Marriage counseling can look very different from one practice to the next.
Some couples desire a therapist who can weave Christian faith into the therapy. Other couples prioritize a specific therapy model, therapist’s insurance panel, or length/intensity of sessions more.
The helpful question isn’t who does couples counseling, but which practice is built around the kind of assistance you’re seeking.
A recent 2020 meta-analysis of couple therapy of 58 studies showed significant gains across the board for relationship satisfaction, communication, emotional intimacy and partner behavior during treatment. This doesn’t mean every modality or therapist will work for every couple. But it is a reason to take picking a therapist seriously.
In This Guide
- How the Raleigh options compare
- Christian Counseling Associates of Raleigh
- Carolina Therapy Solutions
- Reconnect Couples Counseling
- Within & Between Therapy
- How to choose a marriage counselor
- Final recommendation
How The Raleigh Options Compare
| Practice | Best fit | Format | Payment model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Counseling Associates of Raleigh | Flexible faith-informed care plus additional resources | Raleigh and Online | Private pay, provides out- of-network receipts |
| Carolina Therapy Solutions | Couples looking for an EFT-traind specialist team | Raleigh, Cary and online | Self-pay |
| Reconnect Couples Counseling | Couples choosing to participate with insurance | Raleigh NC area and ONLINE | In network with BCBS and Aetna; private pay available |
| Within & Between Therapy | Clients desiring marathon therapy sessions | Raleigh and secure online sessions | Private pay |
Most significant differences aren’t cosmetic. They impact how therapy is packaged, how many therapists may participate, how sessions are scheduled and how couples pay.
1. Christian Counseling Associates of Raleigh: Best Overall For Faith-Informed Flexibility
Christian Counseling Associates of Raleigh (CCAR) specializes in professional couples counseling with the option to include Christian integration. Services offered through their marriage counseling include communication problems, chronic conflict, creating emotional distance, healing from affairs, rebuilding trust and premarital counseling.
If you desire marriage counseling in Raleigh that allows for prayer or biblical wisdom, CCAR provides that opportunity without forcing religious conversation.
The main differentiator is the range of support around the relationship itself.
CCAR adds that in complex cases it may use multiple counselors, including separate individual therapists for each spouse in addition to a marriage counselor. That can help when personal issues need their own space while the couple continues work together.
Other practical advantages include:
- Live and virtual sessions: Individual therapy is offered at the Raleigh office or via secure video chat for residents of North Carolina.
- Free initial conversation: CCAR offers a free 10-minute consultation before treatment begins.
- Premarital support: Couples who are engaged can go through counseling before getting married to establish communication skills and healthy expectations.
- Wide ranging clinical team: Licensed therapists who have worked with individual, couples, and family issues.
Christian Counseling Associates of Raleigh operates on a private pay model. Receipts are provided for clients who may want to pursue out-of-network reimbursement from their insurance provider. CCAR also has a growing public review footprint for readers who want to see customer reviews along with service information.
Best suited to: Couples seeking a customizable marriage counseling practice that allows for a mix of clinical treatment, an optional Christian viewpoint, online resources, and synchronized individual therapy as necessary.
2. Carolina Therapy Solutions: Best For An EFT-Focused Specialist Team
Carolina Therapy Solutions provides couples therapy in Raleigh & Cary, NC and Telehealth to anywhere in North Carolina. They specialize in Marriage counseling and relationships.
The practice’s couples work is heavily grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy. It uses Gottman Method as well as other therapies when they fit the client’s needs. Clients are also matched with therapists based on the couple’s issues and the clinician’s expertise.
This should be your choice if matching therapy model to specialist is most important to you.
Couples who find themselves over and over in the same argument, for instance, may appreciate a method that takes time to uncover the emotional dance underneath the conflict rather than focusing solely on communication skills.
Carolina Therapy Solutions is a self-pay practice. As such, this practice may best suit couples who don’t mind paying out of pocket to receive therapy in a specialized relationship setting.
Best suited to: Couples who desire a practice solely focused on EFT with multiple relationship therapists and brick and mortar locations in Raleigh and Cary.
3. Reconnect Couples Counseling: Best For Insurance Participation
Reconnect Couples Counseling is a Raleigh marriage and couples counseling practice serving Wake Forest, Cary, surrounding areas and clients throughout North Carolina via telehealth (video counseling).
Couples treatment includes conflict resolution, emotional disconnect, trust issues, recovering from affairs, and preparing to get married. The practice incorporates Emotionally Focused Therapy and Gottman Method education into its couples work. This creates a balanced atmosphere in sessions that focus on emotional patterns and offer couples tangible communication skills.
The distinguishing factor here is payment flexibility.
Reconnect says they are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna. They also have a private-pay option. Benefits would depend on your plan so couples will need to verify their benefits ahead of time.
Best suited to: Couples seeking a smaller relationship-focused practice that particularly values helping you check if your insurance can cover therapy costs.
4. Within & Between Therapy: Best For Couples Therapy Intensives
Within & Between Therapy combines ongoing couples work with longer intensive sessions in Raleigh.
Its modality combines Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy with the Gottman Method. The practice also provides intensive therapy for situations such as recovering from affairs, pre-marriage counseling, pregnancy and postpartum, and transitioning to an empty-nest lifestyle.
The main reason to compare this practice is format.
Instead of a routine weekly session, couples can purchase focused half day or full day sessions when they need more concentrated time on an issue. Interviews and questionnaires are completed prior to an intensive.
You won’t need that structure with every couple, but it can be appealing if scheduling weekly sessions is challenging or if partners want time carved out to focus on a particular relationship issue.
Best suited to: Couples seeking a private-pay specialist that will allow you longer, intensive couples sessions.
How To Choose A Marriage Counselor In Raleigh
Start with fit, not branding.
- Determine if faith should be incorporated into therapy. If Christian integration is important, then should it be optional, central, or nonexistent.
- Ask how they work with couples. It’s okay if they have a specific name for how they do therapy with couples. However, they should also be able to explain how your sessions will help with the problem you are facing.
- Look at format and logistics. How do they compare with in person access, telehealth options, length of session, scheduling, individual work alongside couples sessions, etc.
- Know what payment is expected BEFORE your first full session. Insurance participation, private pay, and out-of-network reimbursement vary widely.
- Check their license. In North Carolina, residents may take advantage of the state’s license verification tool for licensed clinical mental health counselors as well as each board’s respective verification tool for other types of licenses.
One helpful guideline: If two therapies appear comparable on paper, consider how each would approach your unique reason for seeking therapy. Recovery from infidelity, premarital counseling, repetitive arguing, or wanting deep intensive work can lead you to very different best-fit decisions.
Final Recommendation
All four practices serve couples, but they are built around different priorities.
Carolina Therapy Solutions is unique in that it offers an EFT-focused team approach. Compare Reconnect Couples Counseling if insurance participation is a consideration. Within & Between Therapy should be your go-to if you are a couple looking for longer intensive sessions.
When you compare all of the recommended Christian counseling services, Christian Counseling Associates of Raleigh should be your first consideration if you and your significant other are seeking a wide range of relationship help with Christian counsel available if you desire it.
Its combination of face-to-face and virtual counseling, pre-marriage coaching, affairs and communication therapy, free consultation, and ability to work with private therapists in addition to a couples therapist allows it a wide scope of applicability for couples who may need more than one typical weekly model.
Leave a Reply