Are you and your partner having the same arguments over and over? Feeling misunderstood, unseen, or stuck in unhelpful patterns? This 6-week relationship skills group, led by Root & Rise therapist Brandon Engler, MA, LPC-S, offers practical, evidence-based communication tools grounded in the Gottman Method. You and your partner will learn how to hear and be heard so you can break old cycles and have better conversations.
This in-person, skills-based group for couples focuses on communication, emotional awareness, conflict repair, and staying connected during hard conversations. Led by a Root & Rise therapist, this group offers guided practice, structured exercises, and supportive coaching, not couples therapy, but communication training you can apply immediately.
Together, you and your partner will learn how to:
Reduce defensiveness and reactivity
Express needs without criticism
Listen to understand, not to win
Repair conflict more effectively
Strengthen emotional connection
Build new patterns of communication that support your relationship long-term
This group is designed for couples who:
Struggle with communication or conflict
Want structured tools they can use right away
Are having the same arguments on repeat
Feel misunderstood or disconnected
Want to prevent bigger relational issues
Are open to practicing new skills together
Ages 18+; all genders and relationship structures welcome.
Couples can expect to walk away with:
Better communication habits
More emotional safety and understanding
Reduced conflict escalation
A shared language for navigating tough conversations
Stronger relational awareness
Tools that support long-term connection
This group is led by Brandon Engler, MA, LPC-S, a Root & Rise therapist with extensive experience supporting individuals, men, and couples through meaningful emotional and relational growth. With thousands of hours of clinical work, Brandon brings a steady, grounded presence to each group he facilitates, offering both structure and warmth as participants learn new skills and explore new ways of relating.
His work focuses on communication, emotional awareness, and attachment patterns, with a particular passion for helping clients understand how their relational histories shape how they show up now. In his work with couples, he emphasizes strengthening communication, improving conflict repair, and deepening emotional connection, skills that directly inform the work explored in this group.
Brandon views healing as something that happens within relationships, which is why he brings so much care, intentionality, and authenticity to the spaces he leads. He understands that many emotional wounds begin in connection with others, and that real change often requires a supportive, relational environment where people feel safe enough to be honest, curious, and vulnerable. It is his goal to meet participants with compassion, clarity, and the right amount of challenge when it’s helpful.
Throughout this 6-week series, you and your partner will learn the essential communication skills that support healthier, more connected relationships. Together, we’ll explore:
Foundations of healthy communication and what helps couples stay grounded during conflict
Softened startups and ways to approach hard conversations without escalating
Effective listening skills so both partners feel understood
Repair tools to navigate conflict and recover more quickly
Clear, compassionate expression of needs
Supportive habits and rituals to help maintain progress long after the workshop ends
Note: This a high-impact, skills-based program designed to strengthen communication and connection. While guided by a trained therapist, it is a skills-building workshop rather than a therapy group.
Fill out the form below to request more information about a specific group therapy program or to join the waitlist.