Couples Therapy in Austin, TX
Couples therapy offers a supportive space to slow down the cycle of conflict and understand what is happening underneath it. Together, we'll work toward more meaningful communication, emotional connection, and a stronger sense of partnership.
Options
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Whether you're feeling disconnected, caught in recurring conflict, or simply want to strengthen your relationship, couples therapy provides a space to slow down, understand each other more deeply, and create meaningful change. We'll work together on the patterns and challenges that are getting in the way of feeling connected and supported as partners.
LEARN MORE about my approach to couples counseling.
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Your relationship, as it currently stands, WILL change after you have a baby. And while most parents spend months preparing for their baby, studies show that many new parents wish they had spent more time preparing themselves *and their relationship* for the transition to parenthood.
This workshop helps couples have the important conversations before baby arrives. Together, we'll explore expectations around parenting, division of labor and the mental load, communication, finances, intimacy, and the many ways your relationship may change once you become parents.
This course is designed for first-time parents and parents welcoming another baby. Whether you're preparing for your first child or growing your family again, each transition to parenthood brings its own challenges and opportunities for your relationship.
It's an opportunity to intentionally prepare not just for your baby, but for the two of you—and to build a stronger foundation before you enter this new chapter together.
LEARN MORE about the Postpartum Preparation Class
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Marriage is a big step, and premarital counseling gives you an intentional space to prepare for it. We'll explore the topics that matter most to your future together, including communication, conflict, expectations, finances, intimacy, family dynamics, and shared values. The goal isn't to create a perfect relationship but to build the skills and understanding that can help your partnership thrive.
LEARN MORE about premarital counseling.
Inclusive Support for Every Relationship
Every relationship is unique, and I believe therapy should honor and support that. I welcome couples and partners of all identities, orientations, and relationship structures, including LGBTQ+ couples, polyamorous relationships, and consensually non-monogamous relationships.
What to Expect From Couples Therapy
Starting couples therapy can feel vulnerable, especially if you've been stuck in the same patterns for a long time. You don't need to know exactly what's wrong or have the right words to explain it. We'll figure that out together.
A Space for Both of You
Couples therapy isn't about deciding who is right or wrong. I'll help create a space where both partners can feel heard, understood, and respected. We'll slow down difficult conversations so you can begin to understand what is happening underneath the conflict.
Understanding Your Patterns
Most couples develop predictable ways of responding to one another, especially during times of stress. One person may pursue connection while the other pulls away, or the same disagreement may happen again and again without feeling resolved.
We'll work together to recognize these patterns and understand the emotions and needs underneath them. With greater awareness, you can begin responding to each other differently.
Learning New Ways to Communicate
Healthy communication is about more than simply talking. We'll work on expressing your needs more clearly, listening with greater curiosity, and having difficult conversations without getting pulled into the same cycle of conflict.
Rebuilding Connection
The goal isn't simply to argue less. It's to feel more connected to your partner. Depending on your needs, our work may include rebuilding emotional intimacy, strengthening trust, navigating physical intimacy, or finding your way back to a sense of partnership.
Making Room for Change
Couples therapy isn't about creating a perfect relationship. Relationships change, particularly through pregnancy, postpartum, parenthood, and other major life transitions. Therapy can help you navigate those changes while staying connected to one another.
Our work will be collaborative and tailored to your relationship, your history, and what you hope to create together.
Couples Therapy FAQs
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Couples therapy can be helpful for partners at any stage of their relationship—from those feeling stuck in recurring conflict or disconnection to couples who are doing well but want to strengthen their relationship.
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Often, recurring arguments aren't really about the topic you're arguing about. They can reflect deeper patterns around feeling unheard, criticized, rejected, unsupported, or alone. We'll work together to understand those patterns and create new ways of relating to each other.
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Yes. Intimacy can be affected by stress, parenting, resentment, changes in desire, health, body image, and many other factors. Therapy can provide a nonjudgmental space to talk about these experiences and work toward greater connection.
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Yes. I welcome couples and partners across sexual orientations, gender identities, and relationship structures, including LGBTQ+, polyamorous, and consensually non-monogamous relationships.
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This is very common. You don't need to arrive equally enthusiastic about therapy. We can make space for each person's concerns and work toward understanding what each partner needs from the process.
Postpartum Preparation FAQs
Becoming a parent changes more than your schedule, it can change your relationship, your responsibilities, your identity, and the way you experience one another. A parenting prep workshop gives you time to talk about these changes before you're running on little sleep with a newborn in your arms.
This workshop helps couples prepare for parenthood by having intentional conversations about parenting expectations, physical and mental health changes, division of labor, communication, finances, family boundaries, intimacy, and the emotional transition to becoming parents.
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It's easy to spend months preparing for the baby while giving little attention to the relationship that will be carrying you through those changes. Talking through expectations beforehand can help reduce misunderstandings and create a stronger foundation for the transition.
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The mental load includes the planning, remembering, anticipating, and organizing that keeps a household running. Couples can have very different perceptions of how responsibilities are divided. Making these invisible tasks visible can help prevent resentment and create a more equitable approach to family life.
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That's a great reason to participate. You don't need to agree on everything. The goal is to understand each other's perspectives, identify areas where you need more conversation, and develop strategies for handling differences as a team.
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Absolutely. Changes in desire, physical recovery, sleep, body image, and emotional bandwidth can all affect intimacy after having a child. Talking about expectations ahead of time can make it easier to navigate these changes with compassion.
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No. Every transition to parenthood can bring new challenges, whether you're welcoming your first child or expanding your family.
In fact, many couples report needing even more preparation and support the second or third time around because each new baby brings a new family dynamic.
Premarital Counseling FAQs
This premarital counseling course is grounded in the research of Drs. John and Julie Gottman, whose decades of work studying couples have identified the patterns, skills, and behaviors that contribute to healthy, lasting relationships. Drawing from Gottman’s evidence-based research, the course helps couples strengthen communication, navigate conflict, build friendship and intimacy, and develop a strong foundation for marriage. It’s practical, research-informed guidance designed to help couples not only prepare for marriage, but build the skills for a thriving relationship.
We'll explore communication, conflict, finances, intimacy, family dynamics, shared values, expectations, and the practical realities of building a life together.
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You don't have to wait until you're having problems. Many couples begin several months before their wedding, or even before engagement, so they have time to slow down, have meaningful conversations, and practice new skills before entering marriage.
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That's actually a great time to begin. Premarital counseling isn't about fixing what's broken. It's about becoming more intentional about the relationship you're building and identifying potential areas of difference before they become sources of conflict.
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Definitely. Money can bring up questions about independence, security, priorities, spending, debt, and expectations. Creating space for an honest conversation can help couples develop shared financial goals and avoid assumptions.
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Yes. Whether or not you want children, and what you imagine parenting will look like, can be one of the most important conversations a couple has before marriage. We'll explore expectations around children, parenting roles, and how you envision your future family.
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Differences don't necessarily mean incompatibility. The goal isn't for couples to agree on everything. It's to understand where differences come from, determine which differences need to be negotiated, and develop ways to respect and navigate them together.
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There is some overlap, but premarital counseling is typically more proactive and structured around preparing for marriage. Couples therapy may focus more specifically on current relationship difficulties, recurring conflict, disconnection, or repairing relationship ruptures.
A Stronger Foundation for Your Future Together
You don't need to have a perfect relationship before getting married. You need the willingness to be curious about each other, communicate honestly, navigate differences, and keep choosing your relationship through the inevitable changes life brings.
Premarital counseling offers a space to practice those skills before you need them most.