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Therapy looks a little different for everyone, depending on your goals and concerns. Most couples and individuals use therapy to set goals, work through challenges, and practice new skills between sessions. Often, therapy can bring up difficult emotions like hopelessness or anger, which can feel frustrating and demoralizing. However, over time, it often leads to relief, healthier relationships, and new ways of coping.
Sessions 1-3
The first few sessions are an “assessment period.” You’ll share your story and goals with your therapist, and both you and the therapist will determine whether they’re the right fit for your needs. Please don’t expect big changes right away! Your therapist first needs to gather enough information to be able to understand how best to help you.
Session 4 and after
By around session 4, you and your therapist will have come up with a specific treatment plan for your goals. At this stage, you should notice more engagement and structure from your therapist, and you’ll begin to see gradual progress. This stage tends to last anywhere between 3-6 months, though may be shorter or longer depending on your goals. You’ll check in regularly with your therapist about your progress, and you are encouraged to give feedback so therapy stays on track.
When Treatment Goals Are Met
Once your goals are met, you and your therapist will decide whether to set new ones, move into “maintenance” with less frequent sessions, or begin wrapping up. Most clients meet with their therapist once or twice a month at this stage.
Completing Therapy
When you’re ready to finish, therapy ends – but you are always welcome to come back, and we hope you do! Most clients think of maintaining their mental health the way they maintain their teeth, with regular care at home and a “check-up” every 6-12 months. If everything is good, we’ll send you on your way again. If you need a refresher or to brush up on some skills, a few additional sessions are usually enough to get back on track. And if you’ve had a major life change since you stopped regular therapy, you may decide to come back in for another round of care.
Our therapists don’t offer complimentary consultations prior to scheduling, but you will receive your therapist’s contact information in your confirmation email, and you are welcome to ask them any questions that you have before meeting for the first time.
Your first session is also designed to help you determine whether the therapist feels like a good fit, since you’ll quickly get a sense of their style and approach. Usually within the first session you’ll be able to tell if you ‘click,’ but we encourage our clients to make it through the assessment period before deciding whether to continue with that therapist. Once you have begun meeting with your therapist, ask yourself these three critical questions:
- Do I feel comfortable talking with my therapist?
- Do they seem genuine and caring?
- Do they seem competent to work with the issues I’m struggling with?
When you call us or request an appointment through our website, your request goes to our Client Ambassador team, who will process your request and match you to an available provider based on your general scheduling needs, your clinic location preference, the topic(s) you are looking to address in therapy, and any requests or specifications that you may be looking for in a therapist. You may be as specific as you would like with any requests, but please be aware that we cannot guarantee availability of a provider that will match all of your preferences, though we’ll try to accommodate as many requests as we can.
We are very selective in choosing the therapists who contract with us. They are all well trained and your success is their primary concern. However, if you’ve met with your therapist a few times and are thinking it isn’t a good fit, please call us at 612-787-2832 to try a different therapist. We strive to match you successfully from the beginning, but we know we don’t get it right every time. Each therapist has a different personality and some have different specialties, so it’s likely that another therapist at our clinic may be closer to what you are looking for.
All of our therapists are able to accept most plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield, HealthPartners, Cigna, Aetna, United Healthcare, Medica, and UMR. Some of our therapists are also able to accept Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. You will want to call your insurance and ask if you have outpatient mental health benefits to ensure you have the proper coverage. Be sure to ask if you have a deductible and what your copay or coinsurance is. We are also happy to check on your insurance for you. Just send your full name, phone number, date of birth, insurance provider, and policy ID to contact@mncouplescounseling.com. For more information, go to our Rates & Insurance page.
We’re pretty different here at the Relationship Therapy Center, in that most therapy clinics provide no or minimal training for their therapists, and even less so in a speciality like couples counseling. However, because our top value is effectiveness, no one is hired to work as a therapist at RTC without training for 3 years as an Couples Therapy Fellow (CTF). We know from experience that providing exceptional couples therapy is incredibly difficult, so our Fellows undergo extensive training in order to become competent. When a Fellow has achieved the learning objectives in all 6 of our training modules and has met the RTC standard of practice, they become a Certified CTF. And while they will continue throughout their Fellowship to receive clinical supervision and regular training, you can be confident that they are far more well-trained than the average couples therapist – and fully qualified to work with you.
A Certified CTF has had extensive training in:
- Assessments: Gottman Assessments & Feedback Informed Treatment
- Interventions & Techniques from the Gottman, PET-C, CCT, and EFT couples therapy modalities
- Conceptualizing Couples: EFT’s Negative Infinity Loop, Gottman’s Sound Relationship House, Cyclical Dynamics
- Common Couples Issues: Communication and Attachment, Infidelity, Discernment, Emotional and Sexual Intimacy, and Managing Conflict
- Ethics & Cultural Competency
- Conceptualizing Individuals: Treating Mental Health Issues, Couples Therapy For One
If you have further questions about our Couples Therapy Fellowship or would like to talk to a therapist’s supervisor, please don’t hesitate to contact our clinic owner Theresa Benoit at theresa@mncouplescounseling.com
All therapists in the state of Minnesota need to complete a certain number of “supervised” therapy hours in order to be eligible to apply for independent licensure. This means that your therapist will meet with their supervisor (typically a more established, fully licensed therapist) outside of your sessions to discuss your progress and make sure you are getting the best care possible. Your therapist’s supervisor will not be in sessions with you, nor will your sessions be recorded in any way without your explicit permission. Additionally, your therapist’s supervisor is bound to the same ethical standards of confidentiality as your therapist, so anything discussed between your therapist and their supervisor will remain confidential.
There are many benefits to working with a therapist who is under supervision, including increased accountability for your therapist to use evidence-based interventions and uphold ethical standards. Supervised therapists also have the opportunity to hear another perspective on your case, which can lead to more creative and effective outcomes for clients. Finally, numerous studies have shown that therapists under clinical supervision have equivalent outcomes as therapists who have been licensed for extended periods of time. Please be assured that all of the therapists at the Relationship Therapy Center are well-trained and qualified to provide excellent therapy. We also utilize Feedback-Informed Treatment to provide an additional layer of accountability for your treatment.
If you have further questions about supervision, please don’t hesitate to contact our clinic owner and clinical supervisor Theresa Benoit at theresa@mncouplescounseling.com.
Come in for Couples Therapy for One! This format is designed for individual clients whose partners are resistant or hesitant about doing couples therapy. Couples Therapy for One teaches specific skills and tools to one partner that, when used, can often substantially improve the relationship and sometimes even inspires the other partner to reconsider couples counseling. Research shows that if you change the way you interact with your partner, often your partner will make changes as well. We can even get you established with a couples counselor if your partner changes their mind and decides to join you!
Reach out to get set up for Couples Therapy for One here.
Most sessions will be around 53-60 minutes, though your therapist may be able to accommodate longer or shorter sessions as needed, depending on your concerns and the limitations of your insurance (if you are using insurance.) If you regularly find yourself needing to meet for sessions that are longer than 2 hours, we strongly recommend that you look into our Intensive Couples Counseling Program.
Telehealth is a convenient, easy way for you to safely get the mental healthcare you need. It is ideal for clients who have schedules or medical circumstances that make it difficult to come to in-office appointments, who are located in geographical areas with less reliable access to quality mental healthcare providers, or who don’t want to spend their time commuting to an office. It also allows you to maintain continuity of care by not needing to cancel an appointment due to bad weather, physical illness, lack of childcare, or other situations that might make it difficult for you to make it to an in-office appointment. Studies have shown that Telehealth therapy delivers the same effective care as in-office visits.
We use a secure, HIPAA-compliant version of the Google Meets platform for holding your sessions via video. You do not need a Google account to access this platform. Your therapist will send you their unique Telehealth link prior to your session.
For a successful Telehealth therapy session, we recommend selecting a place where you can ensure maximum privacy, and using a private, secure internet connection. Ideally, you will use a computer or mobile device with a camera and a microphone. We recommend joining your session a few minutes early to account for any technical issues, and having your phone nearby so that your therapist can communicate with you in case of technical difficulties during your session.
Please note that therapists at the Relationship Therapy Center are only able to provide Telehealth therapy services to Minnesota residents. If you have any questions about Telehealth therapy, please contact our Client Ambassador at 612-787-2832 or contact@mncouplescounseling.com.
The length of therapy really depends on your situation. For couples working through relatively minor issues, many reach their initial goals in about 12–20 weekly sessions (roughly 3–5 months). If you’re coming to therapy after years of conflict or during a major relationship crisis, the process will likely take longer, often 6 months or more.
Our goal is to make each session focused and productive while moving at a pace that supports lasting change. Since 2015, over 75% of our clients have reached their goals (compared to a national average of about 70%). You can read more about our results here.
Maybe. It depends on how old they are and how they might behave in the waiting room. If you have an infant that can sleep while you’re talking to your therapist, or kids that are old enough to read or play on an electronic device very quietly in the waiting room, feel free to bring them along. If your kids require a lot of attention, finding childcare will be a better option. Please be aware that most of our waiting rooms are unattended, so your child will likely be unsupervised for the duration of your session. If you think your child may need therapy as well, you could consider having them see a Child Therapist as you attend your own session. Ask a Client Ambassador about this option at 612-787-2832.
Yes! Please bring in your insurance card if you wish to use insurance, and a driver’s license or other photo ID. Please also make sure you have completed the intake forms via the client portal link that was emailed to you along with your confirmation email. If you never received the client portal invitation, please contact the Client Ambassador at 612-787-2832 or contact@mncouplescounseling.com to request it.
Make sure you are asking about billing codes 90837 and 90847, since these are the most common codes that we use during a course of couples therapy. Often these benefits are listed as “family therapy” or “conjoint therapy” by your insurance plan. Some insurance plans do not offer family therapy benefits. Most insurance companies also require a mental health diagnosis in order to be able to bill your sessions to your insurance. You can discuss any concerns that you have about this with your therapist.
Questions about your coverage at our clinic that your insurance isn’t able to answer? Call us at 612-787-2832 and select option 3 to speak to our billing team.
Our Intensive Program is designed for couples who want or need more immediate and comprehensive support than traditional couples counseling can provide. These programs are completed in 3-4 hour blocks of time with a therapist, which facilitates quicker progress than we see with weekly therapy. Our Intensive Program is not currently covered by insurance. However, the service is reimbursed through most health savings accounts. Please see our Intensive Couples Counseling page for more details.