Couples and Polycule
Therapy in Austin

Serving Austin and Texas, in-person and online

Melissa Hargrave sits in her office talking to a straight white couple, the woman is in her 30s and in a bigger body and wears a red dress and the man is in his 30s with a heavy build and a button down shirt.

Let us just say this now: Your relationship matters and couples counseling can help.

Bring your partner to couples counseling and you can create even more positive change, for you both.

Counseling for one brings insight, awareness, and positive change.

Counseling for two or more potentially increases the amount of potential change and growth that can happen.

The more the merrier.

Black straight couple lies in bed together with the woman's head resting on the man's chest

Couples counseling specializes in relationships. We offer an effective couples counseling for improving intimacy, communication, and the overall health of your relationship(s) whatever those relationships may look like.

Whether it is the relationship with your spouse, partner(s), boss, children, parents, or more. Whether you can work through your differences together or separately. Whether you are connecting or not. Whether you want to explore and deepen your tolerance for intimacy and emotional availability, or learn how to handle a specific relational dynamic, we love helping couples enhance their relationships.

White couple sits at opposite sides of the couch looking at their own phones

If you are considering couples counseling, we cannot emphasize enough about how important it is to get support sooner rather than later.

We know, we know, you have tried everything, and nothing seems to work and even if it does work, it is only a short time later before old habits return.

No more putting your relationship last with sentiments such as “I don’t want to keep fighting about it” or “it’s just not worth it to bring it up.” You may be right that if each time you attempt to bring up a difficult or sensitive topic, and all goes wrong – why would you want to keep doing it? 

This is where therapy comes in.

We can help by providing a safe environment for you and/or your partner(s) to explore core issues vital to a healthy relationship and help you to establish new ways of being together and enjoying each other. This makes it possible to reconnect or rekindle the trust, love, and sexual intimacy that you once shared and start the path to healing.

Reconciling our differences in relationships, asserting, or negotiating our needs, and discovering our values, can be challenging under the best of circumstances. Over time, values, needs and expectations can often change dramatically.

…or just differing and changing needs can come between you and the fulfilling relationships you desire. Our couples counseling can help you build confidence in navigating your relationships.

Whether you are dating, in a long term commitment or marriage, contemplating divorce, or blending families. Whatever your situation, couples counseling can help. For a free consult, contact us!

Two female 20 somethings lie on the floor looking up in the camera and their hands in each other's hair
Melissa Hargrave wearing a purple linen shirt looks over her shoulder at the camera smiling

12 areas couples counseling helps relationships

1.Poor communication

2. Relationship challenges

3. Sexual and emotional intimacy

4. Extended family conflict

5. Grief

6. Parenting

7. Marriage counseling

8. Infidelity

9. Divorce recovery

10. Blended families

11. Infertility

12. LGBT & multicultural Relationships

Benefits of couples and polycule counseling

30-something white woman lies in bed with her head on the lap of a white man in his 50s

10 benefits of counseling for a healthier relationship

  1. Improve communication and reduce conflict and reactive triggers

  2. Understand patterns of relating that no longer serve the relationship and how to adopt more productive ones

  3. Practice skills that encourage empathy, understanding, safety and friendship

  4. Resolve long-standing differences to heal old, painful hurts

  5. Collaborate on what you want the relationship to look like and how to discover, assert, communicate, and negotiate each partner’s needs

  6. Learn how to meet your partner’s needs without resentment

  7. Rebalance roles and responsibilities to create more equality and fairness

  8. Rekindle the fun in your relationship

  9. Learn how to reconnect or repair after a crisis, such as infidelity or loss

  10. Feel safe and connected again – both emotionally and physically

Are you…

Dating? 

Couples counseling is an option for you. The right guidance equips you with the support and strategies you need to better manage your relationship. We know that it may seem “weird” to seek counseling while dating, but believe us, we know the difference it can make. The differences are clear, not only how it helps with your current relationship, but also how it helps you navigate a lot of your other relationships as well. Early intervention is a win win in our book!

Engaged?

Getting married is an exciting time in your life. You’re in love, and you’re ready to commit your life to someone special. You can’t wait and you really want your relationship to be its best. So how can you beat the odds?

Premarital counseling is a service that helps couples beat the odds. It’s a chance for you and your partner to iron out important issues that could eventually be reason for divorce down the line.  Premarital counseling is an intimate discussion about your values, communication, relationship goals to help you to have a realistic expectation about the challenges and strengths of your relationship.

Considering Divorce? 

Couples counseling can help marriages heal and thrive as well as heal and divide. Whether you divorce or not, your interaction will have a lasting impression on all involved. Couples counseling can help couples collaboratively reconcile differences, end their marriage, become co-parenting partnerships, and help negotiate divorce needs.  Couples counseling guides you through this process and reveals how to best address every step.

Let’s work together.

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and I will be in touch shortly! I can't wait to hear from you!