Become better partners.
You’re stuck in the same damaging cycles. The more you focus on your partner’s faults, the more of them you see.
Stop putting your relationship on the backburner. Create NEW patterns with expert marriage therapy and practical steps to break the negative loops, feel understood, and reconnect with your strengths as a couple.
Create a secure partnership.
How you talk to each other makes or breaks your relationship. You know that talking harshly to each other pushes you further and further away, but it just keeps happening.
After 15 years of marriage myself & two decades of counseling couples, I’ve seen what works. Creating a relationship you love requires you to become a team against the defenses.
Many of my clients are high-achieving professionals — executives, founders, business owners, attorneys, and physicians — balancing demanding careers with marriage and family life.
Re-awaken your feelings of aliveness and have fun together again with online marriage relationship counseling or relationship coaching with flexible scheduling and weekend appointments available.
If you are ready to stop feeling disconnected in your marriage… then book your free 15-minute introductory call now.
“Debbie & her coaching saved our marriage! We have had so much going on these past few months, I’m not sure if we would have made it out still together if it weren’t for her help. The support has helped us communicate, listen, and react so much better to each other!”
Schedule a time to connect for free and see how marriage counseling in California, Texas marriage therapy, or Florida marital counseling can help you heal the resentment in your relationship, and get back to creating enthusiasm for the future.
“The fighting cycles ended. We now feel safe to share anything with each other.”
– Married entrepreneurs in San Francisco, CA
You used to feel that rush of excitement when you saw each other, but now you feel more like roommates.
Resolve resentments and bring back the spark that brought you together in the first place. Through a combination of marriage counseling, coaching, homework and a proven framework, I help couples create a secure partnership where they can grow closer.
Don’t let the stress of life get in the way of the most impactful thing in your life – your relationship! Hit the RESET button and reinvest in your relationship with a marriage expert.
CALIFORNIA • TEXAS • FLORIDA
Relationship Coaching Available Worldwide
Dating. Engaged. Married. Newlyweds. Committed. LGBTQ+. Neurodivergent. Entrepreneurs. Executives. New Parents.
(without years of therapy or rehashing the past.)
DEBBIE CHERRY, LMFT
This service is a form of couple therapy focused on the relationship between married partners. Couples therapy and couples counseling can support couples at any stage, while counseling for married couples may place added emphasis on commitment, shared responsibilities, and long-term relationship patterns. A licensed marriage and family therapist looks at how both partners affect the cycle between them instead of treating one person as the problem. Whether you call it marriage therapy, relationship counseling, or therapy for married partners, the goal is to help partners understand each other and make lasting changes together.
Couples seek counseling for communication problems, recurring disagreements, emotional distance, intimacy concerns, parenting stress, infidelity, and trust issues. Life transitions such as marriage, a new baby, relocation, career pressure, illness, or becoming a caregiver can also expose patterns that once felt manageable. Many couples find that the issues just won’t go away because each partner reacts to the other in a predictable loop. A couples therapist helps identify the communication breakdown and the emotional needs beneath it, so they can face their challenges together rather than repeating the same argument.
It may be time to seek help when conversations repeatedly end in criticism, defensiveness, withdrawal, or silence; when affection and emotional intimacy have faded; or when one or both partners no longer feel heard. You do not need to wait for a crisis. Premarital counseling is one proactive option, and established married couples can benefit before resentment hardens. A marriage counselor can help clarify whether the concern is a temporary stress response or a deeper relationship dynamic. Early support often makes it easier to strengthen communication and get on the same page.
Counseling can help couples communicate more effectively, rebuild emotional safety, resolve conflict, and reconnect with the strengths that brought them together. Therapy offers a safe space to slow down difficult conversations, understand each partner’s perspective, and replace harmful communication patterns with practical tools. Couples may also deepen intimacy, improve teamwork around parenting or finances, and learn to navigate challenges together. The goal is not to eliminate every disagreement. It is to help partners respond with more clarity, respect, and flexibility so the relationship can feel secure again.
Yes. Couples therapy can help when partners are uncertain about staying together, although no therapist can guarantee a particular outcome. Counseling provides a structured setting to understand what led to the disconnection, decide whether both partners are willing to work past it, and identify what meaningful repair would require. Some couples use therapy to rebuild the relationship; others use it to make a thoughtful separation decision with less hostility. Either way, the work can help partners communicate clearly about boundaries, children, finances, and the future they want to create.
In the first session, the therapist learns about your relationship history, current needs, specific challenges, and goals. Both partners have time to describe what has been happening and what they want to change. The couples therapist then begins mapping the relationship dynamics and communication habits that keep the conflict going. Future therapy sessions combine guided conversation, real-time coaching, and communication tools to practice between appointments. This work is designed to help couples recognize the cycle, express emotional needs more directly, and test new responses that support connection instead of escalating the same pattern.
A licensed marriage and family therapist may draw from several evidence-based approaches. Emotionally Focused Therapy, or EFT, helps partners understand the attachment needs and vulnerable emotions beneath conflict. The Gottman Method uses decades of research to teach friendship, conflict-management, and communication skills. Attachment-based and Imago approaches explore how earlier experiences shape present reactions. Family therapy can also be useful when parenting or wider family relationships affect the marriage. The right mix depends on the couple’s goals, history, and current needs, and a therapist should explain why a particular approach fits.
The 5-5-5 rule is a simple communication exercise, not a formal type of couples therapy. One partner speaks for five minutes without interruption, the other speaks for five minutes, and the final five minutes are used to reflect, clarify, and agree on a next step. Each partner focuses on personal thoughts and feelings rather than blame. A therapist may adapt the timing or add mirroring and validation. The exercise can improve communication during lower-intensity disagreements, but it should pause if either partner becomes overwhelmed, threatening, or unable to listen safely.
Counseling generally works best when both partners participate, because relationship patterns are created and reinforced between two people. Still, therapy can help when only one partner is ready. Individual work can help that person understand triggers, set healthier boundaries, communicate more clearly, and stop automatic reactions that feed the cycle. Those changes may influence how the other partner responds, but one person cannot repair the entire relationship alone. If the reluctant partner later joins, the therapist can help both people establish shared goals and ensure both partners feel heard.
The timeline varies depending on the severity and duration of the concerns, each partner’s readiness, and how consistently the couple uses new skills between sessions. Many couples see meaningful shifts within 10 to 12 sessions, while infidelity, longstanding resentment, or complex family stress may require several months or longer. Progress is usually reviewed throughout therapy rather than tied to a rigid schedule. Couples often notice early signs first, such as fewer escalations, faster repair after a disagreement, and greater emotional safety. The therapist helps adjust the pace as goals and current needs change.
There is no single success rate for every couple or every therapy approach. Outcomes vary by the concerns being treated, how early couples seek help, therapist fit, safety, and each partner’s willingness to practice changes. Research on emotionally focused couples therapy and other evidence-based models shows that many couples improve, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy reports strong satisfaction with marriage and family therapy services. Success can mean staying together, but it can also mean better communication, less distress, clearer decisions, or a healthier separation. A couples therapist should define progress with you rather than promise a guaranteed result.
Online marriage counseling can be effective when it is provided by a licensed therapist who is authorized to work where the couple is located and uses an appropriate secure video platform. For many couples, meeting from home reduces travel, supports consistent attendance, and makes evening and weekend appointments easier to manage. Effective online couples counseling still includes assessment, guided practice, feedback, and clear plans between sessions. Privacy matters: both partners should join from a confidential location with a stable connection. Debbie provides online marriage counseling for couples located in California, Texas, and Florida.
Yes. Marriage therapy can help couples work through infidelity or another serious breach of trust, but rebuilding is gradual and requires honesty, accountability, and emotional safety. Early sessions often focus on stabilizing conflict and answering necessary questions without allowing the conversation to become repeated punishment. The therapist helps the injured partner express the impact and helps the involved partner understand what repair requires. Over time, couples work on boundaries, transparency, communication, and emotional intimacy. Some partners reconnect and rebuild trust; others gain enough clarity to decide that separation is healthier.
Sessions range from $175 to $350 depending on the service, session length, and specific situation. The exact cost is best confirmed during a consultation so it reflects your current needs and budget. Insurance coverage for couples therapy varies by plan and provider. Some insurers reimburse part of an out-of-network fee, while others cover treatment only when there is a qualifying mental health diagnosis and the service is medically necessary. Ask your insurance provider about couples counseling benefits, deductibles, reimbursement, and required documentation before the first appointment. Paying privately may offer greater flexibility and keep relationship concerns out of an insurance record.
Look for a marriage therapist with active licensure, substantial experience helping couples, and training in methods that fit your concerns. A licensed marriage and family therapist is specifically trained to understand couples and families, while a qualified couples therapist should be able to explain the approaches they use and how progress will be measured. Ask about experience with communication problems, infidelity, neurodivergence, intimacy, or major life transitions when those issues apply. Fit also matters: both partners should feel respected, neither should feel blamed, and the therapist should provide practical tools to help you move forward together.
If any of this sounds like where you and your partner are right now, booking a free 15-minute consultation is a good place to start.
