Couples Therapy
Benefits At A Glance
Insurance Options — Cigna, Aetna & UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Online & In-Person — In-Person Across Orange County and Online Throughout California
Both Partners Matter — Multiple perspectives, taken seriously
Measurable Progress — Goals and practical tools to track growth
LGBTQIA+ Affirming — Respect for diverse identities and relationships
When the Same Fight Keeps Finding You
Relationships bring together people with different childhoods, histories, expectations, and ways of responding to stress.
You may both want connection and understanding, yet find yourselves reacting in ways that leave you feeling further apart.
Here, we take the time to understand each person, what's happening in your relationship, and what may be contributing to the difficulties you're experiencing.
The goal is to understand each other more fully and find ways to navigate the inevitable challenges of sharing a life together.
What Can We Work on Together?
We work with couples navigating:
Recurring conflict
Having the same argument repeatedly or finding that resolving one issue leads to another.
Resentment and hurt
Working through disappointment, anger, or feelings that have accumulated over time.
Communication difficulties
Struggling to express needs, feel understood, or discuss difficult subjects.
Trust and infidelity
Processing betrayal and exploring what rebuilding trust might involve.
Intimacy and connection
Navigating emotional distance, affection, sex, or differences in desire.
Life and family changes
Managing parenting, family dynamics, stress, and changing expectations.
Identity and relationship concerns
Navigating LGBTQIA+ experiences, family acceptance, boundaries, or different relationship structures.
Uncertainty about the future
Exploring what each partner wants and what moving forward might look like.
You don't need to know exactly what's causing the problem. Understanding that is part of the work we can do in session
Every Couple Is Different. Your Therapy Should Be, Too.
We share a desire for connection, but we don't all experience relationships in the same way.
Our personal histories can shape how we communicate, respond to conflict, and understand the people closest to us.
What looks like the same argument on the surface may mean something very different to each partner.
There isn't a universal formula for a healthy relationship. Our job is to understand yours and help you find a way forward that makes sense for both of you.
Therapy With Direction, Not Guesswork
You may not know what needs to change when you begin couples therapy. You might not even agree on what the problem is. That's okay. You don't need to arrive with a plan.
We'll work with you to:
Understand what's happening.
Explore how each of you experiences the relationship and identify patterns that may be contributing to conflict or distance.
Establish meaningful goals.
Define what you'd like to be different and how you'll recognize progress in your everyday lives.
Find practical ways forward.
Use therapeutic strategies and tools suited to your concerns, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
Review progress together.
Revisit your goals, use appropriate measures, and adjust the work as your needs evolve
Progress won't look the same for every couple. It might mean navigating disagreements differently, addressing longstanding hurt, or understanding each other's needs with greater clarity.
We'll help you identify what matters to you and evaluate how the work is progressing along the way.
LGBTQIA+ Affirming, Person-Centered Care
Relationships are shaped by more than the people in them.
Culture, identity, family experiences, and the world around us all influence how we understand connection and navigate conflict.
We welcome LGBTQIA+ couples and people from diverse backgrounds and relationship structures. We aim to provide affirming care without making assumptions about who you are, how your relationship should work, or what your goals should be.
Your identities and experiences are part of your story, not a template for how we expect your relationship to work.
What to Expect From Couples Therapy
1. Getting to know each partner
We'll learn about your relationship, what brings you to therapy, and how each of you understands what's happening.
2. Getting to know yourself
You’ll understand why you react the way you do, how your past shapes the way you love, and why the same arguments keep coming up.
3. Identifying what needs attention
Together, we'll clarify your priorities and establish goals that reflect your needs rather than assumptions about what couples should work on.
4. Working toward change
Sessions will focus on the concerns and patterns most relevant to your relationship, using therapeutic approaches and practical tools suited to your goals.
5. Checking in on progress
We'll revisit your goals and use appropriate measures and conversations to evaluate what's changing and where more support may be helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does couples therapy really help?
Couples therapy can help partners understand recurring patterns, address relationship concerns, and work toward specific goals. Every couple's circumstances are different, so the process is tailored to your needs. We can revisit your goals and review progress throughout treatment.
What if we keep having the same argument?
Recurring arguments can involve more than the immediate disagreement. Different experiences, emotional responses, and expectations may influence how each partner interprets the situation. Therapy can help you understand those patterns and explore different ways of responding.
What if we disagree about what's wrong?
You don't need to share the same explanation for your difficulties before starting therapy. Understanding how each partner experiences the relationship is part of the process.
Is your couples counseling LGBTQIA+ friendly?
Yes. We welcome LGBTQIA+ couples and aim to provide affirming care that respects your identities, experiences, and relationship structure.
Do you accept insurance?
We work with Cigna, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare/Optum, subject to plan and service requirements. Coverage and out-of-pocket costs vary, so please verify your benefits before beginning.