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Couples Therapy, From Home.
Telehealth couples therapy for communication, conflict, and trust. Gottman-based and emotionally focused approaches, with no waitlist.
Last updated: October 2026
What We Treat
What couples therapy helps with
- Communication breakdown
- Conflict cycles that keep repeating
- Trust repair
- Intimacy and emotional distance
- Couples at any stage, from early relationships to long-term partnerships
- Couples on the edge of separation
Sessions focus on the repeating cycle underneath your arguments and on concrete skills you both practice between sessions.
Our Approach
How couples therapy works
- Gottman-based therapy. Grounded in decades of research, it helps you interrupt destructive patterns like contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.
- Emotionally focused therapy. An attachment-based approach that maps the emotional cycle driving disconnection and helps you find your way back to trust.
- Skills you practice. You leave sessions with communication skills to use at home.
- A clear starting point. Treatment begins with an assessment of your relationship strengths and challenges.
Couples sessions run 50 to 60 minutes by secure video, with evening times that work around two schedules.
When To Reach Out
Signs it may be time for couples therapy
- The same argument keeps coming back, no matter the topic
- Conversations turn into criticism, defensiveness, or shutting down
- You feel more like roommates than partners
- Trust was broken and you are not sure how to rebuild it
- A big change, like a new baby, a move, or a job loss, is straining the relationship
- One or both of you are wondering whether to stay
Couples often wait years before getting help. Starting earlier usually means less to repair.
What To Expect
How couples sessions unfold
- Assessment. Early sessions look at your history, strengths, and the patterns that cause the most hurt.
- Naming the cycle. You learn to see the cycle you get caught in, so you can work against it together instead of against each other.
- New skills. You practice softer starts, repair attempts, and listening that lowers defensiveness.
- Rebuilding connection. Later work focuses on trust, friendship, and shared meaning.
Your clinician does not take sides. The relationship itself is the focus.
Why Telehealth Works
Couples therapy that fits two schedules
Finding one time that works for two busy people is often the biggest barrier to couples therapy. Telehealth removes the commute, so evening sessions after work or the kids’ bedtime become realistic.
Practicing new skills at home, in the space where your arguments actually happen, helps those skills carry over into daily life.
Explore free tools like guided breathing, which can help either partner calm down before a hard conversation, on our Therapy Tools page.
Myths & Facts
Common myths about couples therapy
MythCouples therapy is a last resort.
FactMany couples use therapy to strengthen a relationship that is basically good. Earlier is usually easier.
MythThe therapist decides who is right.
FactYour clinician helps you understand the pattern between you. Blame is not the goal.
MythIf we need therapy, we must be incompatible.
FactConflict is normal. What matters is how couples handle it, and those skills can be learned.
Coverage & Getting Started
What couples therapy costs and how to start
In network with Partnership HealthPlan
PMHS is a contracted, in-network provider with Partnership HealthPlan of California. Covered sessions for Medi-Cal members usually cost nothing.
Partnership HealthPlan covers couples counseling where clinically indicated. We verify your benefits before your first appointment, so you know what is covered. PMHS also accepts Medicare, Medi-Medi, and private pay, with sliding-scale fees available.
- Reach out. Submit the short form or call or text (925) 771-0430. We respond within one hour between 8am and 8pm, or by 9am the next morning.
- We verify your coverage. We check your Partnership HealthPlan, Medicare, or other benefits for you.
- Start this week. No waitlist. Your first session is an intake, by secure video or phone from home.
Where We Serve
Couples Therapy in all 24 Partnership HealthPlan counties
PMHS is 100% telehealth, so you can start from home in every Partnership HealthPlan county, including these towns.
What PMHS does not provide
- Crisis or emergency services. Call or text 988, or call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
- Medication management or psychological testing.
- Court-ordered evaluations or forensic assessments.
- In-person appointments. PMHS is 100% telehealth by video or phone.
- Sessions while you are physically outside California.
Common Questions
Couples Therapy FAQ
Does Medi-Cal cover couples therapy?
Partnership HealthPlan covers couples counseling where clinically indicated. We verify your specific benefits during intake, at no cost and with no obligation.
Can both partners also see the same therapist individually?
Generally, no. That creates a dual-relationship conflict. If both partners want individual support, each can be matched with a separate provider.
What if my partner is not ready to start?
You can start individual therapy on your own at any time.
Is couples therapy only for couples in crisis?
No. Couples at any stage come to therapy, from early relationships to long-term partnerships.
What if one of us feels unsafe in the relationship?
Couples therapy is not the right fit when a partner feels physically unsafe or afraid. In that case, individual therapy and safety support come first. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-7233.
Do we have to be married?
No. Couples therapy is for partners at any stage, whether dating, living together, engaged, or married.
Related Services
Other therapy PMHS offers by telehealth
Ready to take the next step?
Break the cycle together. Start this week.
Telehealth therapy across all 24 Partnership HealthPlan counties. No referral needed. No waitlist.
Get Started