Dr. Stephen Madigan – Award Winning Relationship Counselling Specialist. Experienced Couple Therapy and Best Couple Therapist Vancouver, BC.

“Stephen is an amazing human being and therapist. Highly recommended for both personal and couple therapy. When living in a hectic work and family environment sometimes you lose sight of the important things in life relationship and family. He’s great at helping simplifying life and going back to basics on both personal and relationship matters.” Couple Review

Dr. Stephen Madigan’s award-winning common sense, value driven, non-pathologizing approach to therapy has earned him an international reputation as a highly gifted Couple Therapist.

Dr. Madigan’s practice is change-focused, cost-efficient, and designed to rescue, repair, and rejuvenate the couple’s foundational values (mutual respect, adventure, difference, fairmindedness, family beliefs, equity, care, politics, creative conversation, kindness, listening, laughter, etc.) – that once helped their relationship to flourish.

Dr. Madigan has 25 years of experience in the therapy room and believes it is the loss, sadness and/or transgressions of foundational relationship values that primarily brings couples to therapy.

Dr. Madigan makes a compellingly case that couple relationships are not solely responsible for the loss of their foundational values and nor do they create experiences of relational conflict – entirely on their own!!

Dr. Madigan’s award-winning therapy is recognized for offering long-lasting assistance to conflicted couple relationships who struggle to maintain their cherished relationship values while also finding the time and energy for other relationship responsibilities, expectations, and obligations to:

Work, children, chauffeuring to doctor/dentist/school/sports etc., caring for extended family, friend’s lives, elderly parents, while dealing with illness, job dissatisfaction, differing cultural/generational beliefs, finances, home renovations, and maintaining commitments to community, grocery shopping, physical exercise, pet care, social activities (this list goes on, and on.)

Dr. Madigan’s is internationally celebrated for outlining how these highly important life sustaining relationships in the couple’s life can quickly become priorities over their intimate relationship and eventually become the primary reason for conflict, escalating arguments, and divorce.

Dr. Madigan incorporates a wide range of collaborative relational strategies that a) afford the couple more compassion for their relationship (realizing the impact and time other relationships require), b) assist in a return towards reinvigorating their own cherished relationship values, c) reviving a focus on what their love relationship is asking for and desperately needs to grow forward, d) offering tactics in how the couple might place their intimate relationship above all other relationships and, e) never (ever!) suggesting and/or relying on ‘date nights’ as the answer (:

** Dr. Madigan’s practice has helped hundreds and hundreds of conflicted couple relationships and – the average time in therapy is 3 to 5 sessions.

Dr. Stephen Madigan has to be one of my favorite people. My spouse and I worked with Dr Madigan as our therapist. He walked along side us to encourage and help strengthen our relationship, we could not be more appreciative and thankful for his guidance. We always look forward to seeing him again. Thank you, Dr Madigan! See you soon. Couple Review

Dr. Madigan is a globally recognized award-winning therapist, best-selling author, a top-rated Vancouver Couples Therapist and – he looks forward to meeting you.

BOOK YOUR COUPLE THERAPY SESSION WITH DR MADIGAN HERE

Dr Madigan demonstrates Live therapy with a couple and their therapist in Norway with High Conflict Team sitting behind the one-way mirror.

Dr Madigan receives thanks and appreciation back in São Paulo Brazil. Over two hundred and fifty couple therapists from around the country attended his 3-day Relational Interviewing with Conflicted Couple Relationships workshop training.

Education

Stephen holds a Master’s of clinical Social Work (MSW) and, an MSc and PhD in Couple and Family Therapy. He was the youngest Canadian to receive a PhD in Couple and Family Therapy and is registered as a Clinical Counsellor in British Columbia (BCACC).

Accomplished

The prestigious American Family Therapy Academy honoured Stephen with their Distinguished Award for Innovative Practice in Couple Therapy – Theory and Practice ~ marking a first for Canada.

Experience

Stephen’s post-Ph.D experience began through opening Yaletown Family Therapy in Vancouver. Where for 13 years he and his therapy team served as the exclusive contracted therapists for Vancouver’s Hollywood North Film and Television Industry’s 5,000 IATSE 891 union members, + actors, writers, and directors.

Proud Parent

Stephen is a (very) proud father of 29 year old twin daughters who add so much love and humour to his life.

Fun fact: Stephen is a long retired member of the Canadian National Ultimate Team.

Published Author

Stephen’s 1st and 2nd editions of the book, Narrative Therapy – Theory and Practice are published by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2011 & 2019. Both books became bestsellers and are used as primary texts in graduate psychology, social work, and counselling programs worldwide. The book’s 3rd Edition will be released by the APA in the Fall of 2025.

Vancouver School For Narrative Therapy Founder & Director

Stephen is the founder and director of training at the world-renowned Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy where he teaches alongside an exceptionally talented international teaching and training team. He is also the director of content for the online learning platform VSNT.live. Stephen and faculty colleges host the annual International Therapeutic Conversations conference in Canada, Norway, and the USA.