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Jumpstart your relationship with a science based assessment, , tailored treatment, unparalleled support between longer sessions, and consistent follow-up.
Boutique couples work is my sole purpose. Experience tangible help from your first inquiry
Here’s how my approach is different:
Experience the difference with my innovative approach to couples therapy. I’m here to help you build the relationship you’ve always wanted – one that thrives long after you leave our office.
Ready to transform your partnership? Let’s begin your journey today.
Experience the difference. Transform your relationship today.
Hi, I’m Thomas Mahan, PhD
I’m a couples therapist with more than twenty-eight years of experience passionately helping partners build stronger, more resilient relationships. Using evidence-based approaches, I provide structure, guidance, and comprehensive support to couples seeking meaningful change.
Whether you’re navigating a crisis or looking to deepen your connection, I’m here to help you unlock your potential – both as individuals and as a couple.
Let’s work together to create the fulfilling relationship you deserve.
My work with couples draws on recent findings in neurobiology and other areas of scientific research focused on relationships. I translate these scientific findings into practical methods for creating lasting change in relationships.
My clients benefit from the research-based direction that I offer since it gets them to where they want to be as quickly and effectively as possible.
My clients also enjoy learning about the science behind relationship work. The extensive five-part assessment that begins the entire process gives them a crucial view of what most needs our attention in creating the changes that they want to see.
During our work together, you will receive a clear and concrete road map to create positive relationship change. The work that we do together is practical, hands-on, and future-oriented. It allows for meaningful change to happen quickly.
I offer a style of therapy that incorporates relationship coaching—I clearly outline areas to focus on each week and provide straightforward guidance on how to do the work that most needs to be done. My clients appreciate knowing who is responsible for doing what each week and that we are heading toward clearly laid out objectives. The relationship changes that we work toward are measurable. This helps us to evaluate how the work is going every step of the way and make changes as needed.
My clients become very engaged in making positive changes happen since we target the areas that that are most relevant and meaningful to them.
Between session support throughout the week is essential for clients to learn how to put the skills they that they learn during sessions into practice. This between-session support helps them to make long-term measurable progress on the new relationship skills that they are learning.
I go beyond our sessions and offer guidance on how to practice specific pieces of relationship “homework.” I make myself available on weekdays in between sessions to ensure that you have the necessary support at home while you learn how to change unhelpful old relationship patterns and become more skilled at meeting your specific attainable weekly relationship goals. I am highly invested and involved in helping my clients meet their relationship goals.
My clients appreciate the boutique nature of the service that I provide. All the work that we do together is tailored to their unique relationship needs. There is no set formula for creating relationship success. Each couple is different, and I attend to those important differences.
Scheduled sessions last at least 90 minutes (and sometimes up to 2 hours). For couples work to be truly effective, sessions need to provide sufficient time and space for the couple and therapist to uncover the areas that are at the core of their relationship challenges.
It’s a story of pushing boundaries, embracing vulnerability, and the unwavering belief in your potential for transformation. With a Ph.D. in Couples Therapy and a toolbox overflowing with evidence-based approaches like Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), I’m equipped to tailor strategies to your unique needs. But knowledge is just the beginning.
I’m the first certified Discernment Counselor in Illinois, guiding couples at crossroads, whether it’s rekindling the flame or navigating a difficult separation. And for over seventeen years, I’ve honed my own inner compass through daily mindfulness meditation, fostering the self-awareness and emotional regulation crucial for thriving relationships.
We begin with a free consultation. You will tell me about the challenges that you’re currently facing as a couple. I’ll then help you to decide whether working with me makes sense for you.
If we do decide to work together, once we begin, I immediately provide you with a comprehensive five-part relationship assessment.
I will meet with you and your partner together for the first session. The following week I will meet with each of you separately in individual sessions.
These three sessions will be devoted to understanding each of your concerns, your relationship habits, your dreams, and what it feels like to be each of you in this relationship. I then create a plan for how to create the changes that you most want to see in your relationship. This plan is tailored to your specific relationship needs.
Once your relationship assessment is complete, we will begin working together in the format is going to be most effective for you.
Couples therapy is a specialized field. Similar to how dentistry and ophthalmology are their own distinct professions even though both relate to the face, individual and couples therapy are separate specialties that involve different focal points and different kinds of training. I exclusively offer clinical services tailored to couples that is rooted in evidence-based treatment models.
While many individual-focused therapists might offer intriguing theories about relationships, there are key differences between these theories and factual evidence.
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We start with a free consultation. You will tell me about the challenges that you’re currently facing and I’ll help you to decide whether working with me makes sense for you. As soon as we begin working together, I run a comprehensive five-part relationship assessment.
First, I meet with both partners together; the following week, I will meet with each of you separately. Once your assessment is complete, we will begin working together in whatever format is going to be most effective for your specific relationship needs.
Couples who seek help when they begin to notice trouble, when they feel distant from each other, or when resentments don’t go away are able to stop patterns like these before they become entrenched. Once troubles begin, the average couple waits six long years before seeking help. Only fraction of those who file for divorce have ever seen a marital counselor. If your relationship is suffering, don’t make the mistake of waiting to get professional help only as a last resort. Problematic patterns become entrenched if they are ignored.
I’ve noticed that when stress taxes a reasonably strong marriage, it is hard to see how healthy the relationship actually is. Couples are relieved when they learn that they have a sound marriage. In these cases, what’s needed are adopting particular skills, not a complete overhaul. Ongoing treatment helps to walk you through a new way of relating to each other, step by step.
It means that my therapy experience is based on over 40 years of trusted research. I am also trained in several prominent evidence-based models including the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). I monitor your level of stress and teach you to manage your level of strain and upset. I read “micro-expressions” to help you to keep your cool and communicate more effectively.
The length of therapy will vary according to your needs, and how much energy you can invest in the process as it unfolds. Some partners feel satisfied with their changes after just a few weeks, and some continue to feel that important changes are happening for anywhere between six months and a year. In general, I recommend that you consider committing yourself to a minimum of three months of regular thertt0rapy sessions.
Yes, and there are several reasons to do so. The first of which is that you, by yourself, can make positive changes in your marriage once you learn how. In addition, you can learn how to behave differently to promote lasting change in a partner. In the process, you will receive guidance in discovering what approaches work and what don’t with your particular spouse. You will also learn skills for talking effectively so that your partner will listen. The goal is to be honest without being hurtful. Your own changes can motivate your spouse to work with you in therapy.
This approach also supports clients who have partners with serious personality disorders and other mental health issues that impact the marriage. This work helps you establish firm boundaries, reject hostile interactions as acceptable and clarify your options.
At the intersection of cutting-edge relationship science and deeply personal care, I offer couples a unique path to lasting happiness. Over four decades, research has unveiled the specific changes partners must make when it’s most challenging – yet most crucial – for long-term relationship success.
My approach combines rigorous assessment with personalized roadmaps, targeting the exact areas each individual needs to improve. This isn’t just counseling; it’s a transformative journey that both partners fully embrace. Why? Because you’ll understand not just what to change, but why and how, with measurable goals that resonate with your shared vision for the future.
What sets my work apart is the unparalleled support between sessions. I specialize in helping you navigate emotional triggers, develop mindfulness skills, and break free from rigid patterns. This intensive, hands-on approach ensures you’re not left struggling alone when it matters most.
Whether through my Accelerated Coach Approach Couples Therapy or one of my immersive private retreats, you’ll receive expert guidance and dedicated time to rebuild your connection.
Ready to transform your relationship with a science-backed, heart-centered approach?
Schedule your comprehensive assessment today and take the first step towards a stronger, more fulfilling partnership.
Invest in your love, Do the work. Love living your life
