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Couples Therapy

Relationship-focused therapy that helps partners notice patterns, navigate conflict, and build new ways of relating together.
What is Couples Therapy?

Couples therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on how partners relate to one another， especially during moments of tension, misunderstanding, or emotional distance.

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Rather than identifying one person as “the problem,” the work attends to interactional patterns: how conflicts escalate, how needs are expressed or missed, and how partners respond to each other over time.

 

In a supportive and structured setting, couples explore not only what is happening between them, but how those dynamics are formed, maintained, and potentially transformed.

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When Conversations Go in Circles

Many couples seek therapy not because they lack care, commitment, or insight; but because conversations keep returning to the same places.

 

You may find yourselves:

  • Having the same disagreements repeatedly, without resolution

  • Escalating quickly or shutting down to avoid conflict

  • Feeling misunderstood, defensive, or emotionally distant

  • Wanting closeness while also feeling stuck or guarded

 

Often, these patterns are not intentional. They emerge in moments of stress, vulnerability, or unmet needs, and once established, they can be difficult to interrupt through talking alone.

 

Couples therapy can be especially helpful when these cycles are noticed and slowed down, rather than rushed toward solutions.

How This Shapes Our Work

In couples sessions, we pay attention not only to what is said, but to how partners respond to one another; in tone, timing, emotion, and physical presence.

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Our work supports couples in:

  • Making interactional patterns visible as they occur

  • Understanding emotional reactions without assigning blame

  • Experimenting with new ways of responding in real time

 

Alongside reflection and conversation, sessions may include gentle, guided experiential work that helps partners experience shifts in awareness and connection; not just talk about them.

 

This approach allows insight to become grounded in lived interaction, supporting change that can extend beyond the therapy room.

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Common Focus Areas in Couples Therapy

Couples seek therapy for many reasons. Common focus areas include:

  • Recurring conflict patterns
    Identifying and working with cycles of escalation, withdrawal, or shutdown.

  • High-conflict relationships
    Supporting couples who experience frequent, intense conflict, strong emotional reactions, or rapid breakdowns in communication.

  • Premarital counseling
    Exploring expectations, values, roles, and decision-making patterns before marriage, with attention to how differences are navigated; not avoided.

  • Infidelity and breaches of trust
    Creating a structured space to address rupture, accountability, emotional impact, and the possibility of repair, at a pace that feels safe for both partners.

  • Emotional distance or disconnection
    Understanding how closeness becomes difficult and how partners protect themselves when connection feels risky.

  • Life transitions and external stressors
    Navigating changes such as parenthood, immigration, career shifts, illness, or loss, and their impact on the relationship.

Our Clinical Approach

Our work with couples integrates multiple evidence-informed perspectives, held within a practical and experiential framework.

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  • Gottman-informed frameworks provide structure for understanding relationship dynamics, conflict patterns, and areas of resilience.

  • Emotion-focused techniques support awareness of underlying emotional responses and attachment-related reactions.

  • A solution-focused style keeps sessions oriented toward clarity, movement, and usable change rather than prolonged analysis.

  • Experiential methods are used to integrate insight and emotion through direct, in-session experience; helping couples practice new ways of relating as they emerge.

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The focus is not on choosing one model over another, but on using the right tools at the right moment, guided by the needs and capacities of each couple.

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What to Expect at Roiya

  • Initial consultation: A 15–30 minute conversation to discuss concerns, goals, and fit.

  • Intake and assessment: Sessions may include joint work and, when helpful, individual check-ins to understand relational patterns more fully.

  • Session format: Couples sessions are typically 60 minutes.

  • Pacing and structure: Sessions are guided with attention to emotional safety, especially in high-conflict or sensitive situations.

  • Between-session awareness: Rather than homework, couples may be invited to notice patterns or moments of interaction in daily life.

 

Sessions are available in person in Sunnyvale or online using a private, HIPAA-compliant platform.

Session Fee Structure

Roiya believes transparency is part of trauma-responsive care. Our standard fees for couples therapy are $160 - $240 for 60 minutes and $240 - $360 for 90 minutes.

 

We accept selected insurance plans in California and can verify benefits upon request. If we are out of network, we can submit claims on your behalf, and many PPO plans reimburse. Limited sliding-scale spots may be available.

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See full fee details.

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Questions about Cost or Coverage?

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