Relationship and Couples Therapy in Seattle, WA
Looking for couples therapy in Seattle or online across Washington?
Maybe things feel off lately. The spark isn’t gone, but it’s harder to reach. Conversations keep turning into tension. You feel distant...or like you're just not being seen the way you used to be.
You’re not failing. You’re likely stuck in patterns that have been shaping your dynamic for a long time. Relationship counseling can help you interrupt those patterns and find your way back to connection. Whether you're seeing us in person in Seattle or through secure online couples therapy across Washington, we’re here to help.
How can couples therapy help?
Our Seattle couples therapists work with clients of all identities and relationship structures - including dyad couples and polycules - who are:
- Hoping to reconnect, rebuild trust, or rekindle closeness
- Feeling emotionally or sexually disconnected
- Arguing more often or avoiding difficult conversations
- Struggling with desire differences, parenting stress, or major life transitions
- Recovering from resentment, betrayal, or past hurt
Whether you’ve been together for 2 years or 20, therapy can be a turning point. We offer expert support from licensed couples counselors in Seattle who bring warmth, clinical skill, and a deeply personalized approach.
What can you expect from couples therapy at Clarity Counseling Seattle?
At Clarity Counseling Seattle, our therapists are affirming, experienced, and fully invested in helping your relationship thrive. We don’t take sides or push one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, we guide you through the process of understanding, healing, and rebuilding, with each of you feeling heard.
We use evidence-based methods like the Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems for Couples (IFIO), and the Developmental Model. These approaches help you move from disconnection to deeper understanding, stronger communication, and real intimacy.
Meet our Seattle couples therapy team
If you’re curious about the kinds of relationship topics our team contributes to in national conversations, you can explore our practice’s interviews and articles on the Media & Press page. These include recent New York Times coverage on emotional labor in relationships as well as how couples cultivate sexual desire over time—the same themes we support clients with every day.
Is it too early (or too late) for relationship counseling?
It’s never too early to invest in your relationship, and it’s rarely too late. Some clients seek therapy before marriage or after their first serious argument. Others come to us during or after years of conflict, emotional distance, or uncertainty about staying together.
You don’t need a crisis to start couples counseling. You just need a willingness to grow, together.
And if your partner isn’t ready yet, individual couples therapy (sometimes called “couples therapy for one”) can help you shift the dynamic from your side.
What issues can couples therapy help with?
- Communication breakdowns and chronic conflict
- Emotional distance or a loss of intimacy
- Sexual disconnection and desire differences
- Infidelity, betrayal trauma, or trust issues
- Parenting disagreements and life transitions
- Ongoing resentment, stonewalling, or emotional shutdown
- Stuck conversations about finances, roles, or household responsibilities
Our therapists help you build insight, connection, and lasting tools for emotional safety and deeper connection.
Want a deeper look at how emotional imbalance can quietly affect modern relationships? Our blog post on “mankeeping” explores how emotional labor and unspoken expectations can erode connection over time. You might also find it helpful to read our post on why desire often follows initiative, which looks at how sexual desire can re-emerge when partners shift from waiting to choosing.
Is online couples therapy as effective as in-person sessions?
Whether you’re searching for couples counseling in Seattle or online relationship therapy throughout Washington State, our team is here to support your journey. We help you reconnect, communicate with care, and build a future that feels good to both of you.
Schedule your first couples therapy session
How sex therapy supports connection
Marriage counseling for committed partnerships
Can couples counseling save your relationship?
How Couples Therapy at Clarity Counseling Seattle Helps You Reconnect and Thrive
Every relationship has moments of disconnection, but you don’t have to stay stuck there. Our Seattle couples therapists bring both expertise and empathy to help you move past conflict, rebuild trust, and deepen your emotional and physical bond. Whether you’re navigating long-standing issues or a recent challenge, our work together focuses on creating lasting change you can both feel.
Proven Methods That Really Work for Couples
We draw from evidence-based approaches like the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy to give you tools that create real change. These methods help you understand each other’s needs, break unhelpful cycles, and foster closeness. Working with an experienced Seattle couples therapist means you get strategies that are backed by research — and tailored to the unique dynamics of your relationship.
Tailored Support for Every Relationship Stage
No two relationships are the same. Whether you’ve just moved in together, are planning a wedding, have been married for decades, or are in a nontraditional partnership, we meet you exactly where you are. We help with everything from everyday communication struggles to healing from betrayal, ensuring therapy addresses what matters most to you and your partner(s).
A Safe, Encouraging Space to Rebuild Connection
Our counseling sessions provide a confidential, judgment-free environment where you can express yourself openly and feel truly heard. Whether you prefer in-person couples therapy in our Seattle office or the convenience of secure online sessions, you’ll have the space and guidance to work through difficult topics, strengthen intimacy, and build a relationship that feels more supportive and fulfilling.
Justin Pere is one of my top referrals for men and couples in Seattle.
I have worked with many women who have seen Justin as part of couples counseling and they have felt his support and guidance were extremely helpful for their relationship. Justin is a kind, compassionate and highly experienced therapist who I would recommend without hesitation!
Meet Our Therapists :
Justin Pere LMHC-S, CST, CGT
Founder, Clinical Director & Lead Therapist
(he/him pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Justin are available via telehealth or in person in Seattle, Washington.
I’m a Certified Sex Therapist and relationship counselor in ...
Emma Ehrlich MA, LMHCA
Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate
(she/her pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Emma are held in-person in Seattle or through telehealth on Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, and through telehealth only ...
Rosa Booker MS, LMFTA
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
(she/her pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Rosa are held in-person in Seattle or through telehealth on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, and through telehealth only ...
Hyacinth Kearney MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
(she/her pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Hyacinth are conveniently held through telehealth for clients anywhere in Washington State.
I work with individuals, couples, and polycules who ...
Lindsey Pepperoni MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
(she/her pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Lindsey are held in-person in Seattle on Thursdays & Fridays, and through telehealth on Tuesdays & Wednesdays.
I work ...
Maggie Fisher-Shipley MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
(she/her pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Maggie are held in-person in Seattle or through telehealth Monday through Thursday.
Many of the individuals, couples, and polycules ...
Misa Mattson MA, LMFTA
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
(she/her pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Misa are conveniently held through telehealth for clients anywhere in Washington State.
I work with individuals and couples who want ...
Corey Thompson MA, LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
(he/him pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Corey are conveniently held through telehealth for clients across Washington State.
Many of the individuals, couples, and polycules I support ...
Lisa Stewart MSW, MJ, LICSW, SUDPT
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
(she/her pronouns)
Please note: Therapy sessions with Lisa can be in-person in Seattle on Saturdays, or conveniently held over telehealth Monday through Friday.
If you're looking ...
Featured Blog Posts - Couples Therapy and Relationship Therapy
Should We Take a Break? What Relationship Therapists Want You to Know First
The phrase usually comes out carefully, almost like it’s been rehearsed. One partner finally asks, "What if we just took a break?" And then the silence lands. Not because the question is simple, but because the answer rarely is.
If you’re here, maybe you’re already asking it. Maybe things feel strained ...
Do Happy Couples Go to Therapy?
The short answer? Yes. Often!
Many people assume couples therapy is a last resort…something you do when your relationship is in crisis. But therapy isn’t just for those at the breaking point. It can also be a space for deepening connection, building skills, and staying emotionally attuned when things are mostly ...
Relationship Advice vs. Relationship Healing: How Therapy Goes Deeper Than Any App
Relationship advice is everywhere. It’s on your phone, in your feed, whispered in reels, shouted on podcasts. Advice is easy to come by... but deep healing? That’s something entirely different.
We thought we'd talk in this blog about why apps, tips, and influencer quotes can feel helpful (and sometimes are!), but ...
Frequently Asked Questions
AI-powered relationship apps can be a helpful starting point for couples looking to explore communication or identify patterns, but they aren't a substitute for real couples therapy. Most of these tools rely on structured questionnaires and pre-recorded videos, which can offer insight but fall short of the personalized, real-time support that a trained therapist provides.
Unlike AI, a human therapist can attune to emotional nuance, help regulate conflict in the moment, and guide couples through deeper healing and repair. If you're curious about the differences, this blog post explains why therapy goes beyond what AI tools can offer.
Relationship coaches can offer general support and strategies for improving communication or reaching goals in a relationship, but they aren’t licensed mental health professionals. A couples therapist is clinically trained and licensed to address deeper emotional, relational, and psychological issues, including trauma, attachment patterns, and long-standing conflict.
Therapists also adhere to strict ethical and confidentiality standards and often integrate research-based approaches like the Gottman Method. If you're dealing with repeated arguments, emotional disconnection, or intimacy struggles, working with a licensed couples therapist is likely the most effective choice.
It's not uncommon for someone in individual counseling to invite their partner into a session or two to explore relationship dynamics. When appropriate, we encourage this as a way to deepen the therapeutic process and gain perspective. In some cases, individual therapy evolves into couples therapy, and we either pause the individual work or shift fully into working with the couple together.
However, we cannot see both partners in a couple for separate individual therapy. If you are already working with one of our therapists individually and your partner would also like support, we can help connect them with another Clarity Counseling therapist or refer them to a trusted clinician outside our practice.
This policy ensures that both partners feel their therapeutic space is neutral, private, and dedicated to their individual needs—while maintaining the integrity of the therapeutic relationship.
Contact us here if you have questions about setting up individual or couples therapy.
Research shows that couples often wait an average of six years after problems begin before starting therapy—often longer than they should. While no counselor can guarantee that individual therapy or couples therapy will save a relationship, we strongly believe that seeking help is a vital step. Just as we seek doctors for physical health or accountants for taxes, relationship counseling is where we turn for expert help with relational health.
Couples Counseling in Seattle
If therapy can’t save your current relationship, it can still help you gain valuable insight and tools that support healthier dynamics in the future. Whether you attend therapy solo or with your partner, the growth that occurs will benefit your current and future relationships—regardless of outcome.
Reach out to us if you’d like to talk about your options for couples counseling in Seattle.