When couples walk through the door of my home office for the first time, something shifts. It’s subtle at first—a breath released, a softening around the eyes, a glance exchanged between partners who’ve barely made eye contact in days. The quiet of the room, the way the light spills across the rug, the warm tone of a real human voice asking, “How can I help?”—none of it can be fully transmitted through a computer or cell phone screen.
The following stories are full of rawness, courage, and sometimes grace.
A Couple on the Brink Finds their way back
Alex and Joanna had been together for nine years, but when they arrived for their first in-person session, they sat on opposite ends of the couch, arms crossed, eyes down. Years of resentment had built up. They had tried Zoom therapy during the pandemic but dropped out after a few sessions, feeling like they were just talking at a screen.
Here, in my home office, they noticed things they hadn’t seen in years: the tremble in Joanna’s hands when she spoke about feeling unwanted, the tears in Alex’s eyes when he remembered a time Joanna had gone silent for weeks. The couch they were sitting on facing me held them when they couldn’t hold each other. There was no Wi-Fi to buffer, no frozen frames – just their breathing, presence, and slowly, a reaching across the space between them.
Slowly they moved closer to each other as I encouraged them to imagine what the other was feeling without necessarily agreeing with it. Over time, they began sitting closer. Slowly they began holding hands.
A Mother of two Rediscovers Her Voice
Maya came to therapy after a decade of trying to hold it all together—career, parenting, caregiving, perfection. Over Zoom, she’d always felt distracted, like she couldn’t fully let go. But sitting in the quiet of my home office, surrounded by plants drinking in the sunlight, there was no need for her to do anything except just be.
When she started crying, I asked her, If your tears had words what would they be telling you?
I’ve been holding the stress inside me for years, always feeling like an imposter, that no matter what I did it was never enough – not for the kids, my husband, my boss. I’ve been beating myself silently for years.
The Silent Couple Who Found Their Voice
Reena and David barely spoke to each other at home. Most of their communication happened through texts, voice messages or emails. When they came into my home office, they didn’t say much at first. But when they sat on the couch, taking in the plants and sunlight, Reena started to cry and I encourage David to ask her what her tears were saying. Reena let David take her in his arms. I miss you, he whispered and then she began to sob as he held her.
That moment was a turning point. They started really speaking to each other, not just in sessions with me but at home.
Why In-Person Matters
In-person therapy invites a level of presence and connection that’s hard to replicate through a computer or cell phone screen. The physical space becomes a holding environment. Subtle cues—eye movements, the rhythm of breath, a shift in posture—become part of a healing conversation. For couples, especially, it offers the chance to feel and respond to each other in real time, with a therapist there to encourage them with compassionate curiosity.
Virtual sessions at best get to the tip of the iceberg. In-person therapy is where the deepest changes happen.
If you’ve felt distant from your partner, overwhelmed by conflict, or just unsure how to reconnect, come meet with me in person. I’ll be here holding a lantern as you find your way back to each other.
If you’ve felt distant from your partner, overwhelmed by conflict, or just unsure how to reconnect, come meet with me in person. I’ll be here holding a lantern as you find your way back to each other.
Call Andre Moore at 212 673 4618 for a free consultation at Marriage Couples Counseling & Life Coaching