Larisa Cicila
PhD-level Clinical Psychologist (Doctorate, Univ. of Miami); Couple Therapy Fellowship, San Diego VA
IBCT · CBT · EFT
San Diego, CA · Telehealth · In person
Focus: Couple therapy for new parents · Communication · Intimacy
IBCT
Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT)
Acceptance plus change—for differences that won’t fully disappear
IBCT, developed by Andrew Christensen and Neil Jacobson, balances acceptance and change. It helps partners understand emotional sensitivities and patterned interactions, then work on both accepting each other more fully and making targeted behavioral changes.
Best for
- Long-standing differences that fuel chronic conflict
- Couples who have tried change-only approaches with limited success
- Partners open to both acceptance and practical behavior change
- Situations where gridlock feels personal and stuck
How it works
A formulation of your relationship themes (often around DEEP analysis: Differences, Emotional sensitivities, External stressors, Patterns of interaction) guides therapy. Interventions include unified detachment, empathic joining around soft emotions, tolerance building, and behavioral exchange or communication training when change is needed.
What to expect
Less emphasis on forever eliminating differences; more on understanding them and reducing the pain they cause. You and your partner learn to talk about patterns with more compassion and less blame.
Empirically supported; comparable outcomes to traditional behavioral couple therapy in major clinical trials, with strengths in acceptance-focused change.
Therapists · IBCT
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