How Much Does Couples Therapy Cost in NYC?
Takeaway: Many couples want to understand the financial investment of therapy before diving in. In this blog post, I break down everything you need to know about the cost of couples counseling in NYC: the average hourly rate, what influences the cost, and why it may be worth it for you and your partner.
Couples counseling is an investment for you, and your partner. Every couple can benefit from therapy; seeking support doesn't mean that you are doing it wrong. We all carry messages from our past about how things should be. Couples therapy can help you to gain perspective around patterns that you feel are no longer useful and grow more into who you want to be for yourself, for your partner, or your family.
The average marriage counseling cost in NYC ranges anywhere between 150-300 dollars (or more) for a 60–90-minute session.
Factors that influence the price of relationship counseling
Couples counseling costs can be higher than individual therapy due to the nature of the work; it requires a different set of skills and training that a licensed professional counselor must have in order to adequately help the couple's dynamic and needs. Marriage counseling can be brief and solution-focused or longer-term. It can also look different depending on cultural, linguistic, and religious values.
Patterns have a tendency to repeat themselves. Couples often enact that which they know or have observed in their own families. This is why it is so difficult to change a dynamic in a partnership, requiring a skilled licensed therapist to make these observations, track and verbalize these in a safe way and ultimately move the natural course of a long-standing pattern.
Couples often blame one another for not changing or understanding each other's needs. The paths or connections that have been created in our brains as a direct result of our experiences growing up can be hard to acknowledge or understand. It can be challenging to make different choices and create different outcomes, producing more satisfying relationships. We might believe wholeheartedly that the manner in which we observed our parents behave is the "right or wrong" way to act and therefore will judge our own partnership against those beliefs. As the relationship evolves and these patterns start to emerge the dynamic that these patterns form between two people is a powerful one.
With the help of a skilled couples therapist, the chances of creating a fulfilling partnership will increase.
How much does couples counseling cost?
At the start of our relationship, we may have had an agreement with our partner that we would learn to resolve conflict as it surfaces, yet we may find ourselves (frustratingly so) on date nights re-playing the same conversation over and over and left feeling unable to move the needle in a desirable direction.
A licensed couples therapist can help create a safe environment in which all of these patterns can be carefully and thoughtfully observed.
Cost can vary depending on a therapist's credentials. A licensed therapist in NYC should have at least a graduate-level education and post-master's training specifically in family dynamics or couples therapy. Recent graduates may have a lower fee while more experienced therapists with decades in the field will charge more per session. PhD-level therapists or Psychiatrists may also charge more per session, as well due to education, credentials, and experience. The cost for couples therapy sessions either in-person or online is usually the same. If a person only does in-person sessions, the neighborhood and the rent in that neighborhood will also influence the cost of therapy sessions for that specific provider.
There are also not-for-profit organizations and public health clinics in the five boroughs of NYC that offer sliding scale fees for couples counseling. Not-for-profit organizations often have lofty screening and sliding scale fees dependent on the couple's income and other expenses. If couples therapy cost is preventing you from attending couples counseling, this option may be the best for you. Keep in mind that there will be a criterion that will need to be met and there tend to be long wait lists to see a therapist; the therapist will be chosen for you depending on their caseloads which tend to be high. Regardless of the initial hurdles, the cost of not partaking in couples counseling may be much higher in the long run.
Below is the cost per area in NYC in different neighborhoods and five boroughs:
Manhattan
60 - 90-minute session of couples therapy in Manhattan tends to run 200+ in-person or online couples counseling runs about the same.
In areas such as the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and Park Avenue, therapists charge higher fees.
Areas such as East or West Harlem will have public health clinics, private clinics, and not-for-profits that may offer sliding-scale fees.
Manhattan has the largest number of registered nonprofits in all boroughs.
Brooklyn
A 60-90 minute online therapy session or in-person therapy session will usually cost about the same as in Manhattan.
In areas such as Borum Hill, Prospect Park, Park Slope, Williamsburg, or DUMBO, couples counseling cost tends to be higher. Basically, higher rents, higher fees.
Areas such as Bensonhurst, East Flatbush, and Bushwick will have Public Health Clinics and not-for-profits as well as private clinics that may offer sliding-scale fees.
Queens
Marriage counseling costs for online and in person therapy sessions cost in the range of 150+.
The Bronx
Neighborhoods such as Fieldstone and Riverdale may offer online or in-person therapy sessions and will charge anywhere between 200 and 400 dollars.
Not-for-profits, private, and public health clinics in all neighborhoods may have sliding scales.
Staten Island
Couples counseling costs for in-person or online therapy range anywhere between 150 and 200 dollars with some private clinics offering sliding scales.
Is marriage counseling usually covered by insurance?
Insurance coverage has its limitations, you may find that couple's therapy sessions are not covered by your insurance company. Couples seeking to address their relationship issues by a licensed professional counselor might be disappointed to find that therapists providing family counseling are not treating patients through insurance companies, generally.
Most insurance plans address mental health conditions and mental illnesses by treating the individual patient. Relational issues or problems are not considered a mental health condition and therefore insurance plans will not pay couples counselors to treat a couple.
If the therapist is in-network through your insurance company, you may decide to bill the session under your or your partner's insurance plan, which means that the therapist would need to diagnose one of you with a mental illness, justifying the medical need for mental health services. If there is no mental health diagnosis and the issue is relational which in most instances is the case in marriage and family therapy, the insurance company will not allow the claim. Therefore, couples counseling and family therapy tend to be private pay only.
I am an out-of-network provider, which means that I am able to provide you with a receipt for couples counseling sessions. Most insurance companies offer out-of-network benefits. You will need to find out if you don't already know if you have out-of-network benefits. Your insurance company will ask you to meet a deductible and after meeting this deductible they will reimburse you usually between 60 to 70 percent of the marriage counseling session cost.
I understand fully well that the cost of couples counseling can feel daunting. Couple distress can have a financial impact that goes above and beyond individual costs. Relationships are an important aspect of humanity. Feeling accomplished in a romantic relationship has deep psychological value and meaning and is deeply tied to our self-worth. The initial investment in obtaining professional help and promoting a healthy relationship can have innumerable benefits for you and for your family.
At our initial consultation, you can ask me questions like, how much couple therapy costs, and how many sessions are needed. You may want to call your insurance company ahead of time and ask what your deductible is for out-of-network providers.
I offer sliding scale fees and together we can decide on a number of couples counseling sessions that feel fair and affordable for you and your partner and regroup if more are needed.
Is couples therapy worth it?
The question remains, is couples counseling worth it? Absolutely! Happier relationships and happier people make for a better society. A therapist's office or virtual room can provide a safe space and help support you on your way to creating a happier relationship. Isolation and marital problems are high-risk factors in a person's overall well-being; inversely feeling successful in maintaining healthy fulfilling relationships is a protective factor that can lead to further emotional and physical rewards.
The potential benefits of couples therapy sessions far outweigh the couple counseling cost.
A marriage counselor can help you and your partner decide what you need in order to move forward and feel fulfillment in your relationship. The couples counselor will explore and work on the quality of communication that feels right to both of you and then will provide you with the tools to reach your goals.
Whether this means parting ways or figuring out what it'll take to make the relationship work, a huge benefit of couples counseling can be clarifying your feelings.
Tips for choosing a couples therapist
Choosing the right couples counselor for you and your partner is as important as investing in it.
Consider What’s Important for You and Your Partner
There are quite a few marriage counselors in New York. Starting marriage therapy can feel intimidating for you and your partner in the midst of so many options.
For example, would you prefer a counselor that shares your religious background and/or ethnicity? Would you and your partner be sharing the cost of couples counseling? How much are each of you able to afford and for how long. Are there particular goals that you can come up with together and be able to share as you consult with different therapists? Remember, you are hiring your marriage therapist to provide a service to you. You will both need to feel comfortable with the professional counselor you start couples counseling sessions with. Will you both feel comfortable in person or with online counseling sessions? Online counseling can be more convenient for couples with different schedules. Scheduling couples counseling will need to not feel like an added burden.
Explore different therapists with different backgrounds
In NYS there are different licensed professionals with additional couples and family counseling training and experience.
LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists
LMHC: Licensed Mental Health Counselors
LMSW: Licensed Master Social Work
LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker
LCAT: Licensed Creative Arts Therapists, this license includes, drama, dance, music, and art therapists
Psychoanalysts and Ph.D., Clinical Psychologists all have licenses in the State of NY to practice psychotherapy.
The main difference between these licensed professions is the focus of practice during graduate school, which can be anywhere from two to five years. Additionally, whether or not marriage and family counseling was their main focus as it is for marriage and family counselors, all licenses require more than one thousand hours of post-graduate school and a state test in order to become a licensed professional. Independent of license or focus during graduate studies, your therapist should have additional training in family or couples counseling post-graduate training and experience working with couples outside of training. You may find that there may be a few therapists who are practicing under supervision and currently going through training. It is up to you and your partner if that feels comfortable to you. It is important to ask if the counselor is licensed or not, there are many relationship coaches out there who hold a certification to practice, and this is different than therapy.
Search online directories and read websites.
Look for therapists who offer at least a 15-minute free consultation either online or telephonically; this will help you learn if style, fit, and scheduling will work for you and your partner. also, create options for yourselves and vet a few therapists before settling on one.
Do not settle!
It takes time to find the right couples counselor. Marriage counseling is a collaborative process, which is why it’s important that you and your partner both feel comfortable with the therapist you decide on. If one of you is not too sure about the counselor, you should move on to the next counselor on your list.
Ready to dive in? Get in touch to start couples therapy today.
I strive for quality care; I believe that it is important to offer care that is culturally sensitive and empowering and never demeaning. It is always my goal to provide a safe and nurturing space where you and your partner can feel free to express yourselves and open new ways of communicating.
Therapy is a personal process. There’s no cookie-cutter formula to a fulfilled life.
As a couples therapist, it is important for me to get to know you, learn what is important to both of you, listen, and remain present enough to discover your personal language. Together, we will discover what you consider important as a couple, and how you relate to the world around you. I will create a safe space to process and support you in making choices that feel meaningful to you and your partnership.
