You probably have already tried many things to make things better before landing on this page! The majority of us did not have great role models for marriage and partnerships. And Relationship Skills are not taught in school (although they should be!!). Therapy is just another way to learn more tools to add on to your toolbox so you get more ideas and skills to get relief from stress, depression, anxiety and relationship struggles.

This is the most common concern of new couples! The reality is that that is not how effective couples therapy and marriage counseling works. Your friends and families, maybe even some strangers you’ve talked to, may have created more conflict and tension. Maybe you have even experienced therapy that was not with an experienced couples therapist. Our role is to be the unbiased, third party that helps both of you to be on the same page as an united front against the problems and the setbacks. We help the two of you as a team to identify ways to move forward. We are extensively trained Couples Therapists with 1000’s of hours of training BEYOND graduate school to learn how to work specifically with couples.
We work with you to optimize your relationship instead of repeating the same, old pattern. We are open to feedback too if you feel like we are taking sides. We totally welcome your partner to interview us via a phone call or a message. We want both of you to feel comfortable.

Research found that the average couple waits six years before seeking help for marriage problems. Combine this with the fact that 50% of all marriages don’t last eight years and you can see that getting help as soon as marriage problems arise is essential.
Bottom line: if your Relationship isn’t making you as happy as it once was, now is the time to seek marriage counseling.

Another scientific fact: Infidelity that is successfully worked through offers couples a stronger bond and a renewed connection. One of our specialties is helping couples recover and heal from affairs. It is possible to recover after an affair. Trust can still be built. It can actually be a powerful tool to understand what didn’t work in the relationship. The journey however, would be panful and difficult. We will be there with you to help build trust, repair the relationship and move forward. Check out this great article by Ester Perel on Affairs.

We are here to help you to sort out your thoughts and feelings so you gain the clarity to make decisions that will make you feel better. We do not tell you what to do. We help you and your partner understand what is not working and teach skills to create the relationship that you want. We help you to get from where you are to where you want to be.
We also offer Discernment Counseling to couples where one partner is “leaning in” and one is “leaning out.”

Again, very common and totally expected that not both partners are ready to commit to therapy. It is a scary and difficult step to come into a stranger’s office and share all your private matters. Many of our clients start the process solo and still improve their relationship. Starting couples therapy and marriage counseling takes a lot of courage. However, you won’t see any changes without taking any steps.

Absolutely! The goal of therapy is to learn new skills to cope with whatever life brings so you feel better. Plus, part of being in a relationship is you have to do your own work as you are half of the dynamic. If you are thinking about doing individual work, you are already ahead of the game when you enter a relationship.

Yes. We work with couples and individual of all relational orientations (including LGBTQIA) to manage the stress and conflicts that affect their relationships.

Yes. We work with same–sex couples and mixed-orientation couples. Everyone deserves to have the relationship that they want and a satisfying sex life.

Yes! We are here to help anyone who is struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, self-esteem, body image issues, loss of life direction and identity, and emotional dysregulation in any capacity. Our goal is simple – We want you and your loved ones to feel better.

We want to make it clear that we have a few therapist that DO accept insurance but not all – ONLY BCBS and Optima.

Two really important reasons.

1. There is a BIG difference between behavioral healthcare and couples counseling!
   Our counselors are all qualified mental health professionals, but you should know that our relationship experts are not focused on the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions. Psychotherapy is a completely different field of practice than couples counseling. Most mental health professionals are not qualified to provide couples counseling, which requires an enormous degree of specialized education, training, and experience to do well. (Many providers with clinical mental health training  do so anyway, with adverse consequences for their clients). 
   
   We are relationship specialists. Meaning we have much more education, training, and experience specifically in helping couples than other practitioners.  We practice positive, evidence-based forms of couples therapy and relationship coaching that is action-oriented and focused on helping you make real and lasting change in the way you communicate, work together, and show each other love.
   
   Because counselors who specialize in couples counseling are not in the business of treating mental health issues, but rather in improving relationships, it’s rare to find them paneled with insurance companies. Which makes sense: People seeking relationship improvement are not looking for “healthcare” so insurance is irrelevant for these types of services.
2. Insurance equity laws don’t usually apply to couples counseling. That’s because mental health parity laws treat mental health conditions as a medical diagnosis. The need for couples counseling is not a medical diagnosis, so it is not analogous to a physical health issue. If you meet with a therapist who accepts your insurance, they are coding your sessions with mental health diagnosis and the focus of their treatment, as well as progress notes, must be the diagnosis.

Divorce is more expensive. It’s a fool’s errand to look at numbers and guesstimate the “average” divorced couple will spend. If you’re well off, you’re probably going to spend a fortune – we’ve seen couples spend over $100,000 (or more!). If you’re middle class, you won’t spend that amount, but it’ll still be unpleasant. As of 2021, sources suggest $15,000 as a total cost of a divorce for the legal fees. Selling houses, maintain two residences, increased childcare etc. can push that cost even higher. In comparison, therapy is much cheaper.

You pay for what you get. Couples Therapists have 1000’s of hours of advanced training in specialized couples work beyond a general counseling practitioner. It is like going to a cardiac specialist if you are having heart problems. We have spent years developing our specialty.