Couples Therapy
Dr. Crystal Benjamin, PhD., CFLE, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy - Associate (Supervised by Julia Wesley, LMFT-S)
I work with couples who care deeply about their relationship, but feel stuck in patterns they can’t change without help.
Do conversations turn into arguments or shutdowns?
Do you feel more like roommates than partners?
Are outside pressures pulling you apart?
Parenting stress, extended family, mismatched values, or unresolved hurt can quietly erode closeness. You may love each other, yet feel misunderstood, exhausted, or unsure how to get back on the same team.
Couples therapy with me helps you slow things down, understand what’s happening, and rebuild connection.
Couples come to me with:
Can’t stop fighting about “the thing”
They’ve drifted apart
Parenting stress
Extended family strain
Loss of intimacy
Life or identity changes
Not sure they’re growing in the same direction
Stuck in a pattern
When your relationship feels unsupportive or flat, therapy helps create a path forward.
What Couples Therapy With Me Is Like
Couples therapy with me is structured, honest, and collaborative. We focus on understanding how the past affects you today, your negative cycles, evolving your partnerships and strengthening emotional safety.
Sessions are active and practical, with tools you can use outside the therapy room. Progress comes from learning how to talk, listen, and respond differently, especially during hard moments.
Modalities I Use
Gottman Method Couples Therapy
A research-based framework that strengthens communication, friendship, and trust while reducing conflict.
Solution Focused Therapy
Keeps sessions goal-oriented and forward moving, so change happens sooner.
Narrative Therapy
Helps separate the problem from the people, reducing blame and defensiveness.
Experiential And Somatic Techniques
Supports emotional awareness and helps couples stay regulated during difficult conversations.
Psychoeducation
Helps you understand relationship patterns so you can change them with intention.
“I help couples move from blame to teamwork.”
Get On The Same Team Again
With consistent work, couples move out of survival mode and back into connection, friendship, and commitment.
After Therapy With Me, Couples Report
Intimacy + joy returns
They’re friends again
Don’t get set off as easily
Understand themselves + their partner
A team mindset with shared direction
More laughter
About Dr. Benjamin
I‘m a therapist, professor, and scholar, and do this work because I genuinely enjoy people. Many of my clients are couples who manage a lot, often without slowing down to address what’s happening beneath the surface of their relationship.
Sessions with me are calm, thoughtful, and honest. We explore patterns, challenge what isn’t working, and create space for real connection. Some sessions are reflective. Others are direct and active. All of them are grounded in respect, curiosity, and care.
Couples often tell me they appreciate my honesty, even when it pushes them. I won’t rush your process, but I also won’t collude with patterns that keep you stuck.
I am also an autoimmune disease survivor, which has deeply shaped how I understand stress, resilience, and the mind-body connection.
Outside of therapy, I prioritize staying active, especially through fitness and crossfit. I’m a self admitted “big shopper” and also have the travel bug - including hiking the Grand Canyon from rim to rim and I’ve recently returned from riding the trains in the Swiss Alps.
I’m originally from Trinidad and Tobago and know firsthand how major life changes reshape identity and relationships.
Availability: I provide online sessions for clients in Texas and Trinidad & Tobago
Education
Ph.D. in Family Studies, Loma Linda University
M.S. in Marital and Family Therapy, Loma Linda University
B.S. in Behavioral Sciences with an Emphasis in Psychology, Andrews University
A.S. in General Business, Andrews University
Credentials
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate – Texas License No. 206086 (Supervised by Julia Wesley, LMFT-S)
Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE)
Trainings
Gottman Method Couples Therapy – Level 1 & Level 2
Gottman Method: Treating Affairs and Trauma
Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS)
Youth Mental Health First Aid USA
Education & Credentials
Contact Me
Fill out the contact form. You’ll hear back from me, and I’ll determine next steps.
Brief Consultation
We’ll chat to see if couples therapy feels like the right fit.
First Session
We begin identifying patterns, setting goals, and creating a plan for change.
Ready to feel like partners again?