Every relationship goes through seasons — some filled with joy and connection, others marked by distance, frustration, or pain. If you and your partner are struggling, couples counseling can provide a structured place to better understand what is happening in your relationship and begin making meaningful changes.
I am Carmen Frederick, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Florida with over 30 years of counseling experience and advanced Level 3 training in the Gottman Method. I provide couples counseling to Sarasota-area residents through secure Telehealth, along with limited in-person counseling at my Lakewood Ranch office in Bradenton.
Why Couples Choose Online Therapy in Sarasota
Online couples counseling can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules while allowing you and your partner to meet from a familiar, private setting. You can attend together from the same location or, when appropriate, join from separate locations.
Telehealth also gives Sarasota couples access to specialized relationship counseling without adding travel time to an already busy week.
The Gottman Method: A Research-Based Approach To Couples Counseling
My approach to couples counseling is rooted in the Gottman Method — one of the most extensively researched and effective approaches to couples therapy in the world. Developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman over four decades of research, this method is based on what actually makes relationships succeed or fail.
The Gottman Method helps couples:
- Replace destructive conflict patterns with healthy communication
- Rebuild trust after betrayal or emotional disconnection
- Deepen friendship, intimacy, and shared meaning
- Navigate major life transitions as a team
- Understand and respond to each other’s emotional needs
With advanced Level 3 training in the Gottman Method and over 30 years of counseling experience, I use Gottman-based assessment, interventions, and practical relationship tools to help couples better understand their patterns and work toward meaningful change.
Common Issues Sarasota Couples Face
Communication Breakdown
Perhaps the most common reason couples seek counseling. You feel like you are speaking different languages — conversations escalate into arguments, or worse, you have stopped talking about anything meaningful altogether. I will help you learn to truly hear each other and express your needs without triggering defensiveness.
Infidelity and Trust Repair
Betrayal — whether emotional or physical — shakes a relationship to its foundation. But healing is possible. Through the Gottman Trust Revival Method, I guide couples through a structured process of atonement, attunement, and attachment designed to support trust repair and relationship recovery. For more information, see infidelity recovery counseling.
Retirement and Life Transitions
Many Sarasota couples are navigating the transition to retirement — and it is not always the blissful chapter they imagined. Suddenly spending all day together, losing professional identity, adjusting to new roles and routines — these shifts can strain even strong relationships. I help couples redefine their partnership for this new season of life.
Relocation Adjustment
Moving to Sarasota from another state is exciting, but it also means leaving behind support systems, friends, and familiar routines. The stress of relocation can surface underlying relationship tensions. Couples therapy provides a space to process these changes together and strengthen your bond in your new home.
Intimacy and Emotional Distance
When emotional connection fades, physical intimacy often follows. If you and your partner feel more like roommates than lovers, therapy can help you understand the underlying dynamics and rebuild closeness from the inside out.
What to Expect in Couples Counseling
Our work begins with a thorough assessment to better understand your relationship history, strengths, concerns, and goals. When appropriate, the assessment process may include both joint and individual meetings. From there, we identify treatment goals and develop a plan for our work together.
Couples counseling is available through secure Telehealth throughout Florida. I offer 50- and 75-minute sessions, as well as extended sessions when appropriate.
For Sarasota-area couples who prefer an in-person option, I also offer limited in-person counseling at my Lakewood Ranch office in Bradenton, near University Town Center (UTC). In-person appointments are available on select dates and may be combined with regular Telehealth counseling or used for extended or intensive sessions.
About My Experience and Credentials
I have over 30 years of counseling experience and am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Florida and Indiana and a Licensed Psychological Associate (LPA) in Kentucky. I also have advanced Level 3 training in the Gottman Method for couples counseling.
I spent 17 years serving in the Counseling Ministry at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, where couples and relationship concerns were an important part of my work.
For Florida clients, I provide secure Telehealth counseling throughout the state and limited in-person counseling at my Lakewood Ranch office in Bradenton.
Insurance and Rates
Insurance may be available for eligible Florida Telehealth clients through Headway. For current insurance information, session rates, and payment options, please visit Rates & Insurance.
I also provide superbills for clients who wish to seek out-of-network reimbursement when applicable.
Getting Started
If communication has become difficult, trust has been damaged, or you and your partner feel increasingly disconnected, couples counseling can help you better understand the patterns affecting your relationship and determine what needs to change.
I provide couples counseling through Telehealth for couples throughout Florida, including Sarasota, as well as limited in-person counseling at my Lakewood Ranch office in Bradenton.
Schedule an appointment or a free 15-minute consultation to get started.