Couples' issues are a special area of interest and expertise for Dr. Imbraguglio. Her doctorate in Clinical Psychology includes a minor in Interpersonal Dynamics, and she won the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation award presented by the Virginia Consortium for Clinical Psychology for her research on relationship aggression. Through her research, she gained a specialized understanding of how the behavior displayed by an individual in a couple can affect his or her partner and change the level of aggression the couple experiences in the relationship. With this understanding, she has helped couples to break the unhealthy patterns they have developed and replace them with positive healthy ways of interacting.

Specific areas of couples therapy for which Dr. Imbraguglio has experience include improving communication, moving past an affair or other break of trust, conflict management, setting boundaries with family members, increasing sexual and emotional intimacy, and balancing individual needs with the needs of the couple. She has worked with couples of many ages, from couples in their early 20s to couples in their 60s. She has also worked with couples in different stages of relationships, including helping couples decide to get married and preparing for marriage, helping couples navigate careers and children, to helping divorcing couples figure out what went wrong. Her experience with couples includes bi-racial and gay and lesbian couples as well.


Couples counseling is one of Dr. LaFrazza’s favorite therapeutic modalities. She believes couples therapy allows two individuals who may be experiencing life from two very different perspectives to gain or regain a greater sense of empathy, compassion, and respect for one another. Dr. LaFrazza helps couples in all stages of a relationship to become more skilled at making clear and precise requests, expressing needs and feelings, and increasing each partner’s ability to not only listen to, but hear the other. Her approach to couples therapy is dynamic, interactional, and problem-solving based. Dr. LaFrazza is able to identify patterns that often times have gone unnoticed despite causing much distress in the relationship. After identifying these patterns, she then guides couples through exercises meant to strengthen their own abilities to notice these patterns, and subsequently, replace them with healthier and more functional methods of interaction.

Couples work with Dr. LaFrazza for a variety of concerns, such as transitioning to parenthood, infertility, managing boundaries with extended family members, jealousy and trust, and increasing sexual and emotional intimacy. To work with Dr. LaFrazza, a couple does not necessarily have to be experiencing a problem. Often times, couples seek out Dr. LaFrazza because they want to improve some aspect (e.g., communication) of their relationship or they want to experience counseling as they contemplate moving from one stage of their relationship to another (e.g., dating to engaged). Dr. LaFrazza also provides counseling to couples when one partner is struggling with mental health issues, as she understand these difficulties often impact one’s relationships. Her aim is to provide a safe and secure environment where both individuals can describe, process, and problem-solve any challenges related to these issues. Dr. LaFrazza has worked with couples of all backgrounds and welcomes working with bi-racial, same-sex, polyamorous, and other non-traditional couples.


Working with couples is a special area of interest for Dr. Savia. She believes in the power of both prevention and intervention, and encourages couples to come in when they foresee an issue that may develop into a problem or find themselves stuck in the middle of a problem. Her clinical approach builds on the research and work of John Gottman, Harvel Hendrix, and Gary Chapman. Dr. Savia works with couples to improve communication, neutralize negative thought patterns, learn to ‘fight fairly’, strengthen emotional bonds, and create shared meaning in the relationship. In session, Dr. Savia guides partners through difficult discussions and the practice of new skills, and she often encourages ‘homework’ between sessions. Dr. Savia believes it is important to recognize the uniqueness of each couple and to respect what is “working” in their relationship. She has experience with couples of all ages and backgrounds. She enjoys working with couples who are newly together, anticipating marriage, reuniting after a separation, or married for decades.


Relationships are a particular area of interest for Dr. Sampson. She sees working with couples as presenting a unique opportunity to work “in vivo” with interpersonal dynamics in a way that can bring positive changes to the relationship. She takes a supportive and engaged approach to couples therapy, helping people to see both problematic and effective ways of communicating with their partner as they occur. Dr. Sampson has experience working with couples dealing with family of origin issues, communication difficulties, extra-marital affairs, relational aggression, co-parenting after a separation or divorce as well as issues in pre-marital couples and same-sex partnerships.


Dr. Freeman enjoys working with couples in therapy helping them to identify and improve communication patterns as well as to unearth the underlying emotions or interests fueling the conflict. She welcomes couples in all stages of their relationship including pre-marital, newlywed, married for years, married but separated, and divorcing couples. A unique area of expertise Dr. Freeman brings to her work with couples is her extensive experience as a group therapist, which has equipped her with a keen eye for communication patterns between individuals. She believes couples therapy allows two individuals who may be experiencing life from two very different perspectives to gain and/or regain a greater sense of empathy, compassion, and respect for one another. Her approach to couples therapy underscores the research and principles of renowned couple’s researcher John Gottman who defines good communication as “intent equaling impact.” In other words, Dr. Freeman assists couples in becoming more skilled at making clear and precise requests, assertively (but not aggressively) expressing needs and desires, and increasing each partner’s ability to “hear” one another. Her approach to couples therapy is dynamic, interactional, and problem-solving based. Dr. Freeman is able to identify patterns that have often gone unnoticed despite causing much distress in the relationship. After identifying these patterns, she then guides couples through exercises meant to strengthen their own abilities to notice these patterns, and subsequently, replace them with healthier and more functional methods of communication. When communication isn’t the only problem and behavior change is needed as well, she empathetically guides each partner in developing behaviors that sustain a healthy, happy intimate relationship.

In addition to her general couple’s therapy work, Dr. Freeman’s specialty area in substance abuse and addictive behaviors is very helpful when such an issue is part of the problem the couple is experiencing. When the goal of the couples work is to clarify the status of the relationship, which sometimes results in separation, her specialty training as a Collaborative Divorce Coach allows her to help each party identify both their individual and collective interests in order to help make the process of separation as amicable as possible.

Dr. Freeman’s aim is to provide a safe and secure environment where both individuals can describe, process, and problem-solve any challenges related to their issues. Her clients often report they enjoy her non-judgmental nature, warmth, and genuineness as it creates a comfortable atmosphere for therapy. Dr. Freeman has worked with and welcomes couples of varied racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as same sex-partnerships in her practice.


Couples therapy is a specific interest for Dr. Molly Parks. She has assisted couples in working through family and relational aggression, increasing intimacy, improving communication, and effective co-parenting both within relationships and after divorce. She enjoys working with couples at all stages in their relationship. This includes improving and strengthening communication skills before entering into marriage and helping couples work through and take control of deep-seated patterns of behavior and communication styles than cause conflict after years of marriage or partnership. Dr. Parks is an active member of the American Family Therapy Academy, where she receives ongoing training on the most effective treatments for couples, and she enjoys challenging couples to work toward deeper and more fulfilling relationships. Dr. Parks has worked with couples of all backgrounds, and welcomes same sex-partnerships in her practice.


As many people know all too well, being in a relationship is a risky business -- the immutable 50% divorce rate attests to that. How do you merge two distinct personalities into a thriving partnership that works well for both individuals? How do couples survive the inevitable crises that accompany that journey?  Dr. Karg agrees with the French writer André Maurois who once said, "A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day." Her goal is to help couples learn how to develop and maintain the skills that are used each day to develop and maintain a fulfilling relationship.

Dr. Karg offers innovative new strategies for strengthening good relationships and repairing troubled ones. Her approach to therapy is based on the scores of empirical research conducted by Dr. John Gottman (best known for his cutting-edge research on developing and maintaining happy marriages) and Dr. Marsha Linehan (best known for her unprecedented research on developing and maintaining skills for mindfulness, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance). Couples therapy with Dr. Karg is solution-focused. Therapy sessions and homework assignments are focused on developing and practicing new and different coping skills to help couples gain knowledge and skills for how to think, feel, and respond in difficult situations, and how to maintain effective relationships. Examples of skills that are developed in couples therapy include: balancing emotions and logic; practicing self-care (e.g., eating right, getting enough sleep, exercise); being objective; identifying, describing and allowing yourself to experience emotions; having a non-judgmental stance with yourself or others; focusing on the here and now; being assertive and negotiating; being gentle, courteous, validating, and respectful toward your partner; and practicing acceptance.


Working with couples is one of Colette’s favorite forms of therapy. She helps couples learn better communication skills and how to experience a stronger sense of connection and intimacy within the relationship. Through our most intimate and committed relationships we experience a profound level of engagement with ourselves and our lives. In long-term relationships or marriages, Colette works with the Jungian concept of differentiation which enables each person to feel individually whole and complemented by his or her partner. Colette helps couples work toward differentiation as well as increased, authentic intimacy which is what brings the most satisfaction to a relationship. Often the most difficult impasses in a relationship offer the most opportunity for growth and increased intimacy. Colette also works with new or young couples to establish a pattern of communication and interaction that is enduring and fulfilling for both partners.


Couples counseling/marriage therapy has been a primary specialty area for Dr. Lepage, and remains one of her favorite things to do. She has worked with young couples in their teens, early married couples, mid life couples with and without children, and retired couples in their 70s. Her approach to couple's therapy is active, interactional, and problem-solving based while also being realistic and grounded in empathy. Using an active style, she listens intently to the communication content and patterns, and intervenes to help couples become aware of their unhealthy patterns and learn new ones. Building on this she uses an in-session interactional approach, prompting and guiding couples through difficult conversations and the practice of new skills. A scientific trial-and-error tact is taken to potential solutions, as ideas developed in-session are assigned for use between sessions to best determine what is effective for each unique couple. Having done couple's counseling and marriage therapy for many years, Dr. Lepage understands and is empathetic to both male and female perspectives, and works to develop empathy between the couple, as well as realistic expectations of self and others. Lastly she aims to help each person regain a sense of contentment and happiness with self, the relationship, and life in general. At Lepage Associates, as a senior clinician in couple's work, Dr. Lepage provides peer supervision to the other psychologists, and often even when working more directly with another clinician (all skilled at couple's work in their own right!), you will also have Dr. Lepage's mind on your case as well.


Dr. Colleen Hamilton has experience working with couples with a range of issues, from those looking to solve a certain problem or improve their communication, to those who are questioning their relationship and its future. She is experienced in assisting couples explore their relationship to identify strengths, areas for growth, and common goals, to allow the couple to reestablish their connection, improve their interactions, and increase their satisfaction with the relationship. Communication training, self appreciation, and respect for their partner are large components of her interventions. When separation is being considered, Dr. Hamilton provides a safe, neutral, respectful environment in which the couple can work to determine not only how, but also if, they want their relationship to proceed.