Couples and marriage
Every relationship goes through seasons — some easy, some hard, most somewhere in between. If you and your partner are stuck in the same arguments, feeling more like roommates than partners, or just want to build a stronger foundation before things get harder, couples therapy can help.
Our office on Shoal Creek, across from Pease Park.
That's usually how this starts. One person has been turning it over for months, and the other has no idea a website is open. It doesn't mean you're going behind anyone's back, and it doesn't mean the relationship is further gone than you thought. It means one of you got here first, which is how almost every couple who's ever done this began. You could be sitting with one of these.
The same argument on a loop, with a different subject each time.
Something that got said and cannot be unsaid.
A betrayal, recent or long since buried.
Two people being perfectly polite to each other.
Privately wondering when it stopped feeling like anything.
You can't talk about a difference without it turning into a fight.
We chose the name Decades for both halves: the years behind you, and the years still ahead. What you have been through is real. It does not get to write the rest of the story.
We welcome you to book a consultation call on your own, or with your partner. Both are normal ways to start the conversation if you are considering therapy.
Your first few sessions are all about getting oriented — to your relationship, to each other, and to the work ahead. In the initial session, you'll meet with your therapist together to talk through what's bringing you in, what you're hoping for, and get a feel for how they work. From there, most therapists like to meet with each partner individually for a session, so there's room to talk about your own history, patterns, and perspective without needing to filter it for your partner. Once those individual sessions wrap up, you'll come back together to start the real work — identifying the cycles that keep you stuck, and building new ways of connecting underneath them. By the end of this initial phase, you and your therapist will have a shared picture of where things stand and a plan for where to go from here.
The consultation: Twenty minutes, free, and you can do it on your own. Tell us what's going on, and we'll work out together whether this is the right place and who on the team fits. It ends in a recommendation, not an assignment.
The next few sessions: getting to know your story and what the current problems are. Your therapist will go at your pace and give each of you time to share your perspectives.
After that: we work on your problems towards some solutions. You both feel heard, welcomed, and not judged. The therapy room becomes a safe space for you and your partner to heal.
Allison Edmondson
MA, LMFT Associate
Supervised by
Diana Walla, M.S., LPC-S, LMFT-S
Couples work here isn't individual therapy with a second chair. Both of you are in the room, the relationship is the client, and nobody is here to be found at fault. You'll each be heard, and you'll each be asked something uncomfortable — that's the work, not a sign it's going badly.
Individual sessions are often part of the assessment phase, so you have room to say the things that are hard to say in front of each other. Your therapist will spell out up front how that material comes back into the room. We don't use it to build a case against anyone.
The approaches used here
We don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to relationships, so we draw from a few different methods depending on what you and your partner need.
Gottman Method gives us a research-backed map of what makes relationships work, and what quietly erodes them. It's practical: concrete tools for handling conflict, rebuilding trust, and turning toward each other instead of away.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) looks underneath the argument to the attachment fears driving it — the "why" behind the fight you keep having. It helps you find the vulnerable stuff under the anger or shutdown, so you can reach each other instead of just managing the conflict.
Bowen Family Systems zooms out to the bigger picture. How the families you each grew up in shaped the roles, expectations, and patterns you're now living out together. Understanding where those patterns came from makes it easier to choose something different.
We also offer Premarital Counseling
Sex & Intimacy CounselingWe love relationships, and we care about yours. Our goal is to offer you real tools and insights that can strengthen your relationship for the long-term — not just get you through the current rough patch. That's why we have a whole team of therapists trained in different approaches, so you're matched with someone whose style actually fits what you're working through, whether that's rebuilding trust after a betrayal, navigating a big transition, or learning how to fight better.
Yes, and it is a common place to start. Plenty of people book the consultation on their own, sometimes months before their partner knows they are thinking about it.
No. Your therapist isn't there to decide who's right — they're there for the relationship itself. That means both of you get heard, both of you get challenged, and neither of you is the "problem" to be fixed.
No. Some of our couples come in with a lot of conflict. Frequent or intense arguing doesn't mean you're beyond help — it usually means the same cycle keeps getting triggered without a way to break out of it. That's what we're here for.
Yes. Getting married is one of the best times to build the skills you'll need for the long haul. We use Prepare/Enrich, a research-based assessment, to help you name your strengths as a couple and work through the conversations that are easy to put off.
That's a common reason couples come in, and it's absolutely something we work with. Intimacy issues — whether that's physical, emotional, or both — are rarely just about the bedroom. They're usually connected to trust, safety, or disconnection happening elsewhere in the relationship. We'll help you understand what's underneath it and work back toward each other, at a pace that feels safe for both of you.
Appointments Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, in person in Central Austin (across from Pease Park) or virtually across Texas. Weekends are sometimes available, so please ask if that works better for you.
No. The practice does not bill insurance directly. We can check your out-of-network benefits for you, by hand, before you commit to anything.
Twenty free minutes with someone who knows the team. You describe what's going on, and we tell you honestly whether this is the right place. Rates, insurance, and timing are all part of that conversation, not a surprise later.
Book a free consultationYou tell us what is going on, in whatever words you have for it.
We talk through what would help, and what it would take.
You leave with a recommendation to work with someone on our team, or a referral to another resource in the area. Either way, you won't be back at square one.
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