Couples Therapy With Dr. Carswell

Counseling That Goes Beyond Talk—Toward Real Change

Helping couples move from conflict to connection with a neuroscience-informed, skills-based approach.

If you're feeling disconnected in your relationship—even though you both love each other and want to make itwork—you're not alone. The demands of our busy lives often leave little room for the emotional presence, attunement, and tools that healthy relationships require.

That’s where I come in. Hi, I’m Dr. Brittany Carswell, I am a licensed psychologist and couples therapist with more than 15 years of experience helping high-achieving, growth-oriented couples and parents create deeper connection, emotional safety, and healthier communication.

Over the years, I’ve seen how easily even the strongest couples can get stuck in patterns that feel confusing, overwhelming, or discouraging. I also know that most of these patterns aren’t personal — they’re neurobiological. When we understand what the nervous system is doing, everything begins to make sense. My mission is to help couples realize that connection isn’t something you either have or don’t have — it’s something you can learn, strengthen, and rebuild at any stage. You deserve a relationship where you feel seen, understood, and safe. I’m here to help you get there.

I offer couples therapy that’s designed to meet the needs of thoughtful, intelligent partners who want more—more depth, more clarity, and more connection. Whether you’re facing ongoing conflict, recovering from a betrayal, or simply feeling like you’ve become roommates instead of partners, therapy can help you rebuild trust, safety, and closeness

My Approach: The Relational Wellness Roadmap 

I have been doing couples therapy for over 15 years and have extensive training in many forms of marriage counseling and couples therapy including: 

• Gottman Method Therapy (Level 3) 
• Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) 
• Relational Life Therapy (RLT) 
• The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy 
• The Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT). 

I’ve taken what I’ve learned from these models — along with years of hands-on experience and my training in neuroscience, attachment, and interpersonal neurobiology — and integrated them into a specific, structured approach I call the Relational Wellness Roadmap. This isn’t surface-level couples counseling. 

Couples dynamics are complex and nuanced. My approach takes that complexity and translates it into practical, teachable skills you can start using right away. 

At the heart of our work is understanding how your nervous system and brain are wired in ways that can be detrimental to relationships. When you deeply understand why your patterns make sense on a neurobiological level, it becomes much easier to buy into how and why the skills we practice are so vital to a healthy relationship. 

The roadmap breaks our work into 10 core skills that help you take disconnection, old reactive patterns, emotional distance, resentment, and hurt — and put them into a framework that: 

• Helps you make sense of why you’re stuck, and 
• Gives you a clear, structured path back to secure, compassionate connection.

How I Work: Structured and Experiential

My process as a therapist is unique in that I am both very structured and highly experiential. 

When I say Structured, I mean: 

You’ll have a clear skills framework and roadmap. I offer hands-on, practical tools for:

• self-awareness and nervous system understanding 
• communication and conflict de-escalation 
• repair and rebuilding trust
• mapping and changing your conflict pattern 

You won’t just “talk about” your relationship — you’ll be working with specific skills you can practice between sessions. You definitely won’t just rehash the conflict of the week and leave feeling more upset and stuck in that same conflict. 

When I say, Experiential I mean: 

If change were as simple as reading about new skills, most of us would have done it already. Together, we’ll identify the obstacles and patterns that keep your relationship stuck when you try to translate insight into action. 

I will walk you through:

• Practicing skills live in session, and 
• Deeper therapeutic exercises and experiences 

These practices and experiences are designed to help you access and work through the complex, stuck places that skills alone can’t always reach.

Over the course of our work together, you’ll learn how to: 

• Understand your unique conflict cycles — and finally start to change them. 
• Understand how your partner uniquely feels connection and love, so the effort you’re making actually lands. 
• Understand the neurobiology of why you do what you do in relationships (spoiler: there are very clear, hardwired reasons couples get stuck in similar patterns). 
• Learn how to prioritize connection and your relationship over self-protective cycles that keep you both stuck. 
• Create a pause between what you feel and what you do, so you can shift from reactivity to healthier relational responses. 
• Reconnect with your partner and build a deeper, more sustainable connection. 
• Repair more effectively — and sooner — after hurt and conflict, and avoid the damage of lingering resentment. 
• Use specific communication tools, protocols, and “roadmaps” to structure conversations for more understanding and less escalation. 
• Use nervous system regulation skills that help you recognize when dysregulation is fueling your self-protective conflict cycle — and how to return to regulation so you can spend more time enjoying each other. 
• Build co-regulation and nervous system safety into your communication and daily interactions. 
• Develop a shared “we-mindset” that fosters deeper emotional and physical intimacy and long-term relationship health. 
• Create a maintenance plan so the growth you build in therapy doesn’t fade once sessions end and you maintain it into the future of your relationship. 

Each couple’s experience is personalized, but the roadmap provides a clear structure — so you’re not left guessing how to get from where you are now to where you want to be. 

Below, you’ll see the different ways you can work with me, followed by a breakdown of the 10 skills in the Relational Wellness Roadmap.

Ways to Work With Me: Three Flexible Options 

Depending on your schedule, goals, and preferred pace, there are three different ways to engage in therapy with me. 

Over time, I’ve found that couples work does not fit well into the traditional model of weekly 50-minute sessions. With two people in the room and the complexity of couples dynamics, we often need more time and space to get real traction. 

For that reason, I offer three formats that are more effective for most couples: 

🔹1. TRADITIONAL COUPLES THERAPY 

BEST FOR: Couples who prefer steady, ongoing support and are local or available virtually. 

TIMING STRUCTURE: 

•  Week 1: 3-hour intake process 
  • 1-hour joint session 
  • Two individual 1-hour sessions 
•  Week 2 and onward: 2-hour sessions every other week (sometimes weekly depending on circumstances) 

TIME COMMITMENT:

• First 2 months: approx. 4–6 hours per month 
• Ongoing: approx. 2–4 hours per month 

FLEXIBILITY: 

• We can work around your scheduling needs week to week. After the first couple of months, 1-hour (55-minute) sessions may be an option, depending on your situation and progress. 
• Includes lifetime access to my online couples course and resources for maintenance after you end therapy

LOCATION:

• In-person (Tampa, FL) 
• Virtual: anywhere in Florida and PSYPACT-participating states

INVESTMENT:

• $400 per clinical hour

🔹 2. COUPLES THERAPY INTENSIVES

BEST FOR: Couples who want deep, focused transformation in a short timeframe. This is ideal for couples with limited availability, those in crisis, or in high-conflict situations who need momentum and a jump start on work that typically takes months.

To Learn more about the intensives check out the couples intensives page for more details.

TIMING STRUCTURE:

• 2 full days (6–8 hours each) of immersive therapy OR
• Split across 2–4 shorter blocks of 3–4 hours over 1–4 weeks for flexibility

Includes the full Relational Wellness Roadmap skills and resources, with personalized application to your unique relationship dynamics.

TIME COMMITMENT:

• 12–14 clinical hours (Across 2 days, or a couple of weeks)

FLEXIBILITY:

• This format condenses what often takes months of therapy into the span of two days or a couple of weeks. The time is immersive and focused, so you can create significant movement in a shorter period.
• There is the option to continue with ongoing sessions or maintenance sessions as needed after the intensive.
  • Many providers who do intensives do only intensives and you cannot continue in ongoing afterwards with that provider so if that is something you want as an option take it into consideration as you are making your choice of provider.
• Includes lifetime access to my online couples course and resources for maintenance after you end therapy

LOCATION:

• In-person intensives in Tampa, FL
• Virtual for couples located in Florida or any of the 42 PSYPACT-participating states

INVESTMENT:

• $4,800 total

FOR DETAILED INFORMATION CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE COUPLES INTENSIVES PAGE

🔹 3. VIRTUAL HYBRID INTENSIVE

BEST FOR: Busy couples who want structure, support, and flexibility — and who are looking to improve their relationship or get started without a big time commitment.

NOT FOR: Couples in active crisis, high-conflict situations, or with complex acute issues that require more intensive support.

TIMING STRUCTURE:

• Self-Paced Online Course: Learn the full Relational Wellness Roadmap in 30–60 minutes per week through the online course, with short digestible videos and readings.
• Personalized Integration Sessions: Monthly 1-hour sessions (4 total) where I help you apply the material to your relationship as you move through it.
• Alternative Intake Process: Comprehensive questionnaires and assessments instead of a live multi-hour intake process.

TIME COMMITMENT:

• Approx. 3–4 months total
• 30–60 minutes per week on your own schedule
• One scheduled 1-hour session per month with me
• Bonus option to add ongoing therapy or integration sessions after this as needed

FLEXIBILITY:

• This is the most flexible option if it's appropriate for your situation.
• There is the option to add ongoing therapy sessions after or more integration sessions as needed ($400 per hour). This means it’s a much more flexible and affordable way to begin the process.
• Includes lifetime access to my online couples course and resources for maintenance after you end therapy

LOCATION:

• Typically virtual for anyone in Florida or PSYPACT-participating states
• If you are local there is the option for in person for integration sessions.

INVESTMENT:

• $1,600 for the course + 4 integration sessions
• Optional additional sessions: $400 per hour

If you have limited time or a complicated schedule but don’t want to wait to get started, this is an excellent way to begin. You’ll build a foundation of knowledge and skills while still having personalized guidance.

What Makes This Work Different?

•  🧠 Neuroscience & Brain-Based: Understand and shift your relational patterns through a neuroscience lens 
• ❤ Attachment-Focused: Learn how your early experiences shape how you connect—and how to gently rewrite old patterns. 
• 📘 Structured Yet Flexible: With a clear roadmap and options for how to work together, therapy fits your life—not the other way around 
• 🔧 Skills You Can Use: Not just insight, but tools for real change—in communication, connection, and repair

Ready to Start Your Relationship Reset? 

Let’s figure out what format works best for your goals, schedule, and needs. You can email me at drcarswell@wellnesspsychservices.com with questions or to schedule a consultation and explore which option is the best fit for your relationship.

What You’ll Learn: The 10 Core Skills we will work on in Couples Counseling

 The Relational Wellness Roadmap gives you a clear, structured framework to move from stuck, disconnected patterns into secure, compassionate partnership. These 10 skills build on one another to help you shift not just your communication—but the entire dynamic between you. 

1. Prioritizing Connection Over Self-Protection 

Learn how your nervous system shifts between “threat mode” and “connection mode, ” and how subtle cues like tone and body language can either escalate conflict or create emotional safety. This skill teaches you to intentionally choose connection—even when your automatic reactions want to protect and shut down. 

2. Building Self-Awareness (Relational Consciousness) 

Develop the ability to notice your own internal signals—your thoughts, emotions, and body cues—so you can pause before reacting. This skill helps you shift from automatic, protective responses to intentional, relational ones.

3. Improving Regulation Skills

Learn practical tools to calm your nervous system so you can think clearly, communicate effectively, and stay grounded during tough moments. These skills help you shift from being overwhelmed or shut down into a state where connection and problem-solving are actually possible. 

4. Increasing Connection Through the Emotional Bank Account

Strengthen your relationship by increasing meaningful, positive interactions that build goodwill, warmth, and emotional trust. This skill focuses on creating daily moments of connection that make conflict less triggering and partnership feel more supportive. 

5. Identifying Conflict Cycles & Protective Mechanisms

Discover the repetitive conflict patterns you and your partner get stuck in—what triggers them, how they escalate, and what roles you each play. This skill gives you a clear map of your cycle so you can finally interrupt it instead of repeating it. 

6. Understanding History & Triggers to Change Conflict Cycles

Explore how your past experiences, attachment history, and old protective strategies show up in your relationship today. This skill helps you identify your “raw spots, ” build empathy for each other, and change the cycle from the inside out. 

7. Prioritizing Repair & U-Turns

Learn how to repair effectively—both small reconnections and bigger accountability moments—and how to take ownership of your part sooner. This skill teaches you to course-correct quickly so conflict doesn’t snowball into resentment or emotional distance. 

8. Relational Communication: Speaking Skills

Practice a structured way of expressing yourself with clarity, vulnerability, and emotional honesty so your partner can truly hear you. This skill helps you communicate in ways that reduce defensiveness and increase understanding. 

9. Relational Communication: Listening Skills

Strengthen your ability to stay present, regulated, and attuned while listening—even when the conversation is hard. This skill helps your partner feel understood and safe, and it gives you both roadmap-based tools for navigating conflict constructively. 

10. Developing a We-Mindset, Compromise & Maintenance

Shift from “me vs. you” to a collaborative, interdependent partnership with shared values, agreements, and a clear vision for your relationship. This skill also helps you create a maintenance plan so the growth you build actually lasts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need to be on the brink of breaking up to start couples therapy?

Not at all. Many of the couples I work with are high-functioning but stuck in patterns they can’t shift on their own. Therapy is most effective before things feel unmanageable, and it can also be transformational for couples who want to deepen connection, rebuild trust, or simply strengthen their relationship skills. I am a huge believer in being proactive and preventative in relationships and that is why I created the course for couples who are looking are not in a bad place necessarily but have things they know they could work on and benefit from.

How do we know which format—traditional therapy, intensive, or hybrid— is right for us?

It depends on your schedule, your goals, and how quickly you want to create momentum. Traditional therapy offers ongoing support, intensives help you make rapid progress in a short window, and the hybrid option gives you structure with maximum flexibility. We can discuss your needs in a consultation so you choose the right fit.

What if we have very different communication styles (or one of us shuts down and the other reacts)?

That’s extremely common—and it’s neurobiologically predictable. The Relational Wellness Roadmap helps you understand your conflict cycle, regulate your nervous systems, and communicate in ways that actually work for both of you. Differences aren’t the problem; the unexamined pattern is.

Does your approach work for couples who have been together a long time?

Yes. These skills apply to couples at every stage—dating, recently married, parenting, or decades into partnership. Long-standing patterns can absolutely change once you understand what’s driving them and learn how to respond differently. I have worked with couples all across the spectrum of relationship stages.

Is this therapy or coaching?

This is psychotherapy provided by a licensed psychologist (me), using evidence-based couples therapy models combined with neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology. The online course component is educational, but the therapeutic work happens in your sessions.

Can we work with you virtually?

Yes. I work with couples across Florida and all 42 PSYPACT-participating states. Many busy professionals prefer virtual sessions because they eliminate commute time and make scheduling easier. I have found virtual sessions to be just as effective overall for most. With that, some people do have a strong preference for in person meetings and when that is the case then it usually is better to try to do predominantly in person sessions.

What if only one of us is “on board” with therapy?

It’s normal for partners to have different levels of readiness. Part of our early work is building safety, clarity, and buy-in so both partners feel motivated and supported. Often, once therapy starts to feel productive—not blaming or overwhelming—resistance softens. If the other person is fully unwilling or on the brink of divorce then you may want to consider a different approach first like Discernment Counseling.

Is this approach LGBTQ+ affirming and inclusive?

Absolutely. My approach is fully inclusive and grounded in respect, equity, and compassion for all couples, identities, and relationship structures.

How quickly will we see changes?

Many couples notice shifts in awareness, communication, and emotional tone within the first few sessions. More lasting, deeply integrated changes come from consistent practice with the skills—either through ongoing therapy or the intensive process.

What’s the first step?

Reach out to schedule a consultation or send your questions to drcarswell@wellnesspsychservices.com. You can also call 813-563-1155. Together we will determine the best format for your needs and map out a path forward. I always do a phone consult before scheduling anyone as it is vitally important to me that this feels like the right fit for you and your relationship.

If for any reason I am not the right fit for what you need or we are not able to coordinate schedules I have several other couples therapists in my group who I can help get you set up with or connected to as well as other local provider referrals. My goal is to help you get connected with the right care to help your relationship, whatever that may be:)