Rebuild Trust. Feel Close Again.

Nope, you don't need a marriage certificate. Marriage counseling and couples therapy work for any committed relationship. I work with married couples, engaged couples, long term partners, cohabiting couples, and anyone who's building a life together and needs help getting unstuck. Whether you're planning a wedding, living together without being married, or in a long term committed relationship, couples counseling can help you work through communication problems, trust issues, and relationship patterns that aren't working.

A lot of unmarried couples wonder if relationship counseling is even for them, especially if they're not sure about marriage yet. But here's the thing: the same skills that help married couples also help dating couples and engaged couples. Learning how to fight fair, rebuild trust, and actually hear each other matters at any stage of commitment. Some couples come to therapy to decide if marriage is the right next step. Others come because they know they're committed for the long haul and want to fix what's broken before it gets worse. Both are valid reasons to be here.

Nope, you don't need a marriage certificate. Marriage counseling and couples therapy work for any committed relationship. I work with married couples, engaged couples, long term partners, cohabiting couples, and anyone who's building a life together and needs help getting unstuck. Whether you're planning a wedding, living together without being married, or in a long term committed relationship, couples counseling can help you work through communication problems, trust issues, and relationship patterns that aren't working.

A lot of unmarried couples wonder if relationship counseling is even for them, especially if they're not sure about marriage yet. But here's the thing: the same skills that help married couples also help dating couples and engaged couples. Learning how to fight fair, rebuild trust, and actually hear each other matters at any stage of commitment. Some couples come to therapy to decide if marriage is the right next step. Others come because they know they're committed for the long haul and want to fix what's broken before it gets worse. Both are valid reasons to be here.

Can we do virtual sessions if we're not in Lake Charles?

Absolutely. I offer in person couples counseling here in Lake Charles, Louisiana, but I also provide online couples therapy and virtual marriage counseling throughout Louisiana and Texas. If you're in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, Houston, Dallas, Austin, or anywhere else in Louisiana or Texas, we can work together online.

Virtual marriage counseling sessions work the same way as in person therapy. You're still getting the same structure, evidence based tools, and personalized support. The process is identical: we map the cycle you're stuck in, practice new communication skills, work on rebuilding trust if that's needed, and give you practical homework between sessions. You just need a private space where you can talk freely, a decent internet connection, and a device with video like a laptop, tablet, or phone.

A lot of couples actually prefer online therapy because it's easier to fit into their schedule. No drive time, no fighting Lake Charles traffic, and no scrambling for childcare if your kids are asleep in the next room. You can do a session from your living room after the kids go to bed, during your lunch break, or on a Saturday morning in your pajamas. As long as you have privacy and can focus, virtual couples therapy is just as effective as meeting in person.

No, couples therapy and marriage counseling are cash pay only. Here's why: insurance companies don't consider relationship counseling a medical necessity. There's no billing code for couples counseling or marriage therapy, and there's no accurate mental health diagnosis that fits couples work. Diagnosis codes like anxiety, depression, or adjustment disorder are built for individual mental health treatment, not relationship repair.

Some marriage therapists and couples counselors try to work around this by diagnosing one partner with an individual mental health condition and billing insurance under that person's name. But that's not accurate, and it can create real problems. That diagnosis goes in your permanent medical record and can affect future insurance coverage, life insurance applications, and even some job opportunities. Plus, it's ethically questionable because we're not actually treating an individual disorder. We're working on the relationship.

Cash pay for couples counseling keeps it clean and straightforward. Marriage counseling sessions are $150 for 60 minutes. You know exactly what you're paying upfront, there's no surprise claim denials or unexpected bills, and we don't have to twist your relationship problems into something they're not just to satisfy an insurance company's requirements.

I know the cost of couples therapy is a real consideration, especially when you're already stressed about money or wondering if counseling will even help. But think about it this way: you're investing in the most important relationship in your life. Most couples spend more on their phone bill every month than they would on two therapy sessions. And if therapy helps you avoid a divorce, you're saving tens of thousands in legal fees, not to mention the emotional cost of splitting up.

That's one of the most common concerns I hear in marriage counseling and couples therapy. A lot of times one person is ready to dive into relationship counseling and the other is skeptical, defensive, or just showing up to prove it won't work. Maybe they think therapy is touchy feely nonsense, or they're convinced you're dragging them in to gang up on them, or they've already checked out emotionally and are just going through the motions.

We start there. I'm not going to force anyone to feel something they don't feel or pretend everything's fixable if it's not. But I will help both of you figure out if couples counseling is worth trying. Sometimes the reluctant partner just needs to see that marriage therapy isn't about sitting in a circle talking about feelings for an hour. It's not about me taking sides or telling one person they're the problem. It's about mapping the cycle you're stuck in and giving you both practical tools to break it.

A lot of skeptical partners change their mind after the first session because they realize this isn't what they expected. They're not getting lectured. They're not being blamed. They're finally being heard without it turning into another fight. And honestly, sometimes the person who dragged their partner to therapy is the one who ends up being surprised by what they learn about their own patterns.

That said, if one person is truly done and just counting down the days until they can leave, couples therapy probably won't save it. But if there's even a small part of them that's willing to try, that's enough to start with. I've seen plenty of reluctant partners become the biggest advocates for therapy once they see it actually helping.

If you're asking the question, it's probably not too late. The couples who are truly done don't usually search for marriage counseling or relationship therapy. They're not reading FAQ pages on a therapist's website. They're talking to divorce lawyers and figuring out custody arrangements.

That said, I'm not going to blow smoke or promise you something I can't deliver. Some relationships have crossed a line where both people know deep down it's over. Maybe the trust is so shattered that neither person can imagine feeling safe again. Maybe the resentment has built up so long that there's nothing left but contempt. Maybe one person has already emotionally moved on and is just waiting for the right time to leave. Marriage counseling can't fix a relationship where one or both people have truly decided they're done.

But here's what I know after years of doing couples therapy: most of the couples I see aren't actually broken. They're stuck in a painful cycle that keeps playing out the same way, and they've lost hope because nothing they've tried has worked. You fight about the dishes, but it's really about feeling disrespected. You fight about sex, but it's really about feeling rejected. You fight about money, but it's really about trust and control. And because you're fighting about the surface issue instead of the real issue, nothing ever gets resolved.

Cycles can change when you know what you're dealing with. I've worked with couples on the edge of divorce who decided to stay together and actually rebuilt something good. I've also worked with couples who realized through therapy that separating was the healthiest choice. Both outcomes can be successful if you're making the decision from a clearer place instead of just reacting out of anger or fear.

Fair question, and I hear this a lot from couples who are skeptical about trying marriage counseling again. Sometimes relationship therapy doesn't work because the fit wasn't right, the timing was off, or the approach didn't match what you actually needed. Maybe your last therapist just let you vent for an hour without giving you anything concrete to work with. Maybe they focused on childhood trauma when what you really needed was help stopping the same fight you've been having for five years. Maybe they took sides, or the sessions felt like one person was getting blamed while the other got a pass.

My approach to couples counseling is different. It's structured, practical, and focused on real change. We're not doing endless processing or rehashing every fight you've had since 2015 just to rehash it. We're mapping the specific cycle that keeps tripping you up, identifying what triggers it, and teaching you practical communication skills to interrupt it. You'll leave every session with one or two small things to try at home. Not big, overwhelming assignments. Just simple, doable steps that fit into real life.

We also talk openly about what's working and what's not. If something I'm suggesting isn't helping, I want to know so we can adjust. If you feel like we're stuck or spinning our wheels, we address it directly instead of wasting your time and money on therapy that's not getting you anywhere. This isn't about sitting in a room talking about your feelings for six months with no real direction. You'll know pretty quickly whether it's helping.

Another reason couples therapy fails sometimes is because one or both partners aren't ready to do the work. They show up, but they don't practice anything between sessions. They blame their partner for everything and refuse to look at their own patterns. Or life gets stressful and they stop coming before anything has time to shift. I can't fix a relationship by myself. You have to be willing to try new things, even when it feels awkward or uncomfortable at first.

If you're willing to show up consistently, practice the tools between sessions, and give honest feedback about what's helping, there's a good chance this will be different than last time.

Here's how confidentiality works in couples counseling and marriage therapy: I don't keep secrets between partners. Before we start, you both sign a no secrets agreement that says if you tell me something individually, it needs to come out in the couples work at some point. I'm not going to ambush you or blurt it out in the middle of a session without warning, but we will plan together how and when to bring it up in a way that protects the therapeutic process and gives both of you the best chance at working through it.

Sometimes I'll meet with one of you individually to work through something specific or to prepare for a difficult conversation. But even in those individual sessions, I treat the couple as my client, not each person separately. That means I'm not your individual therapist who happens to see you together. I'm not your confidant or your ally against your partner. I'm working for the relationship, and that means both of you need to have access to the same information.

I know that can feel risky, especially if you're holding something you're not sure how to share. Maybe you've been hiding something big like an affair, financial problems, or a porn use issue. Maybe you're terrified that if you tell the truth, your partner will leave. But here's why the no secrets policy matters in relationship counseling: secrets kill trust, and I can't help you rebuild trust in your marriage while keeping one person in the dark. If there's something that needs to come out, we do it carefully, with preparation and a plan for how to handle it. That's way better than me sitting on information that's sabotaging your progress or waiting for your partner to find out some other way.

The one exception is safety. If there are concerns about physical violence, emotional abuse, or any situation where someone's safety is at risk, we address that first and build a plan that protects everyone involved. In those cases, confidentiality and transparency take a backseat to making sure both people are safe.

This policy is standard practice for ethical couples therapists and marriage counselors. It protects the integrity of the work and makes sure I'm not accidentally becoming part of the problem by holding secrets that are hurting your relationship.