Who couples counseling is for.
Married couples. Long-term unmarried partners. Couples who are dating and want to talk through whether to take the next step. Pre-marital couples who want to start their marriage with a shared map. Queer couples, straight couples, couples with kids, couples without. Couples in which one or both partners have a mental health condition that's affecting the relationship. Couples on the verge of breaking up — and couples who know they want to stay together but can't quite remember how.
What a session looks like.
Both partners attend most sessions, with occasional individual sessions when useful. The first 1–2 sessions are assessment — what brought you in, where the patterns are, what each of you is hoping for. After that, sessions are working sessions: identifying the loop you keep falling into, naming what's underneath the conflict, and slowly — collaboratively — building new patterns. We do not let one partner monopolize. We do not take sides. We do not tell you to stay or leave.
What we draw on.
Our couples work is informed primarily by the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — the two best-researched approaches to couples therapy. Gottman gives us the structure for understanding what predicts relationship distress and what predicts repair. EFT gives us the lens for the emotional patterns underneath surface conflict. We blend them.
Common reasons couples come.
- Communication that has stopped working — same fight, different week.
- Repeated conflict over money, parenting, in-laws, sex, or division of labor.
- An affair, a betrayal, or a breach of trust.
- One partner's mental health (anxiety, depression) starting to shape both partners' lives.
- Big transitions — new baby, move, layoff, illness, a child leaving home.
- Drift — nothing is wrong, but you've stopped being curious about each other.
- Pre-marital counseling — getting practical before the wedding.
How long it usually takes.
Most couples we work with see meaningful change within 12–24 weekly sessions. Some are done sooner; some need longer, especially after betrayal or with longer-running patterns. We will be honest with you about what we think is realistic.
You don't have to figure this out alone.
Reach out and we'll match you with a clinician trained in couples work. We'll find a time that works for both of you — including evenings, weekends, and telehealth — and we'll start with a conversation about what each of you is hoping for.
Book a couples session Call (626) 354-6440