Who couples counseling fits
Couples work fits when the relationship itself — its patterns, its dynamics, what gets said and what doesn't — is the thing that needs the work. It fits whether you've been together six months or thirty years, whether you're married or not, whether the relationship is monogamous, polyamorous, open, or working out a structure that doesn't have a label yet.
What a session looks like
Most couples sessions are 60 or 75 minutes. The first session is usually with both partners; sometimes we do brief individual meet-and-fit sessions with each partner before the joint work begins, depending on the situation.
Modalities we use
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy — heavily research-backed, particularly strong on conflict patterns, repair, and the daily mechanics of relationship
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — attachment-based, particularly powerful when the cycle is "we keep ending up here and I don't know why"
- Discernment counseling — when the question is whether to work on the relationship or whether to end it; this is short, structured work, not couples therapy in disguise
- Adaptations for LGBTQ+ couples and non-monogamous structures — many standard couples-therapy frameworks were not built for our relationships; we adapt, we don't pretend
What couples counseling can help with
- The same fight, different week
- Sex and intimacy concerns
- Co-parenting through transition or coming out
- One partner's identity shifting and what that means for the relationship
- Major life transitions — moves, careers, fertility, grief
- Affairs and the long work of repair (or honest endings)
- Boundaries with families of origin
A note on insurance
Insurance often does not cover couples counseling unless one partner has an individual diagnosis. We'll be transparent with you about this on the first call. More on insurance →
You don't have to figure this out alone
If this sounds like the kind of work you'd want to do, reach out — we'll start with a no-pressure first session.