Accepting new clients
Dr. Marc Chernizer
Licensed Psychologist
Doctoral-level psychology provider
Compassionate, encouraging therapy informed by more than 30 years of experience with trauma, recovery, stress, and relationships.
Couples therapy
Better conversations. Safer connection. A clearer way forward together.
When the same arguments, distance, or hurts keep repeating, couples therapy can help you understand the pattern between you, hear each other more clearly, and create a healthier way forward.
At a glance
What this care can include.
- Recurring conflict and communication patterns
- Trust, closeness, and emotional connection
- Premarital support and major transitions
- A neutral, structured space to think clearly together
The pattern
The problem is often the pattern—not either partner.
You can care deeply about each other and still get caught in a pattern that neither of you knows how to stop.
One person may push harder to be understood while the other pulls away to keep things from escalating. One partner may criticize while the other becomes defensive. Small conversations can begin carrying the weight of years of unresolved hurt. Couples therapy slows the pattern down so both people can understand what is happening between them—not simply decide who is right.
- Trigger
- Reaction
- Protection
- Disconnection
- Repeat
Every couple’s pattern looks different. Naming yours is part of the early work—not something to have figured out beforehand.
Why couples come
Couples come to therapy for many reasons.
- The same arguments keep happening without resolution
- Conversations quickly become defensive, critical, or shut down
- You feel more like roommates than partners
- Trust has been damaged
- Emotional or physical intimacy has changed
- Parenting has created new strain
- One or both of you feel unseen or misunderstood
- A major transition has changed the relationship
- You want premarital support before problems become entrenched
- You care about the relationship but are uncertain what comes next
What the work is
The therapist is not there to decide who is right.
Couples therapy focuses on the relationship itself—the patterns that develop between two people, what keeps those patterns going, and what each partner needs in order to respond differently.
See the pattern
Understand what happens beneath recurring conflict or distance.
Slow it down
Create enough space for each partner’s experience to become understandable.
Practice something different
Develop more effective ways to communicate, repair, set boundaries, and respond.
Carry it home
Turn insight in the therapy room into changes in the relationship outside it.
Relationship-focused, not one-size-fits-all
Treatment may draw from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and other evidence-informed approaches. The goal is not simply to teach communication scripts—it is to understand the emotional pattern underneath the conflict and help partners create different experiences with one another.
Before you begin
Is couples therapy the right place to start?
Couples therapy may be a good fit when…
- Both partners are willing to participate
- Recurring relationship patterns are contributing to distress
- You want help communicating, repairing, reconnecting, or navigating change
Another approach may need to come first when…
- There are immediate safety concerns
- Coercion or violence makes conjoint therapy unsafe
- One partner needs a different or higher level of care before joint work is appropriate
None of this is decided from a page. If you are not sure which column you are in, the consultation is where it gets worked out—and if you need help right now, crisis and emergency resources are always available.
Practical questions
What couples ask before booking.
Who comes to the first session?
Usually both partners, when that is clinically appropriate. Some couples begin individually instead; the consultation settles which makes more sense before anyone books.
How long are sessions, and what do they cost?
The first appointment is a couples intake at $250. Ongoing sessions are 45 minutes at $175. The full schedule lists every rate and the cancellation policy.
Can we use insurance?
Participation varies by clinician—two of Haven’s three couples clinicians are in-network with some plans. Whether a particular plan covers relationship-focused care is a separate question, and the administrative team can check your benefits before you book.
Do you offer telehealth and in-person sessions?
Every Haven couples clinician offers telehealth. In-person sessions in Wesley Chapel are available with Dr. Victoria Johnson.
Can one of us also see the couples therapist individually?
That is a clinical decision your therapist makes with you rather than an automatic yes or no. Raise it during the consultation so it can be worked out before treatment starts.
What if we are not sure whether we want to stay together?
That is a common reason to begin, not a reason to wait. Therapy can help you understand the relationship more clearly and make more intentional decisions about how to move forward—whatever those turn out to be.
Do you work with unmarried and premarital couples?
Yes. Premarital work and support through a major transition are part of what this service is for; you do not need to be in crisis, or married, to come.
Therapist fit
Clinicians connected to this service.
Availability, insurance participation, and exact service fit should be confirmed during consultation.
Accepting new clients
Accepting new clients
Dr. Victoria Johnson
Licensed Psychologist
Doctoral-level psychology provider
Collaborative, humanistic care for clients navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship concerns, and patterns that feel hard to change.
Not accepting new clients
Dr. Sarah Boutros
Licensed Psychologist
Doctoral-level psychology provider
Trauma-informed, authentic therapy for adolescents and adults working through self-worth concerns, life transitions, and emotional pain.
A low-pressure first step
Let’s find the right fit.
Every consultation is a free 15-minute video call with Dr. Bethany Harris, Haven’s care coordinator. Talk through your needs, ask about fees and scheduling, and hear an honest read on fit—and if Haven is not the best match, she will help you find who is.