Relational & Couples Support

Connection-based care for couples, families, and partnerships

Many challenges in relationships, parenting, and family life aren’t caused by a lack of effort or insight, but by patterns of stress, miscommunication, and disconnection that the nervous system doesn’t know how to resolve.

In addition to his medical work, Dr. Matthew Lederman is a Certified Trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) who works with couples, parents, and families to develop practical, learnable connection skills that transform conflict into understanding, restore emotional safety, and support lasting change in how people relate to one another.

This work is grounded in nervous system science, relational awareness, and decades of experience helping people move from reactivity and disconnection toward trust, collaboration, and care. Strengthening connection doesn’t just create more safety in relationships — it also helps the body shift out of chronic stress and into a state that supports regulation and healing.

How This Work Is Different

This is not traditional couples therapy or counseling.

Rather than focusing on blame, diagnosis, or endlessly revisiting the past, the work is:

• Skills-based and present-focused

• Trauma-informed and nervous-system aware

• Practical and immediately applicable in real life

Sessions focus on what is happening in the moment, helping individuals and couples:

• Recognize stress and threat responses as they arise

• Understand the unmet needs driving conflict

• Communicate in ways that create safety instead of escalation

• Practice new responses that support connection and mutual understanding

Core Framework: Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

At the heart of this work is Nonviolent Communication (NVC) — a practical framework for understanding what’s happening beneath conflict and learning how to respond with clarity, honesty, and empathy.

NVC is not about avoiding conflict or being “nice.”
It is about:

• Identifying the needs underneath strong emotions

• Communicating in ways others can actually hear

• Creating a felt sense of safety and understanding

• Turning conflict into an opportunity for connection and repair

Dr. Lederman is a Certified Trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) and has taught and practiced these skills with individuals, couples, families, and leaders for decades.

Who This Work Supports

Dr. Lederman works with clients seeking support around:

• Couples and partnership challenges

• Parenting and co-parenting dynamics

• Adult–child and multi-generational relationships

• Recurrent conflict, rupture, or emotional distance

• Navigating difficult conversations or respectful separations

What Clients Gain

Clients often report:

• A deeper sense of emotional safety and understanding

• Less escalation and more clarity during conflict

• Stronger trust and goodwill

• Practical tools they can use independently

• Greater confidence navigating future challenges

The goal is not dependence on sessions, but lasting relational capacity.

How This Fits With Medical Care

This relational work is fully aligned with Dr. Lederman’s medical philosophy.

When the nervous system shifts out of chronic threat and into safety:

• Physical symptoms often soften

• Chronic struggles ease

• Relationships stabilize

• New pathways toward healing and resilience emerge

Relational safety is not separate from health — it is foundational to it.

How to Begin

Dr. Lederman works with clients virtually.

If you’d like to learn more or explore whether this work feels like a fit, please click here to contact us.