Marriage & couples counseling Services

Counseling for Marriage & Couples

“We don’t know how to communicate with each other” is a phrase we often hear from many of the couples who come to us for help. If so, we can be of service to help assess and discuss strategies to validate each partner’s concerns as well as figure out new pathways to create the relationship you both desire. Some of our therapists have training in Gottman Couples Counseling which is the most evidenced based practice for couples counseling. With 40 years of research and thousands of couples that have been studied, it has scientifically based specific interventions for couples to help them through conflict.

Premarital counseling

How many times have you heard someone say, “If I only knew then what I know now?” This wisdom and skill building is what we hope to impart upon the couples we work with in couples counseling. Research clearly indicates that the better a couples maintenance of the relationship, the better their long-term outcome. Learn best practices to help your relationship through the road ahead.

Counseling for High Conflict Couples

Our consult Areas Include:

common questions

Marriage Counseling

How does marriage counseling work?

The first step is finding someone you are both comfortable with. Feeling like you can trust the therapist who is working with you is important to the therapeutic alliance. The goal of marriage counseling is to learn new ways to interact and to gain some insight into why each other is the way you are. This new way of coping combined with additional understanding can help couples to create meaningful change. Read our blog post on what to expect from marriage counseling.

What can a marriage counselor do for you?

Marriage counselors are highly skilled at helping couples to learn more productive ways to deal with conflict and disagreements. 65% of arguments are not solvable and couples and the downfall many couples make is focusing on winning arguments as opposed to progressing. A marriage counselor helps you to build skills for managing conflict – even when upset. The goal is to build new skills for the friendship of the couple to feel safe. (Read our blog post How To Fight Right)

Is marriage counseling effective?

Couples counseling can help to repair a fractured relationship, but it helps the outcome if couples get in for marriage counseling before the damage is too widespread. When the damage is too extensive, it can be much more difficult to rebuild. Things like abortion, multiple affairs, emotional abuse, violence, and drug abuse can be difficult to come back from. So, in a nutshell, don’t wait till it’s too late.

How do you choose a good marital therapist?

You should both feel supported by your therapist.
If your therapist insists that there is only one way to have a successful marriage, find another therapist.
Your perspective and feelings should be validated by your therapist. If your therapist sides with you over your spouse, that’s not good. No one should feel ganged up on.
Make sure you and your partner set concrete goals early on with your therapist. You should be learning new skills and practicing implementing them. (Watch how to complain without criticism)
Finally, I would suggest that you trust your instincts. If you feel like therapy isn’t helping, pay attention to that. Bring it up in session and if you need to, see someone else.

What is ADHD couples counseling?

ADHD tends to have profound effects on intimate relationships. Running late, miscommunication, remembering things, acting impulsively, getting distracted are all par for the course with ADHD and this tends to frustrate partners. We can help you slow down the issues and work to create effective ways to communicate. We also educate you on how to build neural capacity and grow to understand of each partner’s unique neurodiversity.

What is intensive couples counseling?

Do you have a crisis that is immediate and needs an intensive intervention? In the same way that the diagnosis of a life-threatening medical condition requires immediate and aggressive intervention, sometimes relationship conditions arise that also require intensive help. Intensive couples counseling is the most potent form of treatment that we offer. Intensive sessions are longer than normal sessions and vary from 2-3 hours depending on the therapists availability.

What is sex positive couples counseling?

In a nutshell, sex positive couples counseling means that therapists are not shaming of any sexual preference. These therapists are also trained in best practices for building intimacy within partnerships, and they are also trained in best practices for those relationships which are non-monogamous.

Is marriage counseling covered by health insurance?

Very often marriage counseling is not covered by insurance but that isn’t always the case. We will check your benefits to make sure if it is covered under your plan. If you are unsure, you can also contact your insurance company directly. Make sure you use their phone number for mental health benefits (commonly on the back of your insurance card) and ask them if you are covered for couples therapy.

Can I use my HSA to pay for marriage counseling?

Yes, you absolutely can.

How much does marriage counseling typically cost?

This varies. Some marriage counselors do a 60-minute session, some do 90-120 minute sessions to try and cover more ground in a single session. In Austin, data shows that marriage counseling in Austin ranges from $100-$500 per session with an average being between $150-$200 per session. Many therapists recommend at least three months of therapy (12 weeks) with one session per week. A motivated couple tends to work faster but problems that have built over time with lots of emotional injury can take time to repair. Our rates for couples range from $110-165 and the rate depends on their years of experience and training. More can be found here: https://justmind.org/rates-and-insurance/

What is the success rate of marriage counseling?

This is largely variable depending on the skill of the therapist and the unique factors associated with the couple. Traditional marriage counseling has a success rate of 70 to 80 percent. Some research was done a decade ago and it indicated that 38 percent of couples who receive marriage therapy got divorced within four years of completing therapy. This study was done with couples therapists who were new to the profession and not trained on evidence-based practices like Emotionally Focused Therapy, Gottman Therapy, or PACT. That said, couples both have to work to make meaningful change, it takes time, and it helps to have a therapist you believe in.

Looking for relationship quizzes?

Just Mind has many Gottman trained therapists which use the most evidence based approach to couples therapy (40 years of research and thousands of couples studied). Gottman therapists can help you more quickly get to the root of the problems you are encountering and help you with evidence based best practices and structured interventions to help you work through difficulties in your relationship. We believe this is part of what makes us a leader in Austin for marriage & couples counseling.