Compassionate Connections Couples Counseling

02/17/2026

✨ Please Welcome Maria Koch, LMSW! ✨

We’re excited to share that Maria has joined Compassionate Connections and is now offering evening telehealth appointments for individuals and couples.

Maria earned her MSW from New York University and specializes in supporting:

• Young adults navigating identity, anxiety, and life transitions
• Parents managing stress and shifting family dynamics
• Couples strengthening communication and connection

You may be familiar with Maria through her work with Northeast Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine or her ongoing role with Cayuga Medical Associates on the Primary Care Behavioral Health team.

She integrates CBT, DBT, ACT, and Solution-Focused Therapy in a grounded, relational approach.

Currently accepting Aetna, with private-pay options available.

Referrals welcome.

02/17/2026

✨ Please Welcome Maria Koch, LMSW! ✨

We’re excited to share that Maria has joined Compassionate Connections and is now offering evening telehealth appointments for individuals and couples.

Maria earned her MSW from New York University and specializes in supporting:

• Young adults navigating identity, anxiety, and life transitions
• Parents managing stress and shifting family dynamics
• Couples strengthening communication and connection

You may be familiar with Maria through her work with Northeast Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine or her ongoing role with Cayuga Medical Associates on the Primary Care Behavioral Health team.

She integrates CBT, DBT, ACT, and Solution-Focused Therapy in a grounded, relational approach.

Currently accepting Aetna, with private-pay options available.

Referrals welcome.

Please join us in welcoming Maria!

01/30/2026

01/25/2026

When it comes to keeping passion alive and boosting s*xual and relationship satisfaction, we often hear about the importance of introducing novelty. It’s a tried and true method! But how often do you need to try new things, and just how novel do these activities need to be in order to experience benefits?

Research finds that satisfaction increases linearly up to 12 acts of novelty per year before leveling off. So novelty seems to increase satisfaction—but only to a point. There are diminishing returns beyond once per month. But these acts of novelty don’t have to be extreme—they can be as simple as sharing a fantasy, trying a new position, wearing s*xy underwear, or trying a new toy. You don’t have to get super wild (unless you want to!).

Put simply, a mini burst of novelty once per month (or even every other month) can have surprising benefits!

To learn more about this research, go all the way back to Episode 97 of the S*x and Psychology Podcast (link in bio) for my interview with Dr. David Frederick.

*xed *xandpsychology

01/20/2026

10/26/2025

We love a good couples costume… or maybe we just love a good role play 😏💁🏼‍♀️ Stay playful, my lovelies ♥️👻 *xtherapy

10/05/2025

Absolutely!! If you can’t communicate authentically and openly about these things there’s some work to do. Schedule with one of our couples therapists today!!

Harvard-trained psychologist: Couples who 'truly trust' each other talk about 10 things regularly. Find the link in the comments. ⬇️

10/05/2025

Absolutely. 💯 agree.

I’m a psychologist who studies couples: People in the happiest relationships do 5 things for fun—they all cost nothing. Find the link in the comments. ⬇️