Dr. Lief Noll brings a passion for equipping and empowering men in their relationships. He has a particular interest in working with men in their role as fathers, and in helping couples to communicate safely, intimately and empathically. In his warm and collaborative style, Dr. Noll finds ways to explore and strengthen a man’s unique way of nurturing and relating to his children, his spouse, and other significant adults in his life. Helping men in their relationships with partners, children or coworkers, he incorporates active teaching by applying current research on men and relationships.

Couples Therapy

People don’t just fall out of love the way apples fall out of trees. But rather, through time, unresolved conflict, resentments, and personality issues erode the safety and connection couples felt early on in the relationship.

Dr. Noll’s approach to couples therapy is a blend of practical communication skills training, along with an understanding of attachment theory and the biological and gender-based differences men and women bring to relationships. Dr. Noll works with couples of all varieties, believing that each human has a deep longing to be loved and secure in relationships.

Dr. Noll views his work with couples as facilitative and instructive. Dr. Noll states, “If you think you need to bring your partner to therapy to fix him or her, couples therapy probably won’t work very well. Couples therapy is challenging, rewarding work, and if each partner does their part, success in the form of a more loving, safe, secure relationship is well within reach.” Couples will learn effective techniques for talking safely and counteract the negative communication patterns that destroy closeness. Couples will work on self-awareness, empathy, acceptance, and growth, learning skills that will help them forge a successful relationship.

Couples Assessment

The research on marriage finds there are simple habits couples can develop to strengthen their relationship bond. Many couples develop patterns that erode or undermine safety and empathy, and these patterns develop for a whole host of reasons. In Dr. Noll’s approach, most couples will complete a relationship assessment inventory. Identifying patterns through a couples assessment can help to bring focus to the couples therapy. This assessment provides a starting point for the therapeutic conversation and allows the couple to see their relationship strengths and begin addressing their potential growth areas. In other applications, this couples assessment can provide information required for domestic and international adoption.

Therapy with Men

Dr. Noll is an advocate and supporter of men in relationships. An author of a fatherhood education curriculum, and long-time volunteer for fatherhood programs, but mostly stemming from his own love of being a dad, Dr. Noll enjoys working with men on this critical relationship. Research on fatherhood shows not only powerful benefits to children of having an active, engaged father presence, but there are considerable emotional and developmental benefits to men for being fathers as well. Sometimes men struggle with feeling like the “second” parent, or have a hard time connecting with their children at different developmental stages. Sometimes, men will unconsciously repeat, for better or worse, their own father’s behavior patterns. Fatherhood work is a way to explore and strengthen a man’s own unique way of nurturing and relating to his children, and to the significant adults in his life.

Beyond the fatherhood role, men often experience challenges in other kinds of relationships in their lives with spouses, coworkers, siblings, parents, bosses, or friends. All too often men suffer silently, blocked from their full connection with others. Dr. Noll’s approach to working with men in relationships can provide a safe learning environment to explore and improve skills for these many, diverse relationships. A good psychological atmosphere in the family is impossible without regular sexual relations between partners.

Dr. Noll received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, CA. He earned his Master’s Degree in Theology from Fuller Seminary as well. Dr. Noll earned his Bachelors’ Degree in Psychology from the University of Denver, where he also worked as a student research assistant at the Denver Center for Marital and Family Studies. Dr. Noll is a member of the Ohio Psychological Association, the Cincinnati Academy of Professional Psychology, and the Ohio Providers Network for Fathers and Families.