Couples Counseling FAQ
Why should we try Couples Counseling?
Feeling stuck in your relationship? Are you feeling disconnected from your partner? Are you having the same fight over and over again? Finances, family, parenting, past trauma or infidelity impacting your relationship?
Couples Counseling helps couples get to the heart of the matter and navigate challenges impacting their relationship. Couples Counseling addresses ways to effectively communicate, problem-solve and overall navigate the course of your relationship.
What can you expect in Couples Counseling?
Sessions are generally 55-min long. The 1st session is an assessment with both parties. Therapists will gather background information from you and your partner. The 2nd and 3rd sessions the Therapists may meet with partners individually to understand your relationship histories. Starting the 4th session, we bring couples back together again to track your interaction patterns. There may be times we request to meet individually with one or both of you again if issues come up that impact your ability to feel safe and vulnerable in the relationship.
How many sessions do we need to improve our relationship?
After 12 weeks of weekly couples counseling, we will assess your progress. A commitment of at least six months of weekly sessions is recommended. In cases where your conflicts are long-standing and your wounds are deep, healing may take longer. Couples Counseling is an investment in the future of your relationship.
Will you see us individually too?
Forming therapeutic relationships outside of the couples counseling has the potential of creating biases and partiality. Couples Counselors/Therapists at MCCS do not see individuals for ongoing therapy that they are also seeing for couples counseling. If individual counseling is also needed, another Therapist at MCCS may be able to help.
Does insurance cover Couples Counseling?
Insurance covers services that are deemed “medically necessary”. Insurance typically covers family therapy, when one or both partners are diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Family Therapy is provided with the family member and the goal is to help alleviate symptoms of the identified client with the mental health diagnosis.
In contrast, Couples counseling the focus is on your relationship and not on the treatment of a medical diagnosis. The chart is under both of your names, as your relationship is our client. We do not provide Superbills for couples counseling for this reason.
Most insurance plans do not cover “couples counseling”. However, it is best to contact your insurance company directly to learn about your mental health/behavioral health benefits. You can ask specifically about “couples counseling” billed using Z Code “Z63.0 Problems in Relationship with Spouse or Partner”.
What is the frequency of sessions and for how long?
It is important we meet weekly so we get a chance to know you, your histories, and how you relate. With irregular or less frequent sessions we spend part of the time recapping what happened since our last session and we end up losing the momentum we’ve gained. This slows down the process
Do you offer online Couples Counseling?
Yes, we are happy to connect with you online.
For more information about how we can help or to schedule an appointment, please use our contact form or call (443) 574 – 4295.