Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling in Plymouth, MA
Are you tired of having the same argument over and over? Feeling more like roommates than romantic partners? Walking on eggshells because you're afraid another conversation will turn into a fight?
Maybe you've tried couples counseling before, but nothing really changed.
Your relationship doesn't have to stay stuck in the same painful patterns.
I'm Richie Pryor, LMHC, a Certified Relational Life Therapist, and I've been married to my wife for 40 years. I know that even the strongest relationships require work, accountability, patience, and sometimes a good sense of humor.
I provide couples counseling and marriage therapy in Plymouth, Massachusetts, serving couples throughout the South Shore and Cape Cod. I also offer online couples therapy for eligible clients in Massachusetts and Florida.
My approach is direct, compassionate, practical, and sometimes funny. I don't believe couples should spend session after session arguing about last week's argument. Instead, we get to the heart of what's really happening and work toward meaningful change.
Are You Struggling in Your Relationship?
You love your partner, or at least you remember when you did. But somewhere along the way, your relationship changed.
Maybe you recognize some of these experiences:
You keep having the same argument, and nothing gets resolved.
One of you pursues conversations while the other shuts down or walks away.
You feel lonely even when you're sitting right next to your partner.
Resentment has replaced affection, appreciation, and intimacy.
Infidelity or betrayal has damaged trust.
You're walking on eggshells to avoid another argument.
Your sex life has disappeared, and you're not sure how to reconnect.
You're questioning whether to stay together or separate.
Here's something I tell couples: The argument you're having usually isn't the real problem.
You might be fighting about dishes, money, sex, parenting, or who forgot to take out the trash. But underneath those arguments are often deeper feelings of rejection, inadequacy, fear, resentment, and disconnection. Until we understand and address those underlying patterns, couples tend to keep repeating the same arguments.
That's where Relational Life Therapy comes in.
Learn more about Couples Counseling
What Makes My Couples Counseling Approach Different?
Relational Life Therapy: Getting to the Root of Relationship Problems
I specialize in Relational Life Therapy (RLT), an approach developed by Terry Real that helps couples identify unhealthy relationship patterns, take accountability for their behavior, and learn healthier ways of connecting.
Unlike approaches that focus primarily on communication techniques, RLT also examines the emotional reactions and learned behaviors that make those techniques difficult to use when conflict arises.
I help couples understand four important parts of the change process.
1. Identify Your Dysfunctional Relationship Dance
Every couple has patterns. One partner criticizes, the other withdraws. One pursues, the other distances. Before you know it, you're having the same argument you've had a hundred times.
We identify that pattern and learn how to interrupt it.
2. Understand How Your Past Affects Your Present
Many of the ways we respond to conflict were learned long before we met our partners.
We explore how earlier experiences shaped your emotional reactions, expectations, and protective behaviors.
3. Learn to Respond as Your Wise Adult
When you're emotionally triggered, you may react from what RLT calls your adaptive child—the protective part of you that learned how to survive difficult experiences.
I help you recognize those reactions, develop healthier ways to regulate yourself, and respond from your wise adult.
4. Develop Skills That Create Connection
We work on accountability, boundaries, effective communication, emotional intimacy, and repairing relationship injuries.
The goal isn't to eliminate every disagreement. It's to learn how to handle disagreements without damaging your relationship.
DISCOVER HOW RELATIONAL LIFE THERAPY WORKS
Couples Counseling, Online Therapy & Relationship Program
Couples Counseling in Plymouth, MA
I offer in-person couples counseling and marriage therapy for couples in Plymouth, Cape Cod, and the South Shore.
Whether you're struggling with communication, resentment, infidelity, intimacy, or uncertainty about your relationship, we'll work together to identify the patterns keeping you stuck.
Online Couples Therapy in Massachusetts & Florida
Can't make it to my Plymouth office?
I offer online couples counseling and individual therapy to eligible residents of Massachusetts and Florida.
Virtual sessions provide an opportunity to work on your relationship from the privacy and convenience of your home.
Relationship Workshops for Couples & Individuals
Not everyone is ready for couples therapy. Sometimes you want practical relationship skills you can begin using right away.
My live online relationship workshops address common challenges such as:
Stop Having the Same Argument
Communicating Without Walking on Eggshells
How to Get Your Partner to Hear You
These interactive workshops use principles of Relational Life Therapy to help participants develop greater awareness, accountability, and healthier communication skills.
EXPLORE RELATIONSHIP WORKSHOPS
The Relationship Reset — 12-Week Coaching Program
Want to work on your relationship at your own pace?
The Relationship Reset is my 12-week, self-paced relationship coaching program based on Relational Life Therapy principles.
Through recorded lessons, interactive worksheets, and practical relationship exercises, you'll explore the patterns that keep you stuck and learn new ways to communicate, connect, and take responsibility for your part in the relationship.
The program is designed for individuals and couples who want relationship education and coaching outside traditional therapy.
DISCOVER THE RELATIONSHIP RESET
Meet Richie Pryor — A Couples Therapist Who Keeps It Real
I've been married for 40 years, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that a long marriage doesn't mean you've figured everything out.
Relationships are messy. People are complicated. And sometimes the person you love most is the person who knows exactly how to push your buttons.
As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Relational Life Therapist, I bring both professional training and real-life perspective to my work.
I'm not the kind of therapist who sits quietly, nods, and asks, "And how does that make you feel?" for the entire session.
I'm actively involved. I ask difficult questions, challenge unhealthy behaviors, and help you see what you may not be seeing.
I believe therapy can be serious work without being serious every minute. Sometimes humor helps us recognize our patterns and become more open to changing them.
My goal isn't to take sides. It's to help you understand what's happening, take responsibility for what you can change, and create healthier relationships.
Are you thinking you in need of Individual or Couples Counseling? Are you saying things like; I am stuck in life and not sure what to do. I struggle with mental health challenges and have not found any relief. If you relationships lack communication, have constant fighting, not feeling seen or heard or if you with a partner who shuts down or resents you
The most important thing to remember is that no matter what challenges have you at a crossroads in life, a glimmer of hope is all you need to unlock the life you always dreamed of, have the relationships you want, heal from trauma and experience life on your terms. Fairy tales can come true and hope is where we start so you can discover your
Happily Ever After!
What Relationship Problems Are You Having?
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Poor Communication
This is the top complaint for all the couples I see. We don't communicate! There are two core reasons for lack of communication. #1 One partner has shutdown and fears conflict so they say nothing but their resentment bank is about to blow. #2 Both partners trigger each other and this activates your freeze, flight, fight response and you will never hear a word each other is saying. Click here to learn more
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Infidelity
If there has been an infidelity in the relationship,that will destroy the trust in the relationship. Once trust is broken it is hard to be vulnerable again with your partner. One partner wants to know why while the other one for the most part either does not know why or fears telling them the truth. Click Here to learn More
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Dealing with Grandiosity
Riding their high horse. Grandiosity is one partner needing to be higher than the other. They need to be right all of the time. My way or the highway thinking. Grandiosity typically happens when one partner feels as though they are being disempowered which impacts their already low self-esteem so they yell, argue and behave in a way that makes them feel empowered. Their attitude is "I had to take that from my parents when I was a kid and now I am an adult and have power and I am not going to let anyone speak to me like that or tell me I am wrong!" Click here to learn more
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Feeling Dismissed
When one partner fails to hear and see a partner they feel dismissed and not understood. A dismissive partner will yes you to death, gaslight you and may shut you down by yelling, walking away or retreating within themselves which is so frustrating for the other partner. Click here to learn more
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Feeling Controlled
A partner that is controlling typically struggles with a tremendous amount of anxiety. They are trying to control whatever they can so they do not feel out of control. However, this can leave their partner aggravated, resentful and leave them with a feeling that they are being parented and managed by their partner. "You treat me just like my mom or dad" I hear that quite a bit in sessions. Nobody wants another parent. They want a partner. Click here to learn more
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Feeling Suffocated
The feeling of being suffocated is like being controlled but different because this typically involves one partner not feeling loved enough. This partner will always be talking about how much their partner doesn't love them regardless of how much they believe they are doing. They pursue their partners with high intensity and if their partner is walled off from childhood they will run further away because they are love avoidant.
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![A woman with long dark hair holding her head with both hands, eyes closed and grimacing in frustration or stress, with a man in the background gesturing towards her with a confused or frustrated expression.]()
Resentment
Resentment is a poison that slowly will eat away at your relationship until it ends. When your partner flies off the handle and has a huge reaction to something minor there is resentment in the relationship. I tell clients that it has noting to do with leaving the cap off the toothpaste. It is something in the past that they are holding onto that have them fired up and attacking you. Resentment is one of the biggest problems in relationships that is why I spend a lot of time in sessions working through them with clients and helping them heal so they can move forward.
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Living Like Roommates
Lot's of couples have this problem. It can be a result of several things, resentment about the past, one partner treating the other like a child, being walled off but one that I find apparent with a lot of couples is when they engage in Misery Stabilizers. These are the things each partner may do to avoid intimacy, connection and conversation with their partner. They kind of do their own thing. Some popular misery stabilizers are. Phones, social media, work, kids, hanging out with friends, Substance use and other addictions.
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Stable Ambiguity
The only way you connect is through your fighting and arguing. When I see a couple that uses this dysfunction to connect I ask them "If you stopped fighting would you still have a relationship?". They fight instead of having conversations because they have not learned relational communication skills and most likely are modeling what they saw when they were younger. Parent #1 makes a demand from Parent #2. Parent #2 Feels controlled and managed and goes on the defensive and that is the dance. They are communicating but in a very dysfunctional way.
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Marriage and Money
Struggling with money issues in your marriage? Financial stress can strain any relationship, but with the right tools and guidance, you can rebuild trust, improve communication, and align on financial goals. I help couples navigate money challenges, reduce conflict, and create a stronger, more unified partnership. Let’s work together to restore harmony in your relationship. Click here to learn more
What Makes My Therapy Approach Effective
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Good Energy
I believe that having the right type of energy in therapy is a key to making a connection that allows you feel safe and be vulnerable so you can process and heal from your challenges in life. I strive to provide a warm, empathetic, positive, calming and healing energy in my sessions so my clients feel comfortable to do the work.
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Problem Solving
I am not a therapist that sits there and nods while taking notes. My clients at times ask for help with problems they are having in life and we roll up our sleeves and we work as a team to solve them together.
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Talking About The Elephant
I find that partners feel that directness in couples counseling is helpful because a lot of untrained couples therapists will spend a lot of time beating around the bush of dysfunction and I go right through the bush in the first session and talk about the elephant sitting in the room. Clients have said "Wow we are not wasting any time and getting right into it". Yes, we are and that quickly I work so you can get back to living your lives.
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Time is Important
We can’t make or buy more time in life. Therefore, I believe that we should not be spending years in therapy. You have challenge in front of you that you want help and support with so you can get back to living your life and finding your happily ever after.
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Being Relational
I do not hide behind a veil of professional secrecy and we are equals in the room. I model what being relational is with my clients and meet them where they are at. When it is helpful I share my own life experiences with them which I feel accomplishes two things. Letting them know I am human and helping them understand they are not alone on their journey.
“These are the Five Reasons why you may be having relationship problems and it is not you or your partner’s fault”
#1 When you are triggered you revert to a younger version of yourself and all their job in childhood was to survive. So congratulations on that. However, how we adapted to survive in our childhood are the same resources we use in our relationships today which is not relational and not your fault!
#2 You and your partner most likely learned your relationship skills from your parents. Take a moment and think about that! Most Couples Therapists teach skills to the parts of you that can’t use them. I teach skills to the part of you that will use them.
Again. Not your fault.
#3 You have been triggering each other’s inner adaptive child without even knowing it, which creates your dysfunctional dance. Again Not your fault because you had no idea!
The more you criticize them, the more they withdraw, the more they withdraw the more abandoned and angrier you become, the more angrier you become and pursue them the more resentful they become.
#4
A. You grew up in a Walled up family where nobody showed their emotions. This would leave you love avoidant and fearing intimacy and connection.
B. You had a parent that that was boundaryless and you felt suffocated by their love. This would leave you love avoidant and fearing connection and intimacy.
You run from your partner and love!
C. You grew up in a Walled of family where you were emotionally and or physically abandoned or neglected. You didn’t get the love you needed and had to rely on yourself. This would leave you love dependent and craving for the love you never had when you were a child. You pursue your partner with intensity!
Once again, Not your fault because your parents learned their relationship skills from their parents!
#5 You haven’t found the right Couples Counselor until now because most Couples Therapists listen and nod while you and your partner argue about the argument of the week! Not Helpful. To become relational and discover intimacy you need help with healing your inner wounded child, freeing your adaptive child and awaking your wise adult that can be relational with yourself and your partner. Because the truth is that most couples therapists aren't trained or are not comfortable with taking this approach to therapy until now.
That is certainly not your fault!
“Because You Deserve A Happily Ever After”
“Don’t You?”
What clients are saying!