I didn’t come to Las Vegas happily. My husband’s job brought us here from the East with the promise that we would move elsewhere within two years.

Okay, I thought – I can do that! I packed up house, kids, and dog and across the country we went. Two years somehow became two decades and more – and today, we’re very happy to call Las Vegas our home.

Following our move here I decided to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a marriage counselor and couples therapist. I enrolled in the marriage and family therapy graduate program at UNLV, graduating in 1995. Two years later, my business partner and I founded Summerlin Counseling Associates, where I began working with individuals and couples on a full range of life issues.

My therapy practice continued to grow as I worked with a wide variety of clients. My strong desire to focus on the special needs of couples led me to pursue the extensive training needed for this complex work. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I enjoy working with Las Vegas couples of all kinds in all stages of commitment. If you are searching for support and perspective, I want you to know that you can have a strong, loving relationship if you are both willing to work for it.

Skills. Will. Trust. Successful therapy needs all three. I bring the skills, you bring the will and we all bring the trust.

Alexa Elkington
Learn more about how couples therapy works and the specific challenges we can address together.

THE DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL OF COUPLES THERAPY

I’d like to share more about the approach I take in working with Las Vegas couples. As a licensed marriage counselor who has studied extensively with the Couples Institute, I follow the developmental model of couples therapy created by Drs. Ellyn Bader and Peter Pearson. Their concept begins with what it means to be the best version of your human self – and how to give your best in marriage and relationships.

How is the developmental model different from other approaches?

When you’re at the point where you know your relationship MUST change, the developmental model offers a proven way forward.

This approach helps you turn your life and your love around for good, not just for the moment. The last thing you need is that one-step-forward, two-steps back pattern that doesn’t address what is really wrong at the core of your relationship.

Instead of offering temporary relief, the developmental model offers you full-out freedom. Working together, we will:

  • Understand what’s really happening inside your relationship
  • Create a realistic plan to turn things around
  • Build strong relationship skills that will bring you closer together
  • Show you how to keep your relationship healthy over time

A proven way to build the relationship you truly want

Dr. Bader and Dr. Pearson are not only a married couple themselves, but have also been working directly with couples for more than 4 decades. They launched their careers at a time when many were skeptical of the value of couples counseling. Today, they are seen as pioneers in their field.

I’m very proud to count myself among the therapists who have learned directly from these mentors. My work with the Couples Institute has given me the best theoretical and practical approach in helping you create the relationship you want. It has also helped me become a better version of myself in my own marriage — and in all my other relationships, too. Drs. Bader and Pearson consistently model kindness, compassion and brilliance, and I am grateful to pass on what I have learned from them in working with you.

Request your first appointment now. As soon as your appointment is set, I will email you 3 questions that can change your life – and the future of your relationship.