Has military life impacted your relationship?
Maybe it's the struggle of long distance, or perhaps it's the long work hours and conflicting schedules. You may be feeling distant, or simply just annoyed at the lack of time together. Perhaps you’re even feeling like you married the military instead of your spouse.
Whatever it is that you’re experiencing, you’re beginning to notice the impact of this on your life:
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If this sounds like you, then you are in the right place.
We have partnered with Mentaya to help clients use their out-of-network benefits to save money on therapy. Use this tool below to see if you qualify for reimbursement for out services.
Military & Veteran Couples Counseling can help.
It may feel impossible now, but you can have a great marriage even while in the military. You can set a positive example for your kids. You can fight less, communicate more, and enjoy each other again. And I can help you get there.
Couples Counselng helps you do 4 things:
I’ll help through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and circumstances, as well as to how much time you can devote to couples counseling. Whether you can do weekly marriage counseling, or can only meet for a weekend long marriage intensive, we will address your concerns in the time we have. My approach to marriage counseling comes from my training but also from a place of experience: as a military spouse I get that military life is hard and we all just need a little help to make it through the tough times.
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In couples counseling, you'll learn how to communicate in a deeper way so you can enjoy your time together and approach military or post-military life as a team.
What you'll learn in couples counseling with me:
My approach to couples counseling with military couples is based on Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT), which is the #1 research-validated relationship therapy and the ONLY couple therapy recommended by the American Psychological Association to help improve relationships. In Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) with me, we will do a thorough assessment of your relationship, discover your relationships specific strengths and area's for growth, and discuss what makes for emotionally secure relationships
In EFT, we'll deep dive into:
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Because military and veteran life is unique, there may be times that we break away from the EFT model in order to address some military or veteran specific challenges that you may be facing as a couple. This may include more solution focused techniques and practical things you can do to navigate military and post-military life together.
It's time to feel like a team again.
FAQ
As a group, we are committed to a non-judgmental experience. We all look through a lens that honors what makes us human. We are relational beings, hard wired to connect. What makes us different is where we want to be especially open, curious and never presume we are experts. We welcome all, including sexual orientation, relationship status, age, race, disability, ethnicity/national origin, gender identity and religious/spiritual affiliation.
What are marriage counseling sessions like?
Your first session will be spent getting to know one another, discussing what’s led you to therapy, and giving you an opportunity to ask questions. Your therapist will then meet with each partner individually to learn about each person’s family history, relationship history, and your individual concerns about the relationship. After that, all sessions will be with both partners present.
Weekly counseling sessions are a combination of conversation, skill building, and communication practice while talking about your relationship concerns. You’ll talk lot about feelings so that way you can learn to communicate your feelings with each other in a way that can be understood and help you both feel ore productive. Through this process you’ll be learning tools to use in your day-to-day life. If needed, your therapist will offer referrals to other disciplines, such as psychiatry, primary care, individual therapy, etc. Most of all, your therapist will hold space for you both to practice open, honest, and kind communication.
Weekly counseling sessions are a combination of conversation, skill building, and communication practice while talking about your relationship concerns. You’ll talk lot about feelings so that way you can learn to communicate your feelings with each other in a way that can be understood and help you both feel ore productive. Through this process you’ll be learning tools to use in your day-to-day life. If needed, your therapist will offer referrals to other disciplines, such as psychiatry, primary care, individual therapy, etc. Most of all, your therapist will hold space for you both to practice open, honest, and kind communication.
What type of marriage counseling to you do?
Most of our therapists do a type of marriage counseling called Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) which is the #1 research-validated relationship therapy and the ONLY couple therapy recommended by the American Psychological Association to help improve relationships.
In Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, your therapist will do a thorough assessment of your relationship, discover your relationships specific strengths and area's for growth, and discuss what makes for emotionally secure relationships.
We'll deep dive into:
In Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, your therapist will do a thorough assessment of your relationship, discover your relationships specific strengths and area's for growth, and discuss what makes for emotionally secure relationships.
We'll deep dive into:
- Discovering the communication pattern you have been caught in that keeps you fighting and feeling distant
- Exploring the underlying emotions and messages that you are trying to share but that get misunderstood
- Changing your communication to be effective and clear communication
- Rebuilding closeness in the relationship, especially if you've grown distant over deployment
- Enhancing your sexual satisfaction so you can reconnect in an intimate way
- Building a sense of security and comfiness in your relationship again
- ... and so much more!
How long will I need to be in therapy?
Each session lasts for 50-minutes, although extended 80-minute sessions are available if needed. It is hard to know how long therapy will take as many things impact how quickly progress can be made. The gold standard for couples counseling is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which often takes takes 1-2 years of weekly therapy. However, many military couples aren't able to commit to such an intensive therapy due to challenges of military life. Whether you can attend for 3 months or only for a weekend long intensive, your therapist will tailor your time together to address you most pressing needs.
What if I need to reschedule?
Our clinic has a 48-hour cancellation policy in order to allow us to pay our therapists for their time. If you miss your appointment or cancel in under 48-hours, you will be charged the full amount of the session.
The exception is Dr. Elizabeth Polinsky who only works with clients who are willing to be videotaped for training purposes. She works with clients on a weekly basis and has a reschedule only policy. We are happy to provide more information about this should you wish to work with her.
The exception is Dr. Elizabeth Polinsky who only works with clients who are willing to be videotaped for training purposes. She works with clients on a weekly basis and has a reschedule only policy. We are happy to provide more information about this should you wish to work with her.
How do I know if marriage counseling will work for me?
There are times when individual therapy may be more appropriate than marriage counseling. These times include:
Additionally, it is important to know that our therapists can only work with couples where both partners are physically located in states that they are licensed in. Please see each therapists "about" page for a current lists of states where they are licensed.
- Couples in which one or both partners have an active addiction.
- If there is an ongoing affair that hasn't ended yet.
- If being in the same room for a long time is too triggering (potential trauma reaction) or you haven't been able to be in the same space without being civil in a period of time - this format will not be productive.
- If there is active intimate partner violence, this is not an option.
Additionally, it is important to know that our therapists can only work with couples where both partners are physically located in states that they are licensed in. Please see each therapists "about" page for a current lists of states where they are licensed.
Do you take insurance?
We do not take insurance and are not connected with Military One Source or the VA. All providers are out-of-network providers, which means that they do not bill insurance. We are happy to offer you the necessary paperwork (superbill) to file with your insurance provider for possible partial or full reimbursement. Please know that not all insurance plans offer reimbursement and that some may have a deductible or an allowable amount. It is best to call the number on the back of your insurance card and speak to a representative about what your specific benefits are. In addition, insurance companies typically only reimburse if the client has a diagnosable mental health condition. Your provider can talk this through with you at any time.
Medicare: Dr. Elizabeth Polinsky and Elizabeth Polinsky Counseling do not participate in any health insurance plans, HMO plans or panels, and cannot accept Medicare in any form. Clients of Elizabeth Polinsky Counseling cannot attempt reimbursement of services through Medicare. Services provided by Elizabeth Polinsky Counseling are not covered under Medicare and no Medicare payment will be made or accepted for any reason.
Medicare: Dr. Elizabeth Polinsky and Elizabeth Polinsky Counseling do not participate in any health insurance plans, HMO plans or panels, and cannot accept Medicare in any form. Clients of Elizabeth Polinsky Counseling cannot attempt reimbursement of services through Medicare. Services provided by Elizabeth Polinsky Counseling are not covered under Medicare and no Medicare payment will be made or accepted for any reason.
What are your rates?
- $75 per hour with Masters Level Student Interns
- $125 per hour with Masters Level Therapists under Supervision (Residents in Counseling, Residents in Marriage and Family Therapy, and Supervisee’s in Social Work), and Doctoral Level Student Interns
- $175 per hour with Masters Level Independently Licensed Therapists (LPC, LMFT, or LCSW) and Doctoral Level Therapists under Supervision
- $200 per hour with Masters Level Specialty Certified Therapists (LPC, LMFT, or LCSW)
- $225 per hour for Doctoral Level Independently Licensed Therapists (LPC, LMFT, or LCSW)
- $250 per hour for Doctoral Level Specialty Certified Therapists (LPC, LMFT, or LCSW)
- $300 per hour for Dr. Elizabeth Polinsky, LCSW, LMFT, Clinic Founder and Director
How do we get started?
Click on the button below to book your initial 20 minute free consultation to chat with a therapist to see if they are a good fit for your needs. Then you can schedule a thorough getting to know you session, where your therapist will explore your unique issues and your hopes for therapy in more depth.
As with any psychotherapy, results are not guaranteed.