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You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
Discover how starting couples/marriage therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
Look for a confirmation email in your inbox shortly. We’ll help find you a provider and guide you through everything you should know about starting care at Thriveworks.
No membership fees or subscriptions
Evening and weekend sessions
Award-winning therapy & psychiatry
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
Heather:
A go-to approach for helping couples in counseling would be emotionally focused therapy. This form of therapy focuses on emotions, emotional responses, creating positive patterns of interaction, and strengthening the bond between the individuals in a partnership.
Rhoda:
My go-to approach for helping people in couples/marriage counseling is using the Gottman methods, which I have been trained in. The philosophy is creating trust and understanding with each other. Other approaches are teaching active listening and assertive communication skills while utilizing real-time situations. I enjoy connecting with couples because that connection allows clients to feel heard and safe, allowing them to make changes.
Heather:
With emotionally focused counseling techniques, you learn to become more aware of your emotions and build healthier patterns.
Rhoda: I teach the following tools in couples/marriage counseling:
Heather:
A therapist is able to identify when a client is making meaningful progress in couples therapy when they have a willingness to openly discuss their thoughts and feelings.
Rhoda:
I know a client is making meaningful progress in couples/marriage counseling when they express having more confidence in themselves and their relationship. They express more positive interactions with each other and enjoy more activities together.
Heather:
Clients can supplement their time in therapy by spending meaningful time with one another outside of therapy, practicing the tools that they learned in session.
Rhoda:
I encourage clients to practice the skills and utilize the tools we discuss in session. Clients can supplement their time in couples/marriage counseling by reading and researching ideas and tools on their own.
Heather:
Clients can prepare for their first couples counseling session by researching the therapist they will be seeing, developing their own personal goals, identifying their communication and attachment styles, and identifying their struggles.
Rhoda:
To prepare for your first couples/marriage counseling session, you can come with an openness to share your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and what you wish to accomplish through therapy.
Couples therapy and marriage counseling, also known as relationship counseling, helps couples work through their specific relationship issues. Some examples of common focuses within couples therapy and marriage counseling include:
The types of therapy used in couples and marriage counseling include:
At Thriveworks, Couples/marriage therapy is led by licensed professionals — often licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) — who are experts in their field and best-equipped to help couples.
The Gottman Method of couples therapy is a research-supported approach designed to enhance relationships by bolstering the bond between partners, resolving conflicts, and fostering shared meaning in their relationship through comprehensive assessments and tailored interventions that improve communication, trust, and the overall health of the partnership.
If you’re facing persistent relationship problems, communication breakdowns, or unresolved conflicts that are impacting your emotional well-being and happiness, Couples/marriage therapy may be beneficial for you.
While marriage and couple’s counseling is typically recommended for couples who are experiencing persistent or severe relationship issues, any relationship can benefit from attending these sessions.
Marriage and couples counseling at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you and your partner.
On average, couples attend marriage and couples counseling for 12 weeks. However, couples & marriage counseling may last longer or shorter, dependent on the couples’ needs, the challenges they’d like to work through, and the pace of their progress.
At Thriveworks, we accept most major insurance plans, allowing many clients to pay as little as $0–$50 per session with their co-pay. We also offer self-pay options for those out-of-network or without insurance. Self-pay rates for talk therapy range from $160 to $240 for intake sessions and $135 to $195 for follow-ups, depending on your state. For psychiatry services, self-pay intake sessions are $255–$375, with follow-ups ranging from $175–$300, also varying by state. More information on current self-pay costs is available on our pricing page.
Arguments aren’t any fun, but constructive discussion and active listening to find a solution can be gratifying…however, that usually takes practice. People aren’t born knowing how to communicate in a healthy way. But when it comes to communication in a relationship, what’s almost more concerning than constant arguing is when the couple has stopped communicating and instead become apathetic toward the relationship. Similarly, a loss of intimacy is a red flag that things have gone south. Therapy can help. If you’re struggling with intimacy or other relationship issues, reach out to Thriveworks Portland for help.
Many people react negatively toward the idea of discussing their personal relationships with a third party. People often feel uncomfortable involving a stranger in their lives and don’t see why they shouldn’t just be able to resolve issues together at home. In all actuality, most people have at least a few issues with communication, and these barriers can create distance and misunderstandings that can lead to frustration, irritability, and mounting resentment towards the one you love the most.
Everyone has different ways of communicating. Sometimes, we require a different perspective in learning how to understand how someone thinks and talks about how they think. A mediator can provide a much-needed outside perspective that can guide people toward a healthier relationship. From there, they can take steps toward creating a relationship that is mutually beneficial, loving, calm, and fulfills the needs of both parties. If your marriage is having problems, reach out to Thriveworks Portland to work with a relationship or marriage counselor.
Every couple is different, but there are some common causes of relationship issues:
Differences between people in a romantic relationship can make it difficult to maintain understanding and agreement. However, these things do not have to mean that divorce is inevitable. Many of these issues can be resolved through hard work, compromise, and a willingness to commit to understanding the other person and their unique style of communication.
Sharing emotions does not come naturally to a lot of people. This can cause a person to turn their feelings inward, and this does not usually get better when someone becomes a part of a romantic couple. It takes a lot of effort and practice to be able to share your emotions with others, even when you want to be able to share those feelings. We are incapable of looking into someone else’s mind, and nobody can feel exactly what you are feeling at the same time. In order to discuss issues and emotions in a healthy way, learning communication skills is essential. Steps must be taken to better know yourself, but also to honestly examine your ability to react constructively when differences or struggles inevitably arise in a relationship.
While not all relationships will work out, it is possible to work through issues in marriages when both parties come to therapy from a place of respect, kindness, a willingness to listen and learn, and a dedication to the happiness and welfare of yourself and your partner. Even the most stable relationship with have rough patches. The key to making them work is to change the couple’s patterns of interaction, emotional connection, and communication when they prove ineffective or in need of an update.
If you are having problems in a relationship, especially if you feel like either partner is “just not listening” and wish to improve communication, please seek help as soon as is possible. The more time passes, the more distance is created in a relationship and the harder it is to get it back on track.
If you need help staying on track or getting back on track, reach out to Thriveworks Portage today. We offer weekend and evening sessions, and we accept most major insurances.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Thursday | 8:00am - 9:00pm | |
Friday | 8:00am - 9:00pm | |
Saturday | 8:00am - 9:00pm | |
Sunday | 8:00am - 9:00pm | |
Monday | 8:00am - 9:00pm | |
Tuesday | 8:00am - 9:00pm | |
Wednesday | 8:00am - 9:00pm |
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Thursday | 8:00am - 9:30pm | |
Friday | 8:00am - 9:30pm | |
Saturday | 8:00am - 6:00pm | |
Sunday | 8:00am - 6:00pm | |
Monday | 8:00am - 9:30pm | |
Tuesday | 8:00am - 9:30pm | |
Wednesday | 8:00am - 9:30pm |
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