Relationship Counseling | Marriage Counseling | Communication & Trust
Couples Therapy in Washington, DC
What Is Couples Therapy and Who Is It For?
Most couples don’t seek therapy because their relationship has failed. They seek it because they care enough to stop letting the same problems define them.
Couples therapy, sometimes called marriage counseling or relationship counseling, is a structured, confidential process in which a trained therapist works with both partners to identify the patterns driving distance, conflict, or disconnection, and to build the conditions for genuine change. It is not arbitration. It is not about assigning blame. It is about understanding what is happening between you, and why, and creating something better informed by that understanding.
Couples therapy and marriage counseling in Downtown DC draws people from across the city and surrounding areas — from Capitol Hill and Dupont Circle to Bethesda, Arlington, and beyond. At Janna Sandmeyer Psychotherapy, couples therapy in Washington, DC is available for partners at any stage, dating, engaged, married, or long-term, and for all relationship structures, including non-monogamous and polyamorous partnerships. We welcome people of all genders and backgrounds.
Couples Therapy in Washington, DC
Washington, DC asks a great deal of the people who live here. Long hours and high-stakes careers take a quiet toll on relationships, not through any single dramatic event, but gradually, as two people find themselves more like co-managers of a shared life than genuine partners in it.
Many couples who seek relationship counseling in DC aren’t in crisis. They’ve noticed a growing distance — less ease, less warmth, a sense of moving through days in parallel. Others are dealing with something more acute: a rupture in trust, a recurring conflict, or a life transition that has exposed fault lines that were always there.
How Couples Therapy Works at Our Washington, DC Practice
Couples therapy begins with a free phone consultation, a chance to speak openly about what has brought you here before committing to anything.
When sessions begin, both partners are present together. Your therapist will spend the early sessions understanding your relationship history: what has shifted, what each of you has tried, and what each person believes is at the core of the difficulty. Rather than offering a prescriptive program, we listen carefully and work collaboratively to identify the patterns — spoken and unspoken — creating the most pain.
Sessions are typically weekly, available in person at our downtown DC office and via secure telehealth for couples in Maryland, Virginia, and Texas.
What Couples Therapy Can Help You Work Through
Couples seek relationship counseling in Washington, DC, for many different reasons. The presenting issue that a couple identifies at the start is often not the only issue, and sometimes not the central one. Our therapists are trained to listen for what lies beneath.
Call 202-306-6500 | In-person in downtown DC | Telehealth: MD, VA & TX
Our Approach:
Gottman Method & Emotionally Focused Therapy
Couples Therapy at JSP is grounded in two of the most researched approaches available — the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
Method 1: The Gottman Method
Identifies specific patterns — defensiveness, criticism, contempt, stonewalling — and builds practical tools for communication and conflict resolution. Strengthens the companionship, admiration, and trust that form the basis of a lasting partnership.
Method 2: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Works beneath the surface behaviors to identify the emotions — often fear, inadequacy, or vulnerability — driving conflict cycles. Guides couples toward new, more secure ways of connecting. Particularly effective for trust issues and deeply entrenched patterns.
Both methods may include occasional individual sessions alongside regular couples sessions. EMDR therapy is also available within our practice for individuals processing trauma that is affecting the relationship.
Who Is Couples Therapy For?
Couples therapy is not reserved for relationships on the verge of ending. You may be a good candidate if:
- You and your partner have the same argument repeatedly, without resolution
- There has been a betrayal — an affair, a significant dishonesty, or a broken agreement
- One or both of you has withdrawn emotionally and you’re unsure how to return
- A major life change has strained the relationship in ways you didn’t anticipate
- You feel more like roommates than partners
- You want to address something now, before it becomes harder to address later
We offer LGBTQ+-affirming couples therapy and welcome partners from all cultural, religious, and relationship structures.
Couples Therapy at Janna Sandmeyer Psychotherapy
Our practice is led by Janna Sandmeyer, PhD, whose background in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic thought shapes the clinical culture of the entire practice. Couples therapy is offered by Emma Weissfeld, LICSW, who brings advanced training and a genuine commitment to understanding how two people get stuck and how they find their way through.
Sessions are available in person at our downtown Washington, DC office (1112 16th Street NW, Suite 440) and via secure telehealth for couples in Maryland, Virginia, and Texas. All new clients begin with a free initial phone consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Couples Therapy in Washington, DC
There is no fixed timeline. Some couples address a specific rupture in three to six months; others continue in an ongoing way. We assess progress collaboratively and adjust accordingly — lasting change generally requires sustained engagement.
One partner’s initial resistance often softens once both experience the space as genuinely safe. That said, therapy is most effective when both partners engage honestly. Starting with a single session, simply to see what it feels like, can help.
Individual therapy focuses on one person’s internal world. Couples therapy works with the relationship itself, how two people speak, respond under pressure, and experience each other, rather than either person in isolation.
Fee and insurance information is available on our Fees & Policies page. We are not in-network with insurance panels but provide documentation for out-of-network reimbursement. Financial questions are welcome during the free consultation.
Yes. Secure telehealth sessions are available for couples in Maryland, Virginia, and Texas, using a HIPAA-compliant platform. Both in-person and telehealth options are available for DC-based couples.