LGBTQ+ Couples Counseling & Therapy in Austin

It’s couples therapy where at least one partner is LGBTQ+, with a therapist who doesn’t need your relationship explained. The work itself covers what any couple brings: conflict, trust, sex, big decisions. Coming out, family acceptance and how your relationship is structured get treated as ordinary parts of that conversation rather than detours.

It starts with finding a therapist you both trust. After that, the work often begins somewhere couples don’t expect: with how you fight, before what you fight about.

Andrea Oberhauser, one of our EFT couples therapists, walks couples through four steps when the same argument comes back. Notice the “here we go again” moment and name it out loud. Pause and slow down. Then shift from what you’re fighting about to how, by asking yourself, “Am I fighting for respect, reassurance, closeness, to feel safe?” Last, say that need to your partner, clearly and gently.

As she puts it, “Real resolution comes when you talk about the deeper emotional need rather than the thing you’re fighting about.” She goes deeper in Why You Keep Having the Same Fight.

Mostly, help you fight better. The Gottman Institute’s research found that 69% of relationship conflict is about perpetual problems: differences in personality or needs that won’t ever be fully solved. So winning stops being the point. A couples therapist helps you talk about those differences without each round turning into a standoff, and helps protect the friendship underneath.

It can be, and timing matters. Couples who come in while there’s still goodwill between them have more to work with. Repeated affairs, emotional abuse, violence and active addiction make repair much harder, and some of these need attention on their own before couples work can help. If you’re unsure whether therapy can help your relationship, a first session is a reasonable way to find out.

No. Insurance covers treatment for a diagnosed condition in one person, and couples therapy is care for the relationship. Couples sessions are private pay, and rates are on our Rates and Insurance page.

Yes. Both partners can join from the same room or from separate locations anywhere in Texas.

Yes. Phil Rogers works with ethically non-monogamous and polyamorous relationships, including sessions with more than two partners. None of our therapists will assume monogamy is the goal. Tell the client care team what your relationship looks like when you reach out, and ask who sees more than two partners together, so we can match you with someone who fits.

Most couples come weekly or every other week for three to six months. Couples working through an affair or a major decision often take longer.

Tell us when you reach out. Couples therapy usually isn’t the right place to start when one partner is afraid of the other, and your therapist may suggest individual sessions first.

If you’re in danger right now, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is free, confidential and open 24/7: call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. If you’re thinking about suicide, call or text 988.