Our Approach

Training and Intellectual Lineage

Albert Ellis — psychologist, author, and founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy — is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in the history of modern psychotherapy and one of the pioneers of clinical sex therapy. Dr. Michael Abrams and Dr. Lidia Abrams did not simply study Ellis’s published work.

They trained with him directly, worked alongside him, and developed their clinical approaches through that direct professional relationship over more than fifteen years.

Treatment Philosophy

Relationships are shaped by cognition, emotion, biology, and learned patterns of interaction — and chronic relational distress is maintained by all four. The most effective couples treatment addresses all of these dimensions, not simply the behavioral surface.

Our clinical model begins with the recognition that what partners believe — about themselves, about each other, and about what relationships are supposed to provide — drives the emotional and behavioral patterns that either sustain or destroy intimacy. Maladaptive beliefs generate maladaptive emotions. Maladaptive emotions generate maladaptive behavior. This cycle is the engine of chronic relational distress, and it is the primary target of our treatment.

We also approach attraction, desire, and intimacy through an evolutionary lens. Human sexuality is not designed for the conditions of long-term partnership. Desire naturally fluctuates. Couples who understand these realities are far better equipped to navigate them than couples who interpret natural changes in attraction as evidence that their relationship has failed.

What Distinguishes This Program

Direct training with Albert Ellis — an exceptionally rare clinical credential that very few practicing psychologists can claim

Scholarly depth — Dr. Abrams is the author of multiple books and peer-reviewed publications on couples therapy, sexuality, and cognitive-behavioral treatment

Supervisory expertise — Dr. Lidia has spent more than two decades supervising and training clinicians in couples and intimacy treatment

Integrated framework — cognitive-behavioral, evolutionary, emotional, and relational dimensions are addressed together

Individualized design — each program is built from a comprehensive clinical assessment of the specific couple

Intimacy specialization — sexuality and erotic connection are treated as clinical priorities, not afterthoughts

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