You Agreed to Come. That’s All You Agreed To
You can find out what this is before you commit to anything.
Couples counseling for married partners across North Carolina.
You’ve Already Pictured How This Goes
You’ve had some time to think about what this hour is going to be like.
Two against one. An hour of your faults read back in order, with a professional nodding along.
You’d go if you thought it would be even.
That question hasn’t been answered yet.
What Your First Ten Minutes Look Like
I ask what brought the two of you in. Then I let your answer run as long as it runs.
Nothing gets decided in that hour about who has been the bigger problem.
You’ll know that in ten minutes.
One hour is enough to find out whether this room is even.
Why Your Own Reasons Are the Ones That Work
The reason you’re going matters more than the fact that you’re going. Somebody else’s reason will get you into the chair and no further.
So I ask you early what you’d want out of this if the decision were entirely yours. That answer is what the work gets built on.
What the Two of You Walk Out With
None of this arrives in one session. You’ll notice the first pieces at home before you notice them in my office.
- Rebuilt connectedness
- Restored intimacy
- Knowledge of how to fight fair
- Changed perspectives
- Learned to listen over just hearing
- Respect growth from each other’s strengths
Every item on that list is a skill, which means it can be learned.
The Three Steps in Front of You
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1
A First Conversation
We talk first to see whether I’m able to help you and whether the two of you can connect with me comfortably enough to say real things.
You find out who you’d be sitting with.
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2
Sessions Together
You both attend. The hour asks the same two things of each of you, sharing and listening, and it keeps asking until they get easier.
Neither of you gets talked over.
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3
Healing Begins
Healthy communication patterns get learned. Past issues get resolved with new strategies, and the arguments that looked too big to touch come down to a workable size.
You quit dreading the conversation.
Why Trust Me as Your Partner in Healing
Nothing Gets Sprung on You
You’ll know what we’re doing and why before we do it, and you can say when something is more than you want to open.
No Piling On
I don’t run a session where the two of you take turns explaining what’s wrong with each other, and I don’t do it either.
What You Say Here Isn’t Ammunition
Anything hard you say in here gets treated as information we’re working with, and I’ll name it out loud if it starts getting used against either of you.
Hi, I’m John.
I see you, and I’m going to tell you the truth.
My wife and I have been married for 43 years. That’s long enough that I don’t get surprised by much of what you bring me.
When a negative thought process shows up, we name it and look at it while it’s still in the room.
Humor belongs in the heavy sessions, too.
What My Clients Say
This is my first time doing therapy and not knowing what to expect. For a man who is very private, John Crapo is definitely amazing. John makes you feel welcome and comfortable but also gives you encouragement and empowers you to look at things in a different perspective. He brings humor in between which does make you laugh and shares his knowledge of life.
Very easy to talk to no matter how sensitive the subject is, and a very comfortable person ability! A+
Very experienced and has great advice. Very similar stories to share. He’s great!!
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t have to believe in therapy to sit in a room and see what it’s like. Come once and judge therapy on what actually happens.
No. You’ll both hear from me when I think you’re off, and you’ll both get the hour to answer for it.
Only if it turns out to be doing something in your marriage right now. I’m not going to march you through your family history to fill an hour.
Then I’ll ask questions until you do. Nobody shows up to a first session with a prepared statement.
Yes. There’s a free twenty-minute consultation before any of it, and you can decide about a second session after you’ve sat through the first.
Take the First Step Today
You agreed to look at it. You haven’t agreed to anything past that.
I work with plain cognitive behavioral tools, with how each of your families handled conflict, and with whatever else the two of you actually respond to. I’ve been married forty-three years, long enough to have been wrong in most of the ways available.
You’ll leave the first hour with a clearer idea of what you want out of your own marriage, which was not what you came in for.
You can walk in guarded and still walk out with something.
What Happens Next?
100% Secure & Confidential
All information is encrypted and protected under HIPAA privacy laws.
Payments & Services
Services are billed on a session-by-session basis. We provide superbills for insurance reimbursement and accept HSA/FSA. No hidden fees – all costs are explained before you begin.