Couples Therapy in Long Beach & Lakewood, CA
If you and your partner keep having the same arguments, feel more like roommates than lovers, or are questioning whether your relationship can survive—you’re not alone, and there is hope.
Relationships take effort, especially during difficult seasons. Whether you’re navigating communication challenges, trust concerns, or feeling disconnected, couples therapy can help you rebuild connection and move forward together.
At Hygieia Behavioral Health Foundation, we provide couples therapy in Long Beach and Lakewood, with in-person sessions and virtual therapy available throughout California. We create a supportive, non-judgmental space where couples can feel heard, understood, and guided toward meaningful change under the clinical direction of Dr. Sade Thompson, Doctor of Psychology and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
When Couples Seek Therapy
- Common Reasons Couples Come to Therapy:
- Communication problems (frequent arguments, shutting down, feeling unheard)
- Trust issues or recovering from infidelity
- Intimacy and sexual concerns (emotional or physical disconnection)
- Conflict over finances or different spending values
- Parenting disagreements or struggles with co-parenting
- Life transitions (moving in together, getting married, having a baby, job changes)
- Cultural, religious, or family differences causing tension
- Feeling disconnected, distant, or like “roommates”
- Individual challenges such as anxiety, depression, or stress that may be impacting the relationship
- Considering separation or divorce (discernment counseling)
- Pre-marital counseling (building a strong foundation before marriage)
- Rebuilding after a crisis or major betrayal
- Emotional & Mental Health Impact
- Ongoing stress, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm
- Feeling disconnected, lonely, or unsupported
- Depression related to relationship strain
- Difficulty managing conflict without escalation
- Loss of emotional safety in the relationship
- Increased irritability, frustration, or emotional reactivity
- Chronic tension or feeling “on edge” in the relationship
- Difficulty trusting your partner or feeling secure
- Emotional exhaustion or burnout from ongoing conflict
- Low self-esteem or questioning your self-worth
- Feeling stuck, hopeless, or unsure how to move forward
- Withdrawing emotionally or shutting down to avoid conflict
- Relationship Patterns & Communication Cycles
- Repeating the same arguments without resolution
- Pursue–withdraw or shutdown communication patterns
- Difficulty expressing needs or feeling heard
- Escalation into criticism, defensiveness, or avoidance
- Breakdowns in communication or frequent misunderstandings
- Feeling stuck in unhealthy or unproductive cycles
- Feeling disconnected, lonely, or unsupported
- Depression related to relationship strain
- Difficulty managing conflict without escalation
- Loss of emotional safety in the relationship
- Increased emotional reactivity or difficulty staying calm during conversations
- Feeling unheard, invalidated, or misunderstood during conflict
- Avoidance of important conversations to prevent tension or conflict
Relationship challenges are often influenced by individual mental health factors such as anxiety, depression, or chronic stress. Addressing these through individual therapy can support meaningful progress in couples therapy and improve overall relationship functioning.
Start Reconnecting and Moving Forward
You don’t have to keep repeating the same patterns. Whether you’re feeling disconnected, stuck in conflict, or unsure how to move forward, couples therapy can help you rebuild communication, trust, and connection.
How Couples Therapy Helps
Couples therapy provides a safe, neutral space to address challenges with professional guidance:
✓ Improve communication - Learn to express needs clearly and listen actively without defensiveness
✓ Rebuild trust - Address betrayal and work toward forgiveness (if both partners are willing and committed)
✓ Resolve conflict - Develop healthy ways to disagree, find compromise, and repair after arguments
✓ Strengthen intimacy - Reconnect emotionally, physically, and sexually
✓ Navigate life transitions - Adapt to major changes together as a team
✓ Understand patterns - Identify cycles and dynamics that keep you stuck
✓ Make decisions - Gain clarity about the future of your relationship
✓ Prevent future problems - Build skills and habits that last beyond therapy
Therapy isn’t about taking sides—it’s about helping both partners feel heard, understood, and supported.
Our Approach to Couples Therapy
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
EFT helps couples understand the emotional patterns beneath their conflicts. By addressing attachment needs and vulnerabilities, partners learn to respond to each other with empathy rather than defensiveness or withdrawal.
Gottman Method
Based on decades of research on what makes relationships succeed or fail, the Gottman Method helps couples build friendship, manage conflict constructively, and create shared meaning. We teach practical skills for navigating disagreements and strengthening connection.
Imago Relationship Therapy
Imago helps partners understand how their upbringing and childhood experiences shape current relationship patterns. By healing old wounds together, couples can create more conscious, loving partnerships.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy
We provide affirming, inclusive couples therapy for LGBTQ+ partners, creating a space where both individuals feel respected, understood, and supported. We recognize the unique experiences that can impact LGBTQ+ relationships, including identity development, family dynamics, and societal stressors, and we tailor care to your specific needs and goals.
Culturally Responsive Care
We provide culturally responsive couples therapy that honors your values, communication styles, and relationship dynamics. We recognize that culture, family systems, and lived experiences shape how partners connect, express needs, and navigate conflict, and we tailor therapy to reflect what matters most to you.
Insurance & Accessibility
We Accept Most Major Insurance Plans
Couples therapy in Long Beach, Lakewood, and throughout California:
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross & Anthem L.A. Care
- Blue Shield of California & Blue Shield Promise Plan
- Carelon
- L.A. Care (Medi-Cal, Commercial, Medicare)
- United Health Care / Optum
- Tricare West
Note: Insurance coverage for couples therapy varies by plan and provider. Some plans cover it if one partner has a mental health diagnosis; others don’t cover it at all. We’ll help you verify your specific benefits
What to Expect in Couples Therapy
Locations & Virtual Services
Lakewood Office
5150 Candlewood Street, Ste. 18J
Lakewood, CA 90712
Long Beach Office (Bixby Knolls)
3811 Long Beach Blvd, Ste. C
Long Beach, CA 90807
Serving couples in Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Bellflower, Paramount, Downey, and surrounding communities.
Virtual Therapy Throughout California: We offer secure online couples therapy for clients anywhere in California. Virtual sessions can actually reduce scheduling conflicts and make therapy more accessible.
When Couples Therapy May Not Be the Right Fit
Couples’ therapy may not be the best fit if:
- There is active physical violence or abuse (individual therapy for safety planning is recommended first)
- One partner is not willing to participate or engage honestly in the process
-
One or both partners have already made a firm decision to separate or divorce and only need logistical support
In these cases, individual therapy may be a better first step. We can help you determine the right approach during a consultation.
Special Situations We Address
- Infidelity and Trust Rebuilding
Affairs are devastating, but some couples can rebuild trust with professional support. We help both partners process betrayal, understand what led to the affair, take accountability, and decide whether reconciliation is possible and desired.
- High-Conflict Relationships
If arguments escalate frequently or feel destructive (contempt, criticism, stonewalling, defensiveness), we teach de-escalation techniques and help you communicate without the patterns that erode relationships.
- Premarital Counseling
Starting your marriage with strong communication, conflict-resolution skills, and aligned expectations sets you up for long-term success. We help engaged couples discuss important topics (finances, children, family roles, conflict styles) and build a solid foundation.
- Intercultural or Interfaith Relationships
When partners come from different cultural, religious, or ethnic backgrounds, differences can create tension. We help couples navigate these challenges while honoring both partners’ identities and creating shared values.
- Intimacy Issues
Sexual and emotional intimacy struggles are common and don’t mean your relationship is doomed. We create a safe space to discuss vulnerability, desire, mismatched libidos, sexual concerns, and connection.
- Blended Family Challenges
Navigating step-parenting, co-parenting with exes, and blending families is complex and stressful. We help couples work together as a unified team while managing the unique challenges blended families face.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we know if couples therapy is right for us?
Couples therapy can be helpful at any stage of a relationship—not just during a crisis. Many couples seek therapy when they feel stuck in recurring arguments, disconnected emotionally, or unsure how to move forward. Therapy can also be beneficial proactively to strengthen communication, rebuild trust, and deepen connection before issues become more serious.
What happens in the first couples therapy session?
In your first session, we’ll meet with both partners to understand your concerns, relationship history, and goals. We’ll explore what’s been working, where challenges are showing up, and what you hope to improve. This session helps us create a clear direction for therapy and ensure both partners feel heard and supported from the start.
Is couples therapy just for married couples?
No! We work with couples at any stage—dating, engaged, married, or long-term partners. We also work with LGBTQ+ couples, polyamorous relationships, and non-traditional partnership structures.
What if one partner doesn’t want to come to therapy?
It’s ideal if both partners attend, but if one is hesitant, the other can start individual therapy. Sometimes seeing progress in one partner motivates the other to join. We can also discuss strategies to encourage participation.
Will the therapist take sides?
No. Couples therapists remain neutral and help both partners feel heard and validated. Our role is to facilitate understanding and teach skills, not to judge or determine who’s “right” or “wrong.”
How do we know if our relationship can be saved?
There’s no simple answer. Some couples rebuild after serious breaches of trust like infidelity, while others separate even with smaller issues. Factors that influence success include: both partners’ commitment to change, willingness to take accountability, ability to rebuild trust, and whether fundamental values align. Therapy can help you gain clarity about whether the relationship is salvageable and worth saving.
What if we’re already considering divorce?
Some couples use therapy to explore whether divorce is the right decision (discernment counseling—helping you decide with clarity). Others use therapy to separate more amicably and prepare for healthy co-parenting. Both are valid uses of couples therapy.
How long does couples therapy take?
It varies. Some couples see improvement in 8-12 sessions if they’re addressing specific communication issues. Others need six months to a year to work through deeper patterns, heal from infidelity, or rebuild after crisis. Progress depends on the issues and both partners’ commitment to the work.
Does insurance cover couples therapy?
Coverage varies significantly. Some plans cover couples therapy if one partner has a mental health diagnosis (anxiety, depression); others don’t cover it at all. We’ll help you verify your specific benefits and discuss payment options.
Can we do couples therapy online if we have different schedules?
Yes! Virtual couples therapy throughout California makes it easier to find session times that work for both of you without commute time. Many couples actually prefer virtual sessions for the convenience and privacy.
Invest in Your Relationship
Every relationship goes through rough patches. With the right support, many couples emerge stronger, more connected, and better equipped to handle future challenges. Our therapists in Long Beach, Lakewood, and throughout California are here to help you rebuild.