Marriage Counseling Online for Indiana Couples
Imago Therapy, Gottman Method & Emotionally Focused Therapy
3 Types of Marriage Counseling Near Me
I work with couples all over Indiana via secure video, including Fishers, Carmel, Indianapolis, and Bloomington. Same-sex and straight couples welcome.
Imago Therapy, the Gottman Method, and Emotionally Focused Therapy
The Science Behind Great Relationships (and Finding the Right Counselor)
Most skilled couples therapists build their work on one or more of three research-backed approaches: Imago Relationship Therapy, the Gottman Method, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Each has its own training and certification path, and none of them are weekend workshops. Certification takes years of study, practice, and supervised clinical work.
So when a therapist has done this training, they’re telling you something: couples aren’t a side gig. Couples are the job.
Your marriage deserves someone who takes it as seriously as you do.
Find Out Which Type of
Therapy Is Right For You.
Searching “marriage counseling near me” is a fine place to start. Just don’t stop at the zip code. Look for a therapist trained or certified in at least one of the approaches below, then read on to see which one sounds most like what you two need.
And because my practice is online, “near me” can mean your own couch.
The Gottman Method
Drs. John and Julie Gottman built this approach on more than 40 years of research into what makes couples last, and what slowly sinks them. It begins with an in-depth relationship assessment that pinpoints the patterns doing the most damage. From there, you swap those patterns for skills that work, then turn toward deepening your friendship and building a life of shared meaning. Learn More
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Developed by Dr. Sue Johnson, EFT is rooted in attachment science: we are wired to need a safe, reliable bond with the person we love. EFT helps you spot the negative cycle you keep getting stuck in, then slow it down enough to reach the softer feelings driving it. The fear. The hurt. The longing. When partners can share those, the cycle loses its grip.
Want to go deeper? Start with Johnson’s books Hold Me Tight and Love Sense.
Imago Relationship Therapy
Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt introduced Imago in their 1988 bestseller, Getting the Love You Want. Imago explores how your early life shapes the partner you choose and the way you react to them today. Its signature tool, the Imago Dialogue, gives couples a structured way to talk so both people feel heard, even on the topics that usually end with somebody sleeping on the couch.
Discernment Counseling
Not every couple walks in ready to work on the marriage. Often one partner is leaning out (considering divorce) and the other is leaning in (hoping to save it). Discernment Counseling, created by Dr. Bill Doherty, was built for exactly this crossroads.
It isn’t therapy, and the goal isn’t to fix the relationship. The goal is clarity. Over a short series of sessions, each of you gains a deeper understanding of how the relationship got here and what it would take to move forward. Then you decide your next step from a place of clarity instead of guilt or panic.
ABOUT MICHELE O’MARA, PHD, LCSW
Certified Imago Therapist
Michele became a certified Imago therapist in 2005. Verify her certification here.
Curious about your own Imago? Check it out here.
Trained Discernment Counselor
Michele completed Discernment Counseling training in 2015.
Gottman Method Trained, Levels 1, 2, and 3
Michele is an approved member of the Gottman Referral Network. Verify her credentials here. She is also an approved provider of the Gottman Relationship Checkup, an in-depth, research-based relationship assessment. Learn how to get yours.