PATH 3
Repair, Rebuild, or Redefine Your Relationship
How Do We Move Forward?
Most couples don't seek help because they stopped loving each other. They seek help because they stopped feeling understood.
When Connection Feels Like an Afterthought
Every conversation turns into an argument. The same problems keep showing up. Trust has been damaged. Life has become so busy that connection feels like an afterthought. You may feel more like roommates than partners.
Or perhaps something significant has happened—an affair, a betrayal, a major life transition, a parenting challenge, or years of unresolved conflict—and you're wondering whether your relationship can recover.
The good news is that relationships are remarkably resilient when both people are willing to engage in the process. At The Relationship Place, we help couples move from disconnection to understanding, from conflict to collaboration, and from surviving to thriving.
Couples Therapy That Meets You Where You Are
No two relationships struggle in exactly the same way.
Some couples come to us because communication has broken down. Others are rebuilding after infidelity. Some are preparing for marriage. Others are navigating parenting, career demands, health challenges, or changing life circumstances.
Our therapists tailor treatment to the unique needs of each couple while drawing from evidence-based approaches designed to help relationships strengthen and grow.
Services may include:
Couples Therapy
Marriage Counseling
Couples Intensives
Therapy Getaway Intensives
Affair Recovery
Premarital Counseling
Communication & Conflict Resolution
Trust Rebuilding
Polyamorous & Ethical Non-Monogamy Relationships
Relationship Agreements
Life Transition Support
Led By Certified Gottman Therapist Dr. Dana McNeil
The Relationship Place was founded by Dr. Dana McNeil, PsyD, LMFT, CGT, a Certified Gottman Therapist and nationally recognized relationship expert.
Our clinical approach is informed by decades of experience helping couples navigate some of the most challenging moments in their relationships.
Rather than focusing solely on conflict reduction, we help couples better understand one another's inner worlds, strengthen emotional connection, improve communication, and build practical tools that support long-term relationship success.
The Gottman Method provides a strong research-based foundation, but our work is always tailored to the unique needs, strengths, and goals of each relationship.
We aim to break the stereotype of what therapy is supposed to be like, and what your relationship should look like.
— Dr. Dana McNeil, PsyD (Certified Gottman Method Therapist) - Founder
What Brings Couples To Therapy?
Couples often reach out because they find themselves saying things like:
"We keep having the same fight."
"I don't feel heard."
"We've grown apart."
"We're more like roommates than partners."
"I don't know if I can trust them again."
"Every conversation turns into an argument."
"We're struggling to reconnect after what happened."
"We love each other, but we don't know how to fix this."
If any of these feel familiar, you're not alone. These are some of the most common relationship challenges we help couples navigate every day.
What Success Looks Like
Many couples begin therapy believing success means eliminating conflict. In reality, healthy relationships still experience disagreements. The difference is how they handle them.
Success often looks like:
Feeling understood rather than criticized.
Being able to influence one another.
Recovering more quickly from conflict.
Having difficult conversations without escalating.
Feeling emotionally safe.
Trusting your partner's intentions.
Rebuilding friendship and connection.
Working together instead of against each other.
One of the first signs therapy is working is that couples stop seeing each other as the problem and begin working together against the problem.
Intensives & Therapy Getaway
Some couples want more than weekly therapy.
Our Couples Intensives and Therapy Getaway programs provide a concentrated format designed to help couples make significant progress in a shorter period of time.
These immersive experiences are ideal for couples who:
Feel stuck in recurring patterns.
Have limited availability for weekly sessions.
Are navigating a crisis.
Want to accelerate growth and repair.
Are traveling from outside the San Diego area.
Intensives allow couples to step away from daily distractions and focus fully on the relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hear From Our Clients
Hear from those who've experienced positive changes through our services.
“Dr. Dana made me feel so seen. I never felt shame for the trauma I’d caused. It was so healthy and helpful to find ways to navigate our conversations.”
“Thank you so much! It exceeded my expectations. You made me feel comfortable and supported.”
“I learned I need to take a 20 minute break when flooded, ask for clarity in facial expressions, use gentle startup and take ownership even if its small.”
“Gave me many tools and insights, I’m excited to implement them.”
“I couldn’t have had a better experience. Dana is so caring and smart and easily helped us navigate through our issues.”
“I learned that I need to ask for my needs and also take a break when I feel flooded.”
“I had an excellent experience, it helped me get clarity and learn valuable tools.”
“Dana was really effective at explaining the research, helping facilitate the conversation with figuring out how to address our biggest challenges.”
“Really pleased with the experience. Absolutely exceeded my expectations.”
“This helped lower the walls in our relationship.”
“Dana is superb, gracious, and kind. We’re very grateful.”
“I gained the clarity I was looking for!”
“Grateful to our extended therapist and her extended time! And of course, her dog!”
“The intensive process and longer sessions are incredibly helpful to push things further and get real work done.”
“The three-day package was necessary to enable the “emotional stretch” and that’s when we saw the best results.”
“This was a much needed intense session but helped promote healing and focus to decide where we go in life together.”
“This was well worth it and I’d definitely do it again!”
“This helped us sit and have uncomfortable conversations that were long overdue.”
“Exhausting but I loved everything about this!”
“This helped us have epiphanies and transformative thoughts.”
“Thank you so much for taking the time to really understand our issues and providing us with all the tools to use when future issues arise.”
“I feel like we have made huge progress on major issues with these three days.”
“Everything made me feel safe and comfortable here.”
“Therapist is great at listening and helping us with communication.”
“Absolutely, it was better than I expected and gave us great tools.”
“Empathetic and responsive.”
“Very accommodative and understanding.”
“I definitely feel Therapy Getaway helped with our relationship goals because it allowed a deeper dive in a structured fashion, with tools to continue improving our relationship.”
“Great session. They know their stuff and is really good at helping us find the language to effectively communicate.”
“They were incredibly instrumental in relating all the tools that my partner and I needed in areas where we struggle.”
“Therapy Getaway absolutely helped our relationship. They were amazing.”
“This was a very beneficial process. Dana made it easy for us to open up about every difficult issue we had been struggling with. We now have good tools.”
“It seemed at first that 2.5 days was long, but it feels so good to be in therapy that I wish it was 3-5 days!”
“Therapy Getaway immensely helped us talk about our problems in a safe place.”
“Dana is very experienced and sensitive to peoples situations and knows how to make you feel comfortable as if you were in your own home.”
“Learned a lot of coping tools. Dana was wonderful.”
You Don't Have To Stay Stuck
Whether you're working to rebuild trust, improve communication, reconnect emotionally, recover from betrayal, prepare for marriage, or simply create a healthier partnership, meaningful change is possible.
Relationships do not improve because people stop having problems. They improve because people learn how to navigate those problems differently.
We're here to help you find the path forward.
