Online Couples Therapy & Marriage Counseling Throughout Texas

Every couple is different, but certain themes come up again and again. You don't need to be in crisis to start, and you don't need to have it all figured out.

• Communication that keeps breaking down. You try to talk, and it turns into an argument. Or one of you goes quiet to keep the peace, and the peace starts to feel a lot like loneliness.
• Conflict cycles. The topic changes (money, chores, the in-laws, the phone at dinner), but the pattern stays the same. One of you pushes, one of you pulls away, and both of you end up feeling alone. Part of our work is learning to see the cycle as the problem instead of each other. You can read more about conflict resolution.
• Distance and intimacy. Desire has faded, affection feels like a negotiation, or you've drifted into running a household together rather than sharing a life.
• Infidelity and broken trust. An emotional or physical affair, hidden money, secret accounts, or online behavior that crossed a line. Affair recovery is slow, careful work, and I take it seriously. My training includes Esther Perel's "Rethinking Infidelity," and I hold space for both the partner who was hurt and the partner who caused the hurt.
• Life transitions. A new baby, a move, a layoff, a demanding promotion, an empty nest, retirement, or illness. Even good changes can shake a relationship loose from its routines.
• Parenting and adult-family stress. Disagreements about raising kids, blended-family tension, caring for aging parents, or in-laws who are a little too involved.
• Cultural and interfaith differences. Different religions, cultures, or family expectations about gender roles, money, holidays, and how close is too close to extended family. More on multicultural issues.

For those of you familiar with or curious about different types of therapy, I integrate several approaches into my work with couples. I don't run you through a manual. I draw from each one depending on what's happening between you.

• The Gottman Method. I completed Level 1 training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. It gives us practical language for what goes wrong in conflict (criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling) and concrete tools for repair, friendship, and turning toward each other.
• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Through my EFT externship, I learned to look beneath the argument for the attachment needs driving it. Do you see me? Can I count on you? Do I matter to you? When you can ask those questions directly, the fight often loses its fuel.
• Internal Family Systems (IFS). IFS helps each of you notice the parts of you that take over in conflict, like the critic, the protector, or the part that goes silent, and get to know them with curiosity instead of shame.
• Mindfulness. Noticing what's happening in your body and mind in the moment, so you can respond rather than react.
• Cognitive therapy and skill-building. Practical communication and coping skills you can use at the kitchen table on a Tuesday night, not just in my virtual office.

Underneath all of it is the relationship itself. My job is not to decide who's right. It's to stay balanced with both of you, slow things down, and help you hear what your partner has been trying to say.

Sessions are 45 to 55 minutes on a secure video platform. Most couples join together from one device in a private room at home. Some join from two locations, which works well if one of you travels for work or you're squeezing a session into a workday.

In a typical session, we'll check in on the week, then slow down one moment that mattered: a fight, a near miss, or a moment of connection that surprised you. We'll look at what each of you felt, what you did with that feeling, and what happened between you as a result. Sometimes I'll ask you to turn toward each other and try something new while I'm there to coach. It can feel awkward at first. That's normal, and it's often where the most useful work happens.

I recommend weekly sessions at the start. Momentum matters in couples work, and a lot can happen in a relationship in two weeks. On average, couples attend a minimum of six to eight sessions, and many choose to stay longer depending on their goals. If you'd like a more concentrated format, I also offer couples therapy intensives. You can read more about how the online format works on my telehealth page.

Please be aware that I require a phone consultation for all new couples before scheduling your initial appointment. It's free, and it gives us a chance to talk about what's going on, what you're hoping for, and whether I'm the right fit for you.

A few things shape how I work with couples:

• Both partners attend from the beginning. The relationship is my focus, so I need to form a balanced, unbiased connection with each of you. When one partner starts first, the other often feels like they're walking into a room where the story has already been told.
• I may see you individually if the therapy calls for it. Whether that's helpful depends on your relationship, your concerns, and how things are going in our couple sessions.
• I have a no-secrets policy. If you share something in an individual session that your partner doesn't know, I'll work with you to disclose it yourself or in our next couple session. This protects the trust the whole process depends on.

Couples sessions are $230. I'm out of network for all insurance, and I can provide receipts you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement. You'll find the details on my rates and insurance page.

You don't have to be married to attend couples therapy. I work with married and unmarried couples, whether you're dating, living together, engaged, or deciding whether to stay together. If you're preparing for marriage, take a look at premarital counseling.

I welcome same-gender couples and fully support marriage equality. I also work with couples that include a nonbinary or transgender partner. I've worked extensively with LGBTQIA+ clients, and you won't need to educate me on the basics before we can get to work.

I also work with interfaith and intercultural couples, and with South Asian and Muslim couples (Ismaili, Sunni, and Shia) who want a therapist who understands the pull of family and community without assuming that pull is the problem. Sessions are in English. The goal is never to choose one culture or one family over another. It's to build a relationship with room for both of you.

It's very common for one partner to be more eager than the other. The hesitant partner may worry about being blamed, ganged up on, or told the relationship is over.

If that's you, I understand. I won't take sides, and I won't push you to say more than you're ready to say. Bring your skepticism to the phone consultation and ask me anything. Reluctance isn't a deal-breaker. It's information, and we can start right there.

If you're the one who wants to begin, try inviting your partner rather than announcing it. "I miss us, and I'd like some help getting back to each other" usually lands better than "We need therapy because you..."