How Much Does Couple Therapy Cost in California?

Takeaway: Deciding to pursue couples counseling is a big step. For many people, logistical considerations (like cost) play a big factor. Having an understanding of the cost of couples counseling can help you make an educated decision when investing in your relationship.

Understanding the cost of couples counseling

It makes sense that you’d want to understand what marriage counseling costs before diving in. After all, it can be a challenging process that requires vulnerability and commitment. However, each therapist has a different rate for couples counseling sessions.

Think of any other service: getting a haircut, going to a restaurant, or even having a doctor’s appointment. While you might be able to estimate how much it will cost, each service provider has their own fees. Some are much higher than average, some are lower, and many are right around what you’d expect to pay.

Couples counseling is the same way—there’s no definitive number for how much it costs. And the session fee that each marriage counselor sets depends on a wide variety of different factors which we’ll dive into later in this post.

How much is couples counseling in California?

At the same time, it can still be helpful to get a ballpark idea of the cost of couples counseling. This can help you feel more prepared when making a decision on which marriage counselor to work with or whether to start at all.

Here are estimates of marriage counseling costs around California based on averages from 25 local therapists in each area.

Keep in mind that these numbers are averages. The couples therapist you end up working with may charge more or less, depending on different factors that we’ll discuss in more detail below. However, keeping this rough estimate in mind can help you feel more prepared to start marriage counseling sessions.

Factors that influence couples counseling cost

Therapists take several factors into consideration when setting their session fees. Plus, there are some cost elements that are out of their control. While there isn’t a set formula that will tell you how much you’ll end up paying per session (or overall), these are some of the common components of marriage counseling cost.

Location

Therapists charge different rates depending on the area that they live in. As you likely know firsthand, the cost of living is high in California. In fact, data from the United Ways of California shows that more than a third of households in California struggle to meet their basic needs. Therapists are human too, so they need to charge a fee that allows them to support themselves and their families.

Therapist education & experience

Just like a specialty doctor often charges more than a primary care provider, some therapists may charge more depending on their experience and credentials. For example, marriage and family therapists or licensed professional counselors typically have a master’s degree while clinical psychologists have a doctoral degree. Therefore, psychologists may charge a higher fee for their services.

Type of therapy

The specific time of marriage counseling you choose can also dictate costs. Some therapeutic methods require a therapist to get further training and education, which also takes time and money. Approaches like the Gottman method require that therapists train with that specific institution, so your marriage counselor might charge more for this specialty service.

Time spent outside of session

Couples counseling cost factors in more than just the session itself. Your therapist also writes clinical notes, engages in training or supervision, responds to new client inquiries, and more. They don’t get paid for this time, so they need to take that into consideration when setting their session rates.

Number of therapy sessions

The length of your time in couples counseling also has a big impact on the cost. For example, you’ll likely pay more overall if you work with a couples therapist for a year versus six months. The frequency of sessions (i.e. if you meet weekly or every other week) can also influence the final cost.

Does insurance cover couples counseling?

Unfortunately, health insurance doesn’t often cover the cost of marriage counseling sessions. There are some exceptions, such as when marriage counseling is deemed “medically necessary.” However, even if you are able to use insurance benefits, they often don’t cover the entire cost of treatment. You may also have a high deductible that you must meet before your benefits kick in.

With that being said, there are many positive aspects to working with a private practice couples therapist who’s not affiliated with insurance companies. Your information will remain completely private and confidential, whereas your sensitive health data would need to be shared with an insurance company. Plus, you get to work directly with your therapist to create a treatment plan that makes sense for your needs as a couple—not let your insurance plan dictate when you can and can’t see a couples counselor.

Is marriage counseling worth the investment?

Yes. I’m a firm believer that nearly any relationship can benefit from couples therapy sessions. Relationships take work, and having a dedicated space to commit time and energy toward building your connection can be truly powerful. I’ve seen it firsthand with the dozens of couples I’ve helped in my experience as a couples therapist.

Here’s a look into how exactly marriage counselors can help you.

Benefits of couples counseling

Each couple’s experience with marriage counseling is different, but there are several ways you can benefit. Here are some of the common ones I see in the couples I work with.

• Improve communication skills. We often get stuck in repetitive communication patterns without even realizing it. By having a professional, neutral sounding board, you can see which patterns are keeping you stuck and learn new skills to communicate more effectively with each other.
• Learn how to resolve conflict in a healthy, constructive way. Do you and your partner ever get caught having the same argument over and over again? You’re not alone. Thankfully, marriage counseling can provide you with a safe space to work through these challenges together.
• Grow your intimacy. Research shows that working with a marriage therapist can help couples increase their intimacy in several areas of their relationship, including emotional, intellectual, sexual, and physical intimacy.
• Strengthen your emotional connection. On a similar note, couples counseling can help you and your partner feel closer than ever. By showing up for each other (and yourselves) in this way, you’ll be reminded of how much you both mean to each other.
• Improve mental health symptoms. While marriage counseling focuses on your bond as a couple, studies show that it can also have a positive effect on individual mental health issues like depression.
• Learn more about each other—and yourselves. You already know a lot about your partner, but there’s always more to learn. Carving out this time for yourselves and deeply reflecting on your wants, needs, values, and goals as individuals and as a couple can help you gain a deeper understanding of yourselves and each other.

Invest in Los Angeles couples therapy today

If you and your partner are ready to put your relationship first, I’m here to help. I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist and provide couples therapy in Los Angeles. I’m passionate about helping couples discover the patterns that keep them stuck and learning new ways to connect. Together, we’ll figure out what you both need to have a happy, healthy relationship that you both feel fulfilled by.

I offer both in-person and online therapy to make couples counseling as accessible as possible.

Reach out today to schedule a free consultation. I look forward to hearing from you!