Couples & Marriage Counseling in Austin, TX

marriage counseling

As Seen In

Cosmopolitan logo
HowStuffWorks logo
NBC logo
Bustle Logo
Thriveworks logo
UpJourney logo
ThreeBestRated logo
Business Interviews
The National Registry of Marriage Friendly Therapists
GoodTherapy.org logo
Psychology Today logo
BBB A+ Rating Badge
Fatherly logo
Fierce Free and Full of Fire Logo
Cosmopolitan logo
HowStuffWorks logo
NBC logo
Bustle Logo
Thriveworks logo
UpJourney logo
ThreeBestRated logo
Business Interviews
The National Registry of Marriage Friendly Therapists
GoodTherapy.org logo
Psychology Today logo
BBB A+ Rating Badge
Fatherly logo
Fierce Free and Full of Fire Logo

About Couples & Marriage Counseling

In the sacred journey of togetherness, every couple encounters moments where the seas get turbulent and the path seems obscured. At Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW, LPC-S & Associates, we offer a haven for your relationship to anchor during these storms, facilitating a space where love is rekindled, connections are deepened, and conflicts find resolution. Whether your partnership is navigating through calm waters or weathering the storm, our specialized couples and marriage counseling in Austin, Texas stands ready to guide you both toward rediscovering the harmonious rhythm of your unique love story. 

"Very helpful and personable.  Been seeing him for couple's counseling for several years and he's helped us through some tough times."

We're Here To Help

Counseling On Your Schedule

Starting As Low As $100 Per Session!
Please let us know if you would like to see a specific counselor.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Benefits & Stats of Couples & Marriage Counseling

The realm of couples and marriage counseling has seen significant engagement and tangible outcomes in recent years. Approximately 752,370 couples annually take the step to enter couples therapy, showcasing the trust and value people place in the process. This commitment to relationship well-being is further evidenced by the fact that 3.4% of households have sought guidance from a marriage or couples therapist. Beyond the relational benefits, there's a broader impact on individual health. Research indicates a noteworthy 21.5% reduction in health care use as a result of engaging in couples therapy. This underscores not only the emotional and relational advantages but also the physical and mental well-being enhancements that couples and marriage therapy can bring about.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Common Myths About Marriage Counseling

“It’s too expensive.”

According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), marriage counseling costs 20% less than a psychologist’s fees, and 30% less than a psychiatrist’s fees. In fact, it is shown that 2/3 of marriage counselors are willing to lower their rates! (Under certain criteria, marriage counseling may be covered under most health insurance policies.)

“It’s just the last step before the inevitable divorce” or “We’re past the point of reconciliation.”

According to one study, just 3% of marriages divorced 4 years after completing insight-oriented marital therapy, and nearly one-third of marriages last after an affair has been admitted or discovered!

“It takes too long.”

The median length of family therapy is just 12 sessions, and 65% of cases are completed within 20 sessions. In fact, family therapy generally lasts 30% fewer sessions than individual therapy.

“It doesn’t make a difference.”

About one half of all highly-distressed marriages in a 2011 study showed persistent signs of improvement 5 years later.

Our Approach to Couples & Marriage Counseling in Austin, TX

At Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW, LPC-S & Associates, we fuse Gottman’s Research-Based Counseling and Emotion-Focused Couples Counseling. By following the best practices of the two most successful, results-driven methods for couples counseling, we can expect better patient outcomes.

Interested in learning more about our approach to couples and marriage counseling in Austin, TX? Schedule an initial consultation with one of our therapists today 

Schedule An Initial Consultation

Research-based therapy that is goal-oriented can help couples in counseling to:

  • Increase respect towards one another
  • Strengthen intimacy and affection
  • Resolve current and future conflicts
  • Develop a deeper understanding of each other
  • Communicate calmly and effectively
  • Maintain lasting improvements in their relationship
Passion icon

Get Back On Track with Your Partnership.

Regain trust & reconnect with Marriage Counseling

Your Therapy, Your Choice

In-Person Therapy Or Teletherapy

Face-to-Face counseling offers the comfort of being in an office setting, greater access to subtle psychological nuances that occur in person, and it helps to prevent possible outside interruptions.

Teletherapy counseling offers convenience, a therapeutically accessible and viable means of benefiting from therapy, and because it occurs in your own environment, it can allow you to feel more at ease and comfortable.

Why Choose a Local Therapist

  • Face-to-face Connection
  • Enhanced Communication
  • Immediate Support
  • Local Resources and Referrals
  • Privacy and Confidentiality

Patient Feedback

98.1%

rated services good or excellent

97.1%

got the kind of help they desired

91.2%

were satisfied with the amount of help they received

93%

said they helped in dealing more effectively with problems

96.9%

would recommend their therapist to a friend

94.3%

would return to the same therapist

97.4%

were generally satisfied with the service they received

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

How Our Patients Feel

"Very helpful and personable.  Been seeing him for couple's counseling for several years and he's helped us through some tough times."

"Louis is a really great listener. He not only listens, but he HEARS you. I have never felt so understood by a therapist before. He is great at guiding you toward a more honest approach at an emotionally balanced life. He doesn't judge and is always welcoming. My appointments with Louis always left me feeling empowered and ready to face the week."

"I’ve been going here consistently for several years and have been nothing short of amazed at the experience (and results)."

Benefits of Online Therapy

Why Get Better Help, When You Can Get the Best Help

TeleTherapy aims to make therapy more accessible. Gone are the days where you have to request time off or account for travel time to attend therapy. Instead, eliminate the commute and schedule your online therapy session at a time that works for you! Our therapists are very adaptable and offer therapy via phone call, or Zoom — whatever you prefer. And unlike national therapy providers, we’re all based in Austin, so we’re familiar with the city, its culture, its diversity, and the slow-moving traffic on I-35. By speaking to an Austin therapist, your sessions may have more context and background than speaking to someone on the other side of the country. Let’s get started!

Match With A Therapist
Therapy

Get Your Relationship Back On Track With Couples & Marriage Counseling in Austin, TX

If your relationship is on the rocks, the therapists at Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW, LPC-S can help you get it back on track. Contact us online or over the phone to schedule a free consultation.