What to Expect in Couples Counseling

It’s normal to feel a bit uncertain about starting couples therapy. Some couples have never tried therapy before, while others may have had negative experiences. Misconceptions and stigma around counseling can also make the process feel intimidating. At Thriving Wellness Center, we provide a safe, supportive environment for all couples—including neurodiverse couples, and those where one or both partners are autistic or have ADHD—to strengthen their relationships

Your First Couples Counseling Session

The first session is an opportunity to explore what brings you to therapy and create a plan together. During this session, we will:

• Discuss your current challenges, goals, and relationship strengths

• Identify concerns and issues you want to address together

• Determine session frequency and whether individual therapy might be beneficial

• Provide initial feedback and outline what to expect moving forward

Our goal is to help you feel understood, supported, and ready to begin the work of building a stronger, healthier relationship.

Strengthening Your Relationship Through Understanding

Couples counseling equips partners with tools to navigate differences, celebrate unique strengths, and foster lasting connection. With guidance from our clinicians, couples can transform challenges into growth and build relationships based on trust, empathy, and mutual respect.

What Happens During Couples Counseling

In counseling, we focus on understanding your experiences and emotions to get to the root of relationship challenges. Sessions may include:

• Identifying patterns of interaction that lead to conflict, disconnection, or frustration

• Learning new ways to communicate and connect

• Addressing emotional needs such as feeling heard, understood, and secure

• Creating practical strategies for managing daily routines, responsibilities, and stress

For neurodiverse couples, therapy also focuses on understanding how traits of ADHD, ASD, or other neurological differences impact communication, intimacy, and problem-solving.

Counseling When Your Partner is Unwilling to Attend

Even if your partner isn’t ready for counseling, individual therapy can still make a meaningful impact. By understanding your own patterns, experiences, and behaviors, you can influence positive changes in the relationship and create healthier dynamics over time.

Meet Your Therapist Before Committing

We offer a free 10-minute consultation so you can get a sense of the counseling process and see if our approach is the right fit for you and your relationship.

Therapeutic Approaches We Use

Our clinicians integrate evidence-based modalities to support couples, including:

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): Helps partners manage and express emotions, increasing closeness and emotional connection

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Provides skills for managing intense emotions and improving communication

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Supports problem-solving, behavior changes, and addressing patterns that create conflict

Does Couples Counseling Work?

Couples counseling is proven to be highly effective for improving relationships, emotional connection, and overall well-being. Research shows:

• The Journal of Marital and Family Therapy reports that about 70% of couples experience meaningful improvements from marriage counseling.

• The American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists found that 90% of couples who complete therapy with a highly trained therapist report increased emotional well-being and greater comfort in their relationship.

• Results vary depending on the therapist, but between 70-90% of couples find couples therapy beneficial. Beyond that, approximately two-thirds report an improvement in their general physical well-being as well.

Our role is to facilitate understanding, not take sides. Both partners are supported equally while learning communication, empathy, and conflict-resolution skills.

At Thriving Wellness Center, our clinicians focus on facilitating understanding, not taking sides. Both partners are supported equally as they learn practical communication, empathy, and conflict-resolution skills—tools that help build a stronger, more connected relationship.

In-Person and Virtual Couples Counseling

We offer in-person sessions in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and Manhattan, New York, and virtual therapy. Virtual sessions are especially beneficial for partners with busy schedules, sensory sensitivities, or long-distance relationships, providing flexibility and comfort from your own space.

How Couples Counseling Can Help

Through counseling, couples can:

• Discuss and navigate differences in a healthy way

• Learn strategies to manage conflicts more effectively

• Practice clear, respectful communication

• Increase emotional and physical intimacy

• Identify and avoid repeating distressing patterns

• Reduce stress and tension at home

• Improve co-parenting and family collaboration

• Develop practical problem-solving skills together

Whether you are navigating neurodiverse relationship dynamics, autism in relationships, or ADHD-related challenges, counseling provides tools, understanding, and strategies to strengthen your connection and thrive together.