How Willamette Wellness Center Helps Portland Couples Through Relationship Stress

Valentine’s Day can bring up a lot of feelings in a relationship — and they’re not always the sweet, rom-com kind.

For some couples, it highlights distance instead of closeness. For others, it stirs up grief, resentment, or the quiet fear that something important isn’t working the way it used to.

And when you layer in the stress that many people in the Portland metro area already carry — job uncertainty, community fear, and a general sense of instability — relationships often feel the impact first.

At Willamette Wellness Center, we see this play out every day. Couples come in not because they’ve “failed,” but because the weight of everything else has started to show up in their connection, communication, or sense of closeness.

You might notice that conversations go in circles, that conflict escalates more quickly than it used to, or that you feel emotionally farther apart — even when you’re trying.

Sometimes this becomes most noticeable during moments that are supposed to feel meaningful or connecting, when the gap between expectation and reality feels sharper.

Support looks different depending on what you’re carrying — but the goal is the same: helping your relationship feel steadier, more connected, and more workable. Here’s how our therapists can help you and your partner.

Couples Therapy in the Portland Metro Area

Available online throughout Oregon and Washington, and in person in Milwaukie, OR

When you’re stuck in painful patterns — arguing more than you want to, shutting down, or feeling emotionally disconnected — couples therapy can help. Couples therapists Maia Penchansky, Josh Brogan, and Clarisse McLeod help slow things down in your relationship and make sense of what’s happening beneath the surface.

Their work is grounded in evidence-based approaches proven effective, such as the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which focus on emotional safety, attachment, and rebuilding trust.

Sex Therapy for Individuals and Couples

Online and in-person therapy available

As emotional distance grows, intimacy is often one of the first places you notice something feels off. Changes in desire, sexual responsiveness, or trust after infidelity can bring up shame and doubt — and are rarely easy to talk about.

Board-certified WWC counselors Ashley Tidwell and Taylor Miller specialize in sex therapy, with Taylor offering focused support for men struggling with compulsive sexual behaviors, including pornography use — challenges many couples are quietly trying to manage.

Gender and Sexual Identity Therapy

Serving clients online and in-person across Oregon and Washington

You may also be navigating questions around gender or sexuality — discovering who you are, how that identity has evolved, or how it fits within your relationship. These questions often affect intimacy, communication, and a sense of belonging, both personally and as a couple.

Our therapists support people as they explore their identity in a way that feels affirming, thoughtful, and grounded—helping you integrate your authentic self into your life and relationships without judgment or pressure.

If this time of year is bringing up more questions than answers, you’re not doing it wrong.

Couples and relationship therapy can be a place to slow things down, understand what’s really happening, and reconnect — with care, clarity, and support.

Wondering how our couples therapists can help you? Fill out our new client form to get started.