Virtual therapy in Virginia for couples who don't do anything halfway.
Because connection is worth fighting for.
You’ve solved harder problems than this. Your relationship deserves the same level of care.
I work with couples navigating demanding careers, meaningful differences, and the quiet disconnection that can develop behind closed doors.
Hi, I’m Connor McLaren.
I'm a licensed clinical psychologist in Virginia who works exclusively with couples.
I've always been drawn to the space between two people: what gets said, what doesn't, and what it would take for that to change. This curiosity has followed me through years of clinical training and, honestly, through years of being in a relationship myself—one that has required real coordination, real flexibility, and the kind of effort that doesn't happen by accident. I know firsthand what it means to love someone across a genuine divide. It's made me a better therapist.
DR. CONNOR MCLAREN, PH.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
FOUNDER, COMMON GROUND PSYCHOLOGY
My Specialties
High-Achieving Couples
I work with couples whose demanding careers quietly erode connection over time. This disconnection rarely reflects a lack of love; it's the natural byproduct of two driven people directing their energy outward. Together, we'll bring the same care and intentionality you apply professionally back to your relationship.
Couples Navigating Difference
I help couples navigating a salient difference — whether that's based on culture, religion, race, ability, or something else. When that part of you doesn't feel seen or honored by your partner, the loneliness can be profound. I help couples move through those gaps with curiosity and care, so both people feel more fully known.
Sex Therapy
Sex is often the hardest topic for couples to talk about, so it’s usually the last thing they bring up in therapy - if they bring it up at all. I help couples name what’s actually happening in their intimate life, without shame or blame, so desire, connection, and pleasure become things you can talk about instead of tiptoe around.
Premarital Counseling
This is for couples who want to start strong — not just those with concerns. We'll use structured, evidence-based tools to get you aligned on the things that matter most: finances, family, conflict, and intimacy. Many couples find it less like therapy and more like building a shared foundation with intention.
Infidelity
Affair recovery is one of the most painful experiences a couple can work through together. Whether you're in the acute crisis of discovery or further along and trying to make sense of what happened, we’ll focus on honest reckoning, rebuilding trust, and deciding together what comes next.
LGBTQ+ Couples
Queer couples must consider things straight couples don’t: coming out, chosen family, navigating unsupportive relatives, and not having a roadmap that reflects your relationship. I’ll help you build a partnership on your own terms that isn’t one more place you have to explain yourself.
Find your way back to each other, on your timeline.
Every relationship is different. That's why I offer flexible couples therapy formats — so you can choose the pace and structure that works best for you.
Weekly Sessions
Consistent, ongoing support for couples who want to build momentum week over week.
Biweekly Sessions
A flexible rhythm for couples who want dedicated space without a weekly commitment.
Couples Intensive
A focused, immersive experience for couples who want to do deep work in a concentrated period of time..
Not sure where to start? Reach out — I’ll help you figure out what fits.
The Science Behind My Approach
Emotionally-Focused
Emotionally-focused couples therapy (EFT) helps couples identify the emotional cycles keeping them stuck and reshape them into patterns of closeness and security.
Cognitive-Behavioral
Cognitive-behavioral couples therapy (CBCT) examines thoughts and behaviors that shape how partners respond to one another, building more accurate interpretations.
Attachment-Based
Attachment-based couples therapy draws on the science of nervous system regulation to understand why partners react the way they do — and how to build a more responsive connection.
Gottman Method
The Gottman Method is an evidence-based approach that gives couples practical tools to improve communication, navigate conflict, and deepen friendship.
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic couples therapy explores how early experiences author the roles you play with each other and how insight can open the door to new ones.
Imago
Imago couples therapy explores how we unconsciously seek partners who mirror our earliest wounds — and how understanding that friction paves the way to healing.
My Values
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I'm a relativist, not an absolutist. I believe individuals and couples have the right to define their own values, identities, and ways of living – and I don't view schools of thought, religion, or political affiliations as right or wrong. My role isn't to impose a worldview or prescribe what a relationship should look like; rather, I aim to help you build a partnership that aligns with your own vision of it.
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Patterns, not people, are the problem. The ways partners communicate, withdraw, react, or cope are often shaped by attachment histories, family systems, culture, and stress. Behavior that looks irrational from the outside almost always makes sense in context. My interest isn't in who's to blame, but in understanding the conditions that shape how each of you shows up – and how those can shift.
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The relationship itself is what we're here to tend. My job isn't to referee, but to help you and your partner find your way back to the curiosity and care that brought you together; and to define, together, what a fulfilling partnership looks like for you.
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I'm not a blank wall. If I notice something, I'll name it. If I have a perspective, I'll share it – directly, but with care. I believe the therapeutic relationship works best when I'm a real, present person in the room, not just a mirror.
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One of our deepest longings in relationships is to be truly seen. Not the version of us that performs or protects, but the one underneath. I believe a great partnership doesn't just accept who you are; it actively helps you become more fully yourself. And that self isn't fixed. It's something we're always growing into.
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I'm still learning, and I'll never pretend otherwise. I don't have all the answers. You know yourselves best, and I expect to learn from you. The same spirit applies to the work couples do together. Some of the most important breakthroughs happen when partners loosen their certainty – about their partner, and even about themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
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I work exclusively with couples, and sessions are conducted with both partners present. If individual therapy is something you're looking for, I have a strong referral network and can point you in the right direction.
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Couples therapy is not the right fit when there is an active addiction, ongoing infidelity, or physical or sexual abuse occurring. These situations require individual treatment and safety planning before starting couples work.
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I provide a superbill you can submit for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Coverage varies by plan, so I recommend calling your insurer ahead of time to ask whether they cover out-of-network therapists and if they reimburse for CPT code 90847.
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Yes. I want to help any and all who seek support for their relationship, however they define it.
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Yes, I offer some evening hours for couples who can’t make daytimes work. However, these spots are limited.
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Ideally, yes. But three-way calls work too.
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All sessions are conducted virtually. Sessions should be convenient and comfortable. Virtual therapy allows you to book sessions that fit your schedule without worrying about a commute.