Our Story
We – that is, Jeb Sawyer and Theresa Benoit, co-founders and co-owners of the Relationship Therapy Center – met during our couples therapy internship. There was an instant connection between us, the once-in-a-lifetime type that seemed almost too good to be true. Of course, as newly minted couples therapists, we both knew enough about relationships to know that infatuation wouldn’t be enough to sustain us in the long term. And we were right. Despite our education and training, we got caught in so many of the same traps that we were helping our clients with – painful loops of conflict, lack of trust in each other, and an inability to get on the same page – and it became clear to us that even though we had something special, we were going to destroy it if we didn’t call in a professional. So, even though we had only been together for three months, we decided to find our own couples therapist.
The search for a good therapist was much more daunting than we expected. Everyone that came highly recommended by our network was already full, and it felt like we were just taking our chances with others that claimed to work with couples. We saw a number of therapists during this time, some better than others, but none that seemed uniquely competent working with us. We thought, “Why is it so hard to find someone good to work with us?” and “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place you could go that you knew you’d be able to get quality couples therapy? Like a Relationship Therapy Center, where all they did was couples therapy and they did it well?” But nothing like that existed… yet.
One of the things that brought us together was our passion for learning. We wanted to learn everything there was to know about relationships and how to be effective in our couples therapy. But even deeper down, we were motivated to learn these techniques in order to save our precious relationship that we both so desperately wanted to work. We put every resource we had into this mission to become the couples therapists (and the couple!) we knew we could be. We flew to Australia to study for a few months with Michael White. We headed up to Canada to learn from Susan Johnson, then over to Seattle to get Gottman certified. Brent Atkinson became our new best friend and mentor, as we visited him in Chicago many times to start synthesizing our understanding of how to make relationships work. We also trained with Stan Tatkin, Terry Real, Janis Spring, and Scott Miller. And we read and read some more, studying anyone that had any kind of philosophy for working with couples or the dynamics of relationships, until we had compiled what we considered to be the best way to support couples who were looking for help. In the process of learning and applying what we had learned to our own relationship, we had saved ourselves from the brink and transformed our relationship into a refuge.
In 2006, all of our efforts culminated in the founding of the Relationship Therapy Center. We were determined to create the place that we would have wanted to go to during our relationship crisis – a clinic where all of our therapists would be thoroughly trained in all the relationship theory and techniques that took us years to learn. To ensure that all of our couples were getting ethical therapy related to achieving their goals, we implemented Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) and use it in every session. We now have over 50 couples therapists in multiple locations, all dedicated to the same shared values of Effectiveness, Connection & Growth.
And now, 20 years later, we continue to reap the benefits of a healthy relationship. It’s led to so much love and laughter during the good times, and comfort and support during the hard times. For us, learning to love better was the best investment we’ve ever made in our lives. We hope that you, too, will learn to love better. And be better loved.
Our Mission
To help people grow in health and happiness in their important relationships.
Our Core Values
- Effectiveness: We know that clients will get the best possible service. We give our clients the best possible chance of thriving.
- Growth: Rooted in the belief that we can learn to have supportive relationships. We push ourselves and our clients to grow.
- Connection: We help our clients have better intimacy. Clients know we genuinely care about them.
Through the integration of empirically informed couples therapy, VIP customer service, and a willingness to go beyond the normal bounds of couples therapy – we are able to tailor our services to the needs of each individual client and relationship. Relationships are our passion.
Our Inclusivity Statement
The Relationship Therapy Center is an equal opportunity organization, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, disability, color, size, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or socioeconomic background. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcome environment for all clients and members of our staff.
Our Commitment to Anti-Racism
We at RTC are continually striving to better understand and educate ourselves on all social identities in our community; race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, developmental/learning abilities, socioeconomic status, and more. We are currently focusing on anti-racism by honestly exploring our tendencies to discriminate against people of color and what that looks like, being mindful of verbal and nonverbal interactions and checking ourselves of our own stigmas.