How Long Will Therapy Take?

The duration of a “course” of therapy depends on many factors. The first major contributing factor is what you’re looking to focus on in therapy. Coming into therapy with a goal of improving communication tools is very different from addressing a marriage on the brink of divorce due to a considerable betrayal.

However, the most impactful factor in determining how long therapy will take (and how expensive it will be) is how motivated the client or couple is in addressing the presenting issues outside of therapy. Some clients struggle with implementing the tools and strategies discussed in therapy and need guidance in behavioral activation, which extends the longevity of therapy.

How Is Couples Therapy Different from Individual Therapy?

The difference I’ve found as a client of both individual and couples therapy is that couples therapy can sometimes feel more immediate or intense but can yield quicker results. Individual therapy often feels like a place to rehearse new thoughts, feelings, insights, or behaviors to take out to the rest of your life.

While this is also true in couples therapy, you are also working within the relationship in the present moment. You aren’t practicing having emotional conversations with your partner(s); you are actually having the conversations and experiencing all the thoughts and feelings that go along with that.

The good news is, you both aren’t alone; I’m right there with you, playing an active role to make sure the conversations stay productive and supportive.

Why Don’t You Take Any Insurance?

As I primarily work with couples, and most insurance companies don’t cover couples therapy, I don’t currently accept insurance. Most insurance companies determine that couples therapy doesn’t meet “medical necessity” for reimbursement. Additionally, I place strong value on my clients’ privacy and autonomy.

When insurance pays for your therapy, they have control over how long you can be in therapy, what can be discussed, and your private information shared in therapy becomes part of your medical record. What I can provide for my clients is called a “superbill,” which is a fancy itemized invoice for your therapy that you can submit to your insurance company to get reimbursed for whatever their “out-of-network” rate may be.

Many of my clients do this; it takes a little effort to establish with your insurance company, but once it is up and running, it’s easy to maintain.

Why Is the Relationship with a Therapist So Different from All Other Relationships I Have?

There are only two types of relationships where the caretaking is designed to flow in one direction: parents and therapists. When you enter into a therapeutic relationship with a therapist, your feelings, needs, goals, etc., become the sole focus of the relationship.

When the relationship becomes more reciprocal to mirror other common types of friendships, the quality of healing potential in the relationship diminishes. So sadly, we won’t be able to be friends or add each other on social media.

What Makes You Unique as a Therapist?

I play an active role in our sessions together. I’m not the kind of therapist that only sits back and asks, “And how did that make you feel?” Most of my clients don’t leave a session with me wondering, “I wonder what Kevin is thinking about….”

I believe there is always a kind and connecting way of saying what needs to be said in relationships, and I model that for my couples. It’s often joked among therapists that insight is the booby prize of therapy. You can develop all the insight in the world, but without turning that insight into new ways of thinking, feeling, behaving, or simply “being,” the insight isn’t very useful. So let’s find new ways of being even more you.

What Is It Like to Begin Therapy at Courageous Couples Counseling?

When you reach out to let me know you’re interested in therapy, we will schedule a quick 15-minute free consultation with you and your partner(s). This will give you a sense of how I work, give me an idea of what we will be focusing on in therapy, and answer any questions.

Our first session will center around learning more about the history of your relationship, what the goals of therapy are, and some more context around your concerns. The second session is a bit special here at CCC. Every second session here is two hours long. In this extended session, we discuss your and your partners’ childhoods.

This gives me a sense of how your emotional needs were or weren’t met during your formative years. This provides us all with a window into some of the often unconscious influences that lead to disconnection, self-protection, or conflict. After the first two sessions, my primary assessment portion will be complete, and we can spend our time exclusively on what you are wanting to focus on.

There’s no need to come prepared for the assessment sessions whatsoever.