How Does Therapy Work

In West Hollywood Couples Clinic Dr. Harel has developed a 3 step therapeutic process (ARC) to create rapid and profound transformation in the lives of our clients:

Awareness – The first Power-Step is an evaluation that is geared toward gaining awareness and insight into the current situation that brought you in. Here our goal is to understand past and present patterns and to determine the root cause(s) of current challenges. It is during this step that we also clearly define the ultimate goal for our work together, as well as the evidence procedure, which will show us that our work has been a total success. The Awareness Power-Step is a crucial step that identifies both the problem and the solution.

Release – The second Power-Step of couples therapy and marriage counseling utilizes NLP and elements of hypnotherapy to help clients let go of past baggage and clear the path toward loving and fulfilling relationships. Here we release the old baggage of anger, sadness, fear, guilt, shame, and hurt, and liberate ourselves of limiting beliefs about ourselves, relationships, people, and the world. This powerful process clears the path toward the relationship we want.

Co-Creating – The third and final Power-Step is designed to provide new tools and resources to solidify the gains and establish the trajectory toward your desired relationship. During this step, we create a solid, sound, and clear vision of your ideal life, and transform your internal unconscious perspectives to enable the new desired reality to emerge.

Below is an outline of the couples therapy and marriage counseling course of work. The couples therapy and marriage counseling process is offered in a format of online therapy via video-conferencing. For more information about online therapy please visit the Online Therapy tab.

3 Power Step Process: Assessment, Release, Co-Creation  (ARC)

Power-Step I – Assessment - Couple is seen together

1. Welcome
2. Completion of legally required consent forms
3. Initial Interview:

• What brings you in (what else…what else)
• Ultimate therapy goals (What would be absolutely INCREDIBLE to achieve for you in therapy?)
• History of current relationship
  • How did you meet
  • What attracted you to each other
  • What was present then and absent now
  • What do you have now that you did not have then
  • When did the challenges appear
  • What have you attempted to solve it (what worked and what didn’t)
• Personal developmental history
  • How would you describe your childhood
  • How would you describe your relationships with mom, dad, caregivers
  • What was it like to grow up in your family
  • What were school and peers like

• Coming out and sexual history, if relevant
• History of prior intimate relationships
  • How did you meet
  • What attracted you to each other
  • What were the challenges in the relationship
  • How did the relationship end

4. Introduction to the Time-Line Therapy

Power-Step II – Release - Partners are seen separately

1. Release of unresolved negative emotions (anger, sadness, fear, guilt, shame, hurt)
2. Release of limiting beliefs (for ex. “I am inadequate," "relationships are burdensome," "people are untrustworthy.")
3. Elicitation of Relationship Values, identifying inter-value conflicts, and values hierarchy. Here the focus is to assure that our relationship values are congruent with the relationship we desire to have.

Power-Step III – Co-create desired relationship -  Couple is seen together

1. Evaluate the current state of affairs and changes
2. Address relational objectives: power dynamics, communication patterns, etc
3. Create a mutual relationship vision 
4. Establish SMART future relationship goals 
5. Timeline work to place the relationship goals into the future in order to support the desired relationship trajectory.