, we work with couples in Winston-Salem who want to do more than just stop fighting. We know that you want to put an end to the patterns that create deep hurt in your relationship. We help you understand what’s actually happening underneath the surface of your conflicts, and we give you tools that work after you leave the session.

Why Couples Come to Us

Here is what we, as counselors, want you to know about couples counseling. Start early. Come to therapy before you’ve hit that last point of tension. You don’t need to be at the brink of divorce to benefit from couples counseling.

Here are the most common reasons Winston-Salem couples reach out:

1. Communication breakdown. Every conversation becomes a fight, or you’ve stopped having the real conversations altogether.
2. Recovering from infidelity. Healing after an affair is possible, and it does take work. We provide a structured, compassionate process for rebuilding trust and deciding what comes next together.
3. Emotional distance. You share a life with your significant other but feel like strangers. That likely isn’t fun. The closeness you had feels like a memory.
4. Conflict that repeats. The same fight, on repeat, for years. You are tired of it. You may even find yourself upset or irritable before the conflict even takes place. We identify the pattern driving it and help you break the cycle.
5. Premarital counseling. Build a strong foundation before you get married. This is key and what we hope many couples do early on. Learn how to communicate, navigate differences, and set your relationship up to last.
6. Life transitions. A new baby, a job change, a move to a new town, a loss in the family. Major transitions put real pressure on even strong relationships.
7. Intimacy concerns. Emotional or physical distance that has created a disconnect between you and your partner.

Our Approach to Couples Therapy

Our couples counselors are trained in research-backed methods for relationship work. This means that when you seek couples counseling, you are working with someone that holds training and supervision.

The Gottman Method. Built on decades of relationship research, the Gottman Method is a therapy approach that helps couples identify the patterns that predict relationship struggle and replace them with skills that build connection, trust, and friendship.

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). EFT helps couples understand the deep emotional needs and attachment patterns driving their disconnect and conflict. This approach helps couples reconnect through compassion and deep understanding of needs and wants.

Our goal is to help you understand each other at a deeper level. This way, you are able to address the unhealthy patterns and create positive change that lasts.

Who We Work With

Since 2014, we have served the Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC, area. We serve all kinds of couples. Ranging from married, engaged, long-term dating couples, and couples who are trying to decide whether to stay or go.

Common couples that seek couples counseling: 

• Married couples at every stage
• Engaged and premarital couples
• Long-term partners considering marriage
• LGBTQ+ couples
• Intercultural and interracial couples
• Spanish-speaking couples (consejería en español disponible)
• Couples considering separation who want to try counseling first

Frequently Asked Questions About Couples Counseling in Winston-Salem