Couples Therapy Services in Phoenix, AZ

Yes. The 15-minute free consultation is a valuable opportunity for new clients to ask questions, learn about the process of couples therapy, and determine if I’m the right therapist for your needs. Finding a couples therapist who feels like a good fit is a crucial first step toward creating a space for healing and growth.

Keep in mind that unlike individual counseling, the couple is an indivisible unit in couples therapy. This is why the free consultation for couples therapy, premarital counseling, and marriage counseling is offered only when partners are present. Both of you receive the same information and can make a decision whether to start counseling services. The process avoids triangulation, where one partner holds secrets, as transparency is key in couples therapy. Finally, you can begin to form healthy habits, like practicing open communication and collaboration, from the very beginning.

Couples therapy helps partners improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen their connection. It uses evidence-based approaches like the Gottman Method, IFS, and attachment-based therapy to teach new ways of approaching challenges with compassion. Therapy focuses on mindfulness techniques to help partners stay grounded and communicate more effectively.

The process includes:

• Initial Assessment to identify strengths and areas for growth.
• First Session, during which the therapist gathers background information.
• Second Session where partners meet with me individually to build trust and rapport.
• Third Session where the couple receives feedback and begins practicing new skills.

Ongoing sessions involve learning communication skills, practicing them in real time, discussing progress, and overcoming challenges. Core issues can be addressed infusing individual modalities such as IFS, EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and others. Consistency, effort, application outside of sessions, and openness are key to lasting change.

No. Unlike the dramatized portrayals in social media and TV shows, couples therapy is not about declaring who is “right.” Focusing only on your partner may feel good, but it reinforces defensiveness or resentment in the relationship. Additionally, it may lead to a power imbalance that hinders the therapeutic process, solidifying conflict. Instead, my role is to support both partners equally and foster your growth as a couple by offering constructive feedback, teaching valuable skills, and working in a respectful and collaborative environment.

In couples or marriage counseling sessions, we do not keep the score, assign blame, or shame anyone. Together, we explore the underlying dynamics of your relationship, helping you identify patterns that contribute to conflict or disconnection. The process involves learning and applying self-regulation tools during emotionally intense moments, letting go of the desire to be "right," and practicing skills to enhance communication and rebuild trust. Ultimately, therapy is a collaborative journey toward creating a partnership that aligns with your shared values and goals.

Couples and marriage therapy is like rowing a boat together—you need to paddle to make meaningful progress. If only one partner puts in an overwhelming majority of effort, the proverbial boat goes in circles. Likewise, therapy is more effective when both partners actively engage, take accountability, and genuinely invest in making changes, both in and outside sessions. Here are some signs that couples therapy might not be working:

• One partner is pulling all the weight: This mirrors what might already happen in the relationship, where one person takes full responsibility while the other stays disengaged.
• Lack of accountability: If either partner refuses to acknowledge their role in the relationship dynamics, progress becomes difficult.
• Rejecting feedback: Therapy requires openness to therapeutic input and the willingness to accept influence from both the therapist and your partner. Without it, growth is limited.
• Individual obstacles: Mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, childhood trauma, or unresolved personal issues can create roadblocks that may need to be addressed in individual therapy first.
• Not applying skills outside of sessions: Lasting change happens when you practice what you’re learning between sessions, not just during couples therapy.
• Surface-level participation: Simply checking the box by attending couples therapy sessions without sharing honestly or engaging emotionally won’t lead to meaningful transformation.

Couples therapy is most effective when both partners demonstrate a shared commitment to the process. It’s not about showing up—it’s about showing up fully, paddling together, and being willing to navigate the rocky waters as a team. Without this effort, progress can stall, and the changes you seek may remain out of reach.

Couples therapy is designed to be a safe and supportive space where both partners can be emotionally vulnerable and work together toward change. Here are some common situations where couples therapy may not be the right approach:

• Domestic abuse or violence: This includes emotional, financial, spiritual, or mental abuse. Couples therapy requires openness and emotional safety, but if one partner uses the other’s feelings, words, or vulnerabilities against them, it undermines the process and puts safety at risk. Safety is always the top priority in any therapeutic process.
• Unequal commitment to change: If one partner pulls all the weight, much like a car with one tire stuck in the mud, the relationship can’t move forward. If one partner is not ready to change, individual therapy might be a better first step to explore your readiness to take action.
• Checking the box: When couples attend therapy without emotional openness, expecting the therapist to fix things without putting in effort or practicing skills between sessions, meaningful progress is unlikely.
• Ongoing affairs or external intimate relationships: Infidelity counseling is considered one of the most challenging forms of couples therapy. If there are ongoing emotional or physical affairs, it complicates the work of a marriage counselor further. In such cases, some married couples consider divorce counseling, especially if both partners are not committed to resolving the issues.
Unresolved Substance use, or process addictions (such as gambling or pornography). These issues must often be addressed individually or with a specialized therapist, such as a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC).
• Expecting the therapist to "fix" your partner: Couples therapy is not about placing the burden of change on one partner while the other avoids accountability. If the expectation is for the couples therapist to convince or change your partner, the focus shifts away from mutual growth and shared responsibility.

The length of couples therapy varies based on factors like the nature of your challenges, whether they are rooted in childhood trauma, present mental health concerns, family dynamics, parenting stress, or work pressures. Therapy is much like plumbing. Fixing a leak can bring immediate satisfaction, but if the underlying cause is unaddressed—like too high water pressure, the problem will likely return. Thus, you could go with the obvious quicker route, address the root causes, or both.

In couples therapy, the proverbial leak represents a symptom—things that cause tension, like miscommunications or disagreements. These can be resolved in the short term. However, if deeper, foundational issues aren't addressed, like unmet emotional needs, poor communication habits, or unresolved trauma, the same problems will likely keep resurfacing.

Finally, the couples therapy process requires more than checking boxes. Are you and your partner motivated? Are you both willing to be open and committed to practice in and outside of the sessions? If so, the rate of progress is expected to be reasonably swift.

As your couples therapist, my role is not to decide whether you should stay together or separate. Only you can truly understand what it’s like to walk in your shoes and live with the natural outcomes of your choices. My goal is to empower you both to explore your relationship more deeply, gain clarity, and empower you to make decisions that align with your values.

Willingness and openness to try something new are required for productive couples therapy. When one partner is unwilling to engage, listen, or take feedback, the same dynamics playing out in the relationship will likely surface in therapy. The more committed partner may attempt to carry all the weight and coax their partner to invest in the process. However, without shared responsibility, the physical presence of your partner is unlikely to translate into significant change.

If your partner isn’t ready to fully participate in couples therapy, it may be helpful for you and them to consider individual therapy. There, we can explore the readiness to change, evaluate the values and goals in the relationship, or work through personal obstacles.

The couples therapy fees are available here.

Insurance companies only cover therapy sessions that are tied to a specific mental health diagnosis for an individual. Since couples therapy focuses on the relationship rather than the mental health of one individual, it generally does not meet the criteria for insurance reimbursement. In short, insurance carriers do not view couples therapy as medically necessary.

Some therapists may bill for couples therapy by labeling it as "conjoint sessions." Conjoint sessions are designed as individual therapy sessions where another person provides moral support and is not a full participant in relationship-focused counseling. This practice is not standard. If couples therapy is billed under the pretense of "conjoint sessions," the licensed family therapist, licensed marriage therapist, or licensed professional counselor may benefit from reviewing insurance requirements, as well as professional ethics.

Yes. Sexual issues and concerns related to intimacy are common in relationships and can be addressed in couples therapy. Whether these challenges stem from communication difficulties, unresolved personal or relational dynamics, or physical or emotional barriers, therapy provides a safe and supportive environment to explore these topics. Using evidence-based approaches, we can work together to foster understanding, rebuild trust, and enhance emotional and physical intimacy in your relationship.