John Bautista

You may love your partner deeply and still wonder how the two of you became so disconnected. Maybe conversations that once felt easy now turn into arguments, defensiveness, or silence. You keep having the same conflicts without resolving them, or you feel a growing “space between” you and the person who once felt closest to you. If you want to reconnect but aren’t sure how to get there, couples therapy can help you understand what is happening between you and begin creating something different.

I work with couples who want to better understand one another, break painful patterns of conflict, and rebuild emotional connection. Often, what looks like an argument about communication, responsibilities, intimacy, or another recurring issue has something deeper underneath it. I help partners slow down those interactions and understand the emotions, needs, fears, and beliefs driving the pattern so they can respond to each other differently.

My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and relationship-focused. I want both partners to experience therapy as a place where they can be honest, feel understood, and take the vulnerable risks necessary for meaningful change. Rather than deciding who is right or wrong, we work together to understand the relationship the two of you have created and how each of you can help close the unwanted “space between.” Love, trust, forgiveness, and emotional safety can be rebuilt when partners learn to show up differently for one another.

My clinical approach draws primarily from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and attachment theory. These approaches help couples understand how emotions and attachment needs influence conflict, identify beliefs that affect how they see themselves and their partner, and learn healthier ways to express what they need from one another. The goal is not simply to communicate better during therapy, but to create new patterns of connection that continue outside the therapy room.

For clients who want their Christian faith to be part of counseling, I also offer faith integration. My graduate training in both counseling and theology allows us to thoughtfully incorporate Christian beliefs, values, and spiritual concerns into therapy to the degree that you want them included. Faith integration is always based on the client’s preferences and is not required to work with me.

John Bautista is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in the state of Texas (#100806) under the supervision of Lauren Guenther, LPC-S (#71198). John earned both his Master’s in Counseling and Master’s in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is particularly passionate about helping couples move from disconnection toward greater understanding, vulnerability, trust, and emotional closeness.