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Create the love you want
Frequently Asked Questions
Navigating relationship therapy often brings up practical and clinical questions before you ever step into a room or join a video call. Below are thoughtful answers to the most common inquiries we receive from partners considering our practice. If you have a specific question that is not addressed here, we welcome the opportunity to discuss it during an initial consultation.
Getting Started
Our complimentary 15-minute consultation is a chance for us to learn a little about what’s happening in your relationship—and for you to get a sense of whether The Couples Project feels like the right fit.
We’ll ask a few focused questions about what brings you to us, what you hope to change, and what kind of support you’re looking for. We’ll explain how we work with couples and recommend the service and clinician we believe best fits your needs.
And if we don’t think we’re the right fit, we’ll tell you that too—and, whenever possible, help point you toward a resource that may better meet your needs.
Yes. We want to hear from both of you so we can understand your relationship from each partner’s perspective—what brings you to therapy, how each of you experiences the relationship, and what you hope will be different. Having both of you on the call also helps us determine which therapist and approach may be the best fit for you.
Availability varies by clinician, but we will always be transparent about how soon you can begin. During your consultation, we’ll discuss current openings and help match you with the clinician who best fits your needs and schedule. If there is a wait, we’ll let you know upfront so you can make an informed decision about your care.
In the Room
Your first session is about understanding your relationship—where you’ve been, what is happening now, and what each of you hopes will change. Your therapist will make space for both of you to share your perspective and feel heard. At the same time, we’ll begin looking beneath the problems that brought you in to identify the patterns keeping you stuck. By understanding what happens between you—and what drives those patterns—we can begin developing a clear direction for the work ahead.
No. Our focus is on the relationship, not on deciding who is right or wrong. We help you understand the patterns that develop between you—how each of you gets pulled into them, what keeps them going, and how you can begin to respond differently. That doesn’t mean we stay neutral about behaviors that are hurtful or damaging. We will be direct and compassionate about what we see, with both partners, while helping you move beyond blame and toward meaningful change.
Yes. All sessions are protected under strict professional and legal standards of healthcare confidentiality, which your clinician will review thoroughly during intake.
Who We Work With
Yes. We work with couples at every stage of partnership, whether you are dating, engaged, cohabiting, or long-term partners. The relational and emotional dynamics between two people exist independently of legal marriage status, and our clinical focus remains entirely on your bond.
Yes. We welcome couples and partners in consensually non-monogamous, open, and polyamorous relationships. Our therapists understand that healthy relationships can take many forms, and we don’t assume that monogamy is the goal. We focus on what matters in your relationship—trust, communication, boundaries, intimacy, desire, and creating agreements that work for the people involved. Learn more about sex therapy.
We encourage you to tell us about your previous experiences with therapy—both what helped and what didn’t. Understanding where past therapy may have fallen short gives us valuable insight into what you need from us. Therapy can stall for many reasons: the fit with the therapist may not have been right, the timing may have been off, or sessions may have stayed focused on resolving the argument of the week rather than addressing the deeper emotional and relational patterns that keep those arguments coming back.
Practicalities
We generally recommend meeting weekly when you begin therapy. Weekly sessions help build momentum and allow us to focus on changing the patterns that brought you to therapy, rather than spending much of each session catching up on what happened since we last met. As your relationship becomes more stable and new ways of relating begin to take hold, you may transition to biweekly or monthly sessions. Our in-person Couples Intensives follow a different format, with the work condensed into one or two focused days.
We understand that plans sometimes change. We ask that you give us at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. This allows us the opportunity to offer that time to another couple who may be waiting. Cancellations made with less than 48 hours’ notice are subject to a $200 late cancellation fee.
No. As licensed mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists, we do not prescribe medication. When concerns such as anxiety, depression, sexual health, pelvic pain, or other medical factors intersect with your relationship, we can coordinate care with your existing providers or refer you to qualified medical professionals when appropriate.
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