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About The Relationship Center of Milwaukee

Couples therapy that helps you feel close again

We help married, partnered, and LGBTQ+ couples move past repeating fights, rebuild trust, and talk with care so home feels steadier, kinder, and more connected.

You deserve to feel safe, seen, and understood

Disconnection can make everyday life heavy. Maybe conversations spiral, trust feels shaky, or intimacy is hard to reach. 

 

Our mission is simple: offer a calm, structured, and compassionate space where both of you feel respected, your needs are heard, and you get a clear plan you can use at home so closeness grows again.

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Available for appointments online throughout Wisconsin,
or 
in person in Milwaukee, Whitefish Bay, Glendale, and Fox Point

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Why we built a place just for couples

We started this practice because we kept meeting partners who cared deeply about each other but were stuck in patterns that made it hard to connect. 

 

Over years of focused couples work, we saw what helps most: steady guidance, space to speak without blame, and practical steps that fit real life. 

 

We created the Relationship Center of Milwaukee so couples and diverse partnerships have a welcoming, inclusive place to repair hurt, understand what is underneath reactions, and learn new ways of reaching each other. 

 

Today, every session reflects that purpose. 

 

We hold both partners with equal care, center the relationship as our client, and move at a pace that builds confidence and durable change.

Meet the team

Paul Smerz, Ph.D.

Paul Smerz, Ph.D.

Kelly Smerz, Ph.D.

Kelly Smerz, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Pequet, LMFT

Elizabeth Pequet, LMFT

What it’s like to work with us

Therapy with us is structured and compassionate.

We begin by mapping your strengths and stuck cycles, then guide conversations that help you hear the need beneath the reaction.

You will leave with simple practices to try between sessions so change shows up at home, not just in the room.

We check in on progress and adjust the plan together.

Whether you are reconnecting after distance, rebuilding after a betrayal of trust, navigating parenting stress, or planning a strong start before marriage, we move at your pace with clarity, respect, and goals you help define.

Guided by values that shape every session

We help couples and diverse partnerships repair hurt, talk with care, and feel close again through counseling that is structured, compassionate, and inclusive.

Competence with care

What matters to us is bringing specialized couples expertise with calm, professional guidance. 

 

We invest in advanced training, keep learning, and practice in a way that earns trust, because couples work requires a deeper, different skill set than general therapy.

Relationship-first, inclusive practice

What matters to us is treating the relationship as our client and welcoming every partnership. 

 

We work with straight and LGBTQ+ couples, honor diverse cultural identities, and keep language and processes inclusive while we attend to the “third thing in the room” - the bond you share.

Clarity that leads to progress

What matters to us is a clear, honest path that couples can feel in daily life.

We set expectations, outline structured phases, and name the effort required, because real change takes time, guidance, and practice between sessions.
 

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Helping committed couples repair, reconnect, and grow into a stronger team

Contact

Phone:
(414) 269-1475

 

Location:
6110 N. Port Washington Rd. Glendale, WI 53217

© 2026 The Relationship Center of Milwaukee. All rights reserved.

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