Marriage & Couples Counseling in Cary, NC

Angela S. McLean is a licensed marriage and family therapist serving the Cary and Raleigh, NC area. Her training has focused specifically on understanding relationships and helping couples build or rebuild happy marriages. Angela partners with couples to increase affection, intimacy, and communication skills. To get started, call the office or send Angela a message through the website.

What to expect

Marriage counseling generally begins with Angela getting to know the couple and understanding the problem from each partner's perspective. The next one or two sessions are assessment, in which Angela becomes more familiar with the couple and places the problem in a larger context by discussing the relationship and family history. Angela always meets with the couple together and almost never sees one partner alone. This keeps a balanced therapeutic relationship with both partners, in which the marriage is the client rather than either individual. After the assessment phase, counseling continues for an average of 8–20 sessions over 3 to 9 months; when special circumstances complicate things, it can last longer.

Approach to couples counseling

Angela focuses on providing a relaxed atmosphere and developing a relationship with both partners so everyone feels comfortable. Each partner is encouraged to share their perspective openly and without judgment. Angela is skilled at holding both partners and supporting their needs, even when those needs seem completely opposite and in conflict.

Angela's primary model with couples is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), developed in the 1980s by Dr. Sue Johnson and based on the science of adult attachment, which views people as wired for intimate bonding. EFT focuses on creating a secure, healthy bond between partners. Sessions first identify the pattern of interaction that has blocked connection. Couples then experience and practice open, bond-creating communication in session. Over time, these experiences of safe intimacy become a new pattern of secure bonding that spills over into daily life, and couples learn to trust their bond and find safety in deep intimacy.

Strengths of Emotionally Focused Therapy

• EFT is collaborative and deeply respectful of clients.
• Change strategies are specific and clear; the change process has been mapped out, and key change events predict success.
• EFT has been validated by over 30 years of empirical research.
• EFT has been applied to many different kinds of problems and populations.

Learn more at The International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy.

Couples facing special circumstances

Some couples need support to build safety and stability before the main work of couples therapy can begin. Angela has experience helping couples navigate:

• Healing after infidelity or other betrayal
• Addiction, including substance use, pornography, or gambling
• Reconnecting after a marital separation
• Various forms of trauma
• High-conflict relationships
• Physical or mental illness in one partner
• Neurodiversity, such as ADHD or autism

Feel free to ask about Angela's experience with your unique circumstances during your initial consultation.

Benefits of couples counseling

• Increased intimacy and affection
• Revitalized desire and passion
• Greater understanding and closeness
• A process for healing and forgiveness
• Better ability to resolve conflicts
• Ability to maintain improvements in your relationship
• Systemic family therapy, including Emotionally Focused couples therapy, is supported by research as effective in treating anxiety, depression, and trauma

Angela also offers premarital counseling for couples who want to build a strong foundation from the start. See also: 16 types of intimacy and mindfulness skills for couples.

Or call (919) 868-6242.

In-network with BCBS, Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, and CareSource. Fees & insurance.