Find a Couples Counselor near you
The average rating for Bark Couples Counselors is 4.88, based on 69,527 reviews
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Need a little help working through issues in your relationship? A couples counselor is the person to turn to. Read our handy guide to find out what you can expect to pay for the service.
The average price of relationship and marriage counseling is $125 per hour. This figure varies based on the experience of the counselor, your location, and what you’re hoping to get out of the sessions.
Roughly 52% of people who have never tried marriage counseling say they would consider attending. And of those who have attended, satisfaction levels are very high. Some studies have found a 70% happiness with relationship counseling, while other data goes as high as 90%.
You have several things to consider when you and your partner approach the subject of marriage counseling. This includes:
Setting aside time in your schedule
Budgeting for it
Making sure both of you are ‘on the same page’
Ensuring your child is looked after while you’re at sessions
Exploring all other options
You should do careful research on whether counseling is the best route forwards. But once you’ve done this, and you and your partner are in agreement, then it’s crucial to know how much it costs.
If you want to find out the price of relationship and marriage counseling costs, you’re in the ideal place. Just remember that all figures listed on this page are based on our data and research. If you want a personalized quotation, get in touch with a relationship and marriage counselor near you.
The typical hourly rate for relationship counseling is $125 per hour.
Most sessions occur on a weekly basis, and last for one hour. If you keep this up for an entire year, it’ll push your price up to $6,500. If you keep it up for two years, it’ll cost $13,000 on average, and for three years you can expect $19,500.
It’s possible to take sessions more regularly than once a week. Not all experts recommend this though, as it’s useful to have ‘breathing space’ between each sit-down. For more regular sessions, you may be able to negotiate a better hourly rate.
In the modern day, you’ll find professionals that offer online relationship counseling. The effectiveness of this is still being debated by experts. This’ll usually be less pricey, at around $75 per hour. But if paying for in-person sessions gets better results, it could be worthwhile to spend more.
| Number of weeks | Expected price (1 session per week) |
| 5 | $625 |
| 10 | $1,250 |
| 20 | $2,500 |
| 30 | $3,750 |
| 50 | $6,250 |
| 75 | $9,375 |
| 100 | $12,500 |
Each relationship and marriage counselor uses a range of techniques to connect with couples they work with. Each one involves a different type of session, and thus impacts the price.
One of the most well-known types is the Gottman Method. This approach is based on research by the Gottman Institute, which involves a questionnaire with each partner, and then detailed feedback with both sitting together. This is given by a qualified practitioner.
Due to the training and qualifications needed to use this approach, a relationship and marriage counselor using this strategy will charge you more. It’s around $200 per hour to see a trained counselor using the Gottman Method.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a well-known approach for individuals. But lots of professionals use this for relationship counseling too.
One in-depth research study found that cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in treating communication difficulties. And another states that more than 50% of people who experience cognitive behavioral counseling have a positive experience.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for couples helps you to identify unhelpful thinking patterns. This might include black and white thinking, generalizing, and catastrophizing.
A cognitive behavioral therapy session for a couple costs $150 per hour on average. It’s one of the most common types of counseling and you’ll thus find plenty of professionals who offer this.
As the name suggests, this method of relationship and marriage counseling focuses on the emotions of both partners involved. Your counselor helps you to understand your emotions, and how these might’ve affected your judgment in the past.
One of the main goals of emotion-focused counseling is to ensure that each partner feels heard. They shouldn’t bottle up their feelings. Likewise, they’ll discuss ways to control emotions in the relationship, to avoid explosive events.
Emotion-focused counseling is perhaps the most common method that professionals use. Almost all counselors are qualified to take this approach. It costs around $125 per hour on average.
Imago counseling is an approach that focuses on the childhood of both people involved. Your counselor will ask you about your earliest experiences that have shaped you – especially stories that you’ve never shared before with your partner.
This approach follows the belief that childhood feelings of abandonment, suppression, or neglect can rise again during adult relationships. The goal is to address these unresolved traumas in an open setting.
As you can imagine, this type of relationship counseling needs careful consideration. Only an experienced expert can use this approach with the sensitivity it deserves. The average price is approximately $175 per hour.
This type of counseling is notably different to the others listed above. A narrative counselor takes the approach that the issues a couple faces is not part of who they are. Instead, it focuses on the narrative of what has occurred, rather than digging deep into each person’s emotions.
The couple will be guided by the counselor towards reimagining their narrative together. This is one of the methods that almost all counselors can provide. You’ll expect to pay around $125 per hour for this method.
| Type of marriage counseling | Hourly price |
| The Gottman Method | $200 |
| Cognitive behavioral counseling | $150 |
| Emotion-focused counseling | $125 |
| Imago | $175 |
| Narrative counseling | $125 |
If you and your partner want to experiment with relationship counseling in the future, you’ll need to budget for it. The price can vary based on several different factors, so you should consider all of these. Examples include:
Number of sessions
Counselor’s experience and expertise
Location
Type of counseling
You can see more information on the different types of counseling in the section above. We’ve explained all the other factors in the subheadings below.
Most relationship and marriage counselors charge an hourly rate. This means that the more sessions you go to, the higher your cost will rise.
If you buy many sessions up-front, counselors will often give you a discount. Ask your counselor whether they’ll consider this. If you’re planning to commit to counseling for the long-term anyway, it can be more cost effective.
Just remember that even if you’re going to counseling long-term, you might like some counselors more than others. There’s no guarantee that you’ll like your first counselor straight away. It could be better to do a few one-off sessions, and build up rapport, before trying to negotiate a price reduction for booking sessions in bulk.
Every counselor is different. You’ll find some with several decades of experience in helping couples to move forwards positively. But others could only be in the profession for a year or two.
When you find a counselor with more experience, the price tends to be higher. The same applies to any qualifications. If your counselor is qualified and has a degree, along with accreditations in extra resources, your price will shoot up.
But if your counselor doesn’t have a degree, and only offers the most basic type of counseling, the price should be much lower.
According to Data USA, there’s a significant difference in ‘expected wage’ for a marriage and relationship counselor, based on the state you’re in. These figures are not directly linked to the hourly rate listed at the top of this page. But it still demonstrates how location makes a big difference to price. It can vary in the following way:
California: $63,044
Utah: $34,478
Connecticut: $71,454
Idaho: $22,946
Alabama: $48,375
There’s a correlation between these numbers and the hourly rate you’ll pay for an independent professional. Unsurprisingly, the states with the highest cost of living are also the ones with the highest fees.
Do research on how service prices in your state compare to the USA average. Then factor this into any searches you do for marriage counselors.
You can see more about the different types further above on the webpage. There are several approaches uses by counselors, and some require more expertise than others.
For example, to use the Gottman Method, your counselor will have done dozens of hours of training and qualifications. This results in a unique service you can’t get from unqualified counselors. Your price will go up as a result.
Be clear about the type of counseling your professional offers. Get guidance on their approach, before you pay for several sessions at once. You could also do a one-off trial session to see how you like their style.
The challenges you’re facing in your relationship have a big impact on the best route forwards. You should speak to an independent expert for more guidance. Counseling is admittedly not always the best path. You should be open to some other options.
Keep in mind that we’re not necessarily recommending these approaches, as the pros and cons of each is widely debated!
Self-help books and online resources can be valuable. These might give you ideas for open discussion and self-analysis in your relationship. Look carefully at the reviews of any books you consider, especially the credibility of the author.
One-off workshops and seminars exist for couples going through a difficult time. This could be a weekend retreat on the more expensive end, or simply a presentation from an industry expert on the less pricey side. It might be worth researching whether any of these are taking place in your local area.
You could explore other ways for you and your partner to spend time together. Picking up mutual hobbies such as running, cooking, or dancing has been highly recommended by some couples. Others suggest that shared yoga classes, or mindfulness sessions, can be worth trying out.
Get guidance from friends and family members. If you know someone who’s been through similar relationship difficulties, it’s worth talking to them. All opinions should be taken with a pinch of salt, but it can feel great to share your feelings with someone not involved in the situation.
It’s rare for a counselor to have different prices for a married couple, compared to an unmarried one. The sessions are typically charged by an hourly rate, and it thus shouldn’t make a difference. Ask your counselor if you want clarification.
Yes. Relationship and marriage counseling is definitely worth trying for couples that are going through a difficult time and struggling to communicate. Having an independent professional to guide you can create valuable conversations and realizations.
Lots of studies show positive feedback from relationship counseling, when it’s done well.
If you’re sceptical about whether it works, you should try a few sessions without committing to anything long-term. This allows you to see whether you like the counselor themselves, and whether you think the process is worth continuing with.
There’s plenty of overlap between these two things. You’ll often hear people use these terms interchangeably. But there are a few key differences.
Therapy tends to incorporate mental health relating to depression, anxiety or PTSD. Although this is not exclusively what it looks at, many therapists will specialize in these areas and have the relevant qualifications.
By contrast, counseling is slightly less specialized. It often focuses on open conversation and delving into childhood experiences that have shaped us. A counselor might be slightly less qualified than a therapist, and their hourly rate is often lower.
Almost all experts will agree that there’s no set time frame. Some couples experience real benefits after just a few months, while others keep going for years to ensure they always feel heard and connected with each other.
The average rating for Bark Couples Counselors is 4.88, based on 69,527 reviews
5/5
based on 69,527 reviews
