Yes. They offer couples counselling and couples coaching to help partners address disconnection, conflict and life transitions. Core Elements treats couples counselling and coaching as a distinct specialty rather than an extension of individual therapy. The practice’s founder Alicia Hinger is a registered psychologist and relationship coach who has spent more than 26 years training under world‑renowned leaders in the field. Her professional development includes:
• Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT) training – an approach that blends attachment theory, arousal regulation and neuroscience to help partners understand and soothe each other in real time .
• IFS, Gottman and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) training – evidence‑based models that address internal parts, behavioural patterns and the emotional bond between partners .
• Extensive study in sexuality, communication, trust and infidelity .
• Practical experience with thousands of couples from diverse backgrounds, plus equine‑assisted and nature‑based sessions that promote emotional regulation and co‑regulation .
In couples counselling, Alicia creates a sanctuary where partners feel completely seen and valued. Using attachment science and systems theory, she guides couples to read each other’s verbal and non‑verbal cues, co‑regulate their nervous systems and build a secure “couple bubble” . Sessions may be longer than typical therapy (from 85 minutes to three hours) to allow for deeper processing and new relational experiences. Couples coaching, in contrast, is forward‑looking; Alicia helps partners design shared rituals, agreements and vision statements without delving into past traumas . Coaching is ideal for partners who want to realign their relationship around goals such as performance, teamwork or life transitions.
Why specialist training matters
Couple therapy is not simply individual therapy delivered to two people. It is built on its own empirical base: a 2022 review notes that couple therapy is a widely accepted method for reducing relationship distress and enhancing relationship quality, supported by extensive research . Because partners’ emotions and behaviours interact dynamically, interventions must address shared patterns and each partner’s attachment history. The review emphasizes that clinicians and therapists in training need to expand their theoretical lenses and skill sets to address the complexities of couple relationships effectively .
Consumer‑oriented guidance echoes this. A Toronto counselling practice advises that your couples therapist should be a licensed and registered therapist with plenty of experience helping couples and specialized training for couples therapy . It explains that you may also choose a registered marriage and family therapist and that the therapist should be experienced in the specific issues you’re facing . Specialties such as infidelity, fertility issues, mental health, premarital counselling and communication problems require targeted expertise . Unlike general counselling programs—which often include only one or two units on relationships—couples‑therapy models demand post‑graduate training to manage conflict, emotion regulation and systemic dynamics. The right clinician will remain neutral, avoid taking sides and help reframe issues as “you and your partner versus the problem” .
These findings underscore why Core Elements invests in a specialist like Alicia. By combining rigorous couple‑therapy training with coaching and embodied modalities, she offers partners both deep healing of attachment wounds and practical tools to create the future they want.