Couples Therapy in Virginia

It can but like any form of therapy, its success depends on factors such as:

• Each partner’s willingness to participate
• Each partner’s capacity for self-reflection and change
• The nature of the issues you’re facing
• Your commitment to the process and making changes outside of sessions

Many couples experience meaningful improvements in communication, conflict management, emotional connection, and overall relationship satisfaction.

Even when couples ultimately decide not to stay together, therapy can still help them make that decision with greater clarity, understanding, and respect.

My goal isn’t simply to keep couples together.

It’s to help you better understand your relationship, address the patterns that are keeping you stuck, and move toward the outcome that’s healthiest for both of you.

The length of couples therapy depends on:

• Your goals
• The challenges you’re facing
• How consistently you’re able to apply what we discuss between sessions

While every couple is different, I generally recommend planning for at least 8 sessions to give the therapeutic process enough time to create meaningful change.

Some couples achieve their goals in fewer sessions, while others benefit from longer-term work, particularly when addressing longstanding patterns, high conflict, or rebuilding trust after a betrayal.

We’ll regularly evaluate your progress together and adjust our plan as your relationship evolves.

Your first session is primarily an opportunity for me to get to know you, your relationship, and what brought you to therapy.

We’ll talk about your relationship history, your current concerns, and what each of you hopes will be different as a result of counseling.

You won’t be expected to solve your problems in a single session.

Instead, we’ll focus on developing a clear understanding of what’s happening in your relationship and begin identifying goals for our work together.

If you’d like a more detailed overview of what the first appointment is like, read my article: Portrait of a Couples Therapy First Session.

For most couples, I recommend meeting once per week at the beginning of therapy.

Weekly sessions help build momentum, allow us to address problems before too much time passes, and give you consistent opportunities to practice new skills between appointments.

As your relationship improves and you begin meeting your goals, many couples transition to sessions every 2-4 weeks for continued support and maintenance.

While I’ll recommend a treatment schedule based on your specific needs, the decision is always yours. Consistency is one of the biggest predictors of progress, so I encourage couples to attend sessions regularly, especially during the early stages of therapy.

For new couples, the first appointment is a 90-minute session to allow enough time to understand your relationship history, current concerns, and goals for therapy.

I work with a wide variety of couples and strive to create a respectful, nonjudgmental environment where both partners feel heard.

My practice welcomes:

• Married and unmarried couples
• LGBTQ+ couples
• Polyamorous relationships
• Couples from diverse cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds

Every relationship is unique, and my goal is to understand your values, your goals, and the challenges you’re facing – not to make assumptions based on your background or relationship structure.

While I respect clients of all faiths and belief systems, my therapy services are not religiously based. However, you’re welcome to incorporate your faith into our conversations.

No. The length of therapy depends on your goals and the issues you’re facing.

Some couples seek help for a specific concern and are able to achieve their goals in a relatively short period of time. Others benefit from longer-term work to address longstanding patterns, high conflict, or more complex relationship challenges.

If your relationship is generally healthy but you’ve become stuck on one issue, short-term therapy may be all that’s needed.

During our first few sessions, we’ll discuss your goals and develop a treatment plan that makes sense for your situation.

If you’re unsure what level of support is right for your relationship, I’m happy to discuss your concerns during a free phone consultation.

No. I work with both married and unmarried couples, including those who are dating, engaged, living together, or in long-term committed relationships.

In fact, seeking therapy before getting married can be one of the best investments you make in your relationship. Addressing communication patterns, recurring conflicts, and important life decisions early often prevents those issues from becoming more difficult to resolve later.

Whether you’re deciding if your relationship has long-term potential, preparing for marriage, or trying to strengthen a relationship you’ve been in for many years, couples therapy provides a space to better understand one another and build a healthier relationship.

This is one of the most common concerns I hear, and you’re certainly not alone. It’s not unusual for one partner to be ready for therapy while the other feels hesitant, skeptical, or isn’t convinced counseling will help.

Rather than pressuring your partner, I recommend having an open conversation about their concerns. Sometimes people:

• Simply don’t know what to expect
• Worry they’ll be blamed
• Have had a negative experience with therapy in the past

Understanding their concerns is often the first step.

If your partner is unsure, consider asking them to attend just the first session. The goal isn’t to solve everything in one appointment, but to give them an opportunity to see how the process works before deciding whether to continue.

If your partner is completely unwilling to participate at all, you don’t have to put your own growth on hold. Individual Relationship Therapy can help you better understand your relationship dynamics, improve the way you respond to conflict, and make thoughtful decisions about what comes next.

Please visit Appointment Times & Session Fees for the most up-to-date couples therapy fees.

I do not bill insurance directly. And couples therapy is typically not covered by health insurance because insurance generally reimburses treatment for an individual’s mental health diagnosis rather than relationship concerns.

However, if one partner has a qualifying mental health diagnosis and treatment is clinically appropriate, out-of-network reimbursement may be possible. I will always provide a Superbill for you to submit to your insurance company.

For more information about insurance coverage, reimbursement, and payment options, please visit Is Couples Therapy Covered by Insurance?