Christian Marriage Counseling in Austin
At Neema Counseling, we offer Christian marriage and couples counseling at our Austin office on Rio Grande Street, just three blocks from the University of Texas campus. We also meet with couples online anywhere in Texas, and in person in Austin you can have your sessions in English or in Spanish.
Neema is the Swahili word for grace. In a marriage under strain, grace is often the first thing to run short, and helping the two of you offer it to each other again is at the heart of our work with couples.
When Austin couples decide it's time to talk to someone
Couples usually reach out after a long stretch of trying on their own. Many have prayed about it for months, worked through a book together, or talked with a mentor couple from church. When the same fight still comes back, it's easy to wonder whether something is wrong with your faith, and that question can keep you from telling anyone at all.
Austin's church communities can be close-knit, and many couples here lead worship, host a small group, or serve in a campus ministry. When people look to you as an example, saying your marriage is struggling can feel risky. Counseling is confidential, and if you'd rather not be seen walking into an office near campus, you can meet with us online.
Reaching out early tends to make the work easier. Patterns between spouses settle in over time, so the sooner you start, the less there is to undo. Couples in the first few years of marriage are building habits they'll keep for a long time, which makes it a good time to get help.
What we help couples work through
Arguments that end where they started. You may know exactly how a conversation will go before it begins. We help you slow it down and notice what each of you is reacting to, so the next one can go differently.
Feeling more like roommates. Long hours, demanding jobs, or two careers can leave little time for each other. Some couples argue a lot, and others have quietly stopped talking about anything that matters. Either one is a good reason to come in.
Trust that has been broken. An affair, secret debt, pornography, or a long run of promises that weren't kept can leave one spouse unsure what to believe. Our article When Trust is Broken covers how we approach this.
Different family backgrounds. Many Austin couples grew up in different parts of Texas, in other states, or in other countries, and each of you brought your family's habits around money, conflict, affection, holidays, and faith into the marriage. Those habits often drive arguments that look like they're about something else.
Seasons that put weight on a marriage. A first baby, infertility or miscarriage, a move to Austin far away from family, a job loss, caring for an aging parent, or grief can all put real strain on even a strong marriage.
Getting ready for marriage. Engaged couples come to us to talk through expectations, family history, and conflict before the wedding. Our office is three blocks from the UT campus, which makes it an easy stop for students and recent graduates planning a wedding.
Couples who live in two languages. When one of you feels most at home in Spanish, the hardest conversations can sometimes come more easily in that language, and we're glad to make room for that.
How marriage counseling works with us
Elvia Delgado, who sees couples in person at our Austin office, works from Bowen family systems theory alongside cognitive behavioral therapy.
Family systems work starts with the idea that the patterns in a marriage often make more sense once you see them in light of the families each of you grew up in. One of the central goals is what Bowen called differentiation, which is the ability to stay close to your spouse while still knowing your own mind, and to stay steady when your spouse is upset. Many Christian couples find that this fits well with how they already understand marriage, as two people becoming one while each still remains the person God made them to be.
The cognitive behavioral side of the work is very practical. You'll learn to notice the thoughts and assumptions that tend to fuel an argument, and then try having the conversation a little differently at home between sessions.
Faith comes into your sessions as much as the two of you want it to. Some couples want to look at what Scripture says about marriage and forgiveness, including how they were taught it growing up or in a college ministry. Others mainly want a counselor who shares their faith. If you and your spouse see faith differently right now, we can talk about that too.
You can read more about our approach across the practice on our marriage and couples counseling page, and What to Expect in Couples Therapy walks through what a first session is like.
Who sees couples in person in Austin
Elvia Delgado, LPC-Associate (supervised by Lauren Jones, LPC-S) sees couples and families at our Austin office and online. She is fluent in Spanish and English, so couples can meet in either language or move back and forth between the two. She is able to see clients with Aetna and Cigna, and see clients virtually with BCBS.
Online marriage counseling with our wider team
Couples anywhere in Texas can also meet with the therapists below by video. You can both join the same session from different places, which can be a real help when one of you travels for work or your schedules rarely line up.
Fabian Armenta, LPC sees couples online in English or Spanish, throughout Texas and in Colorado. He works from a strength-based approach and is a good fit for couples who are healing after betrayal. He is in network with Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare, UMR, Oscar, Ambetter, Lyra, Magellan, Superior, and Medicaid.
Allison Sims, LMFT-Associate (supervised by Jenny Dietz, LMFT-S) has specialized training in couples and family therapy and draws on family systems work. She sees couples online and in person at our Houston office, and she is able to see clients with Aetna and Cigna.
Hallie Nicholls, LPC-Associate (supervised by Lynn Strom, LPC-S) uses cognitive behavioral and solution-focused approaches. She sees couples online and in person at our Houston office, and she is able to see clients with Aetna and Cigna.
Rates and insurance for couples counseling
Couples sessions with a Licensed Professional Counselor are $175 for the intake and $175 for each ongoing session. With an LPC or LMFT Associate, the intake and ongoing sessions are $150 each.
Insurance doesn't always cover marriage and couples counseling. Health plans pay for counseling when it is considered medically necessary, so whether couples sessions are covered depends on your plan and on what brings you in. Our care coordinator will walk through your benefits with you so you know what to expect.
Our care coordinator checks your benefits before you are charged anything. If you have out-of-network benefits, please let us know when you schedule, since they may cover part of the cost. We accept cash and credit cards, including FSA and HSA funds.
Some of our counselors also have openings for reduced-rate sessions based on household size and income. If cost is what's holding you back from getting started, please ask us about it.
You can find all of the details on our rates and insurance page.
Finding our Austin office
Our office is at 2717 Rio Grande Street, Austin, TX 78705, in West Campus, and you can find directions and parking information on our website. Plenty of couples mix in-person and online sessions, coming into the office when they can both get away and meeting by video when the week is too full.
If you'd like to see everything else we offer in Austin, take a look at our Christian counseling in Austin page.
Starting with a free 15-minute consultation
Your consultation is fifteen minutes with a therapist and is completely free. It's a chance to ask how they work with couples, share a little about where things are in your marriage, and get a sense of whether they feel like a good fit before you book a first session.
You can schedule a free consultation online or call us at 512.669.5701.
Austin marriage counseling FAQ
Do we both need to be Christians? No. We see couples where both spouses share a strong faith, couples where one spouse is a Christian and the other isn't, and couples where both are still figuring out what they believe. Faith comes into your sessions as much as the two of you would like it to.
Do you pray with couples in sessions? We do not typically pray with clients. Talking about Scripture, and about how your faith connects to what's happening in your marriage, is a normal part of sessions whenever you'd like it to be.
Can we have marriage counseling in Spanish in Austin? Yes. Elvia Delgado sees couples in Spanish in person at our Austin office and online. Fabian Armenta also sees couples in Spanish online throughout Texas.
My spouse isn't ready to come yet. Can I start on my own? Yes. Individual sessions that focus on your marriage are a good place to begin, and sometimes a spouse decides to join later once they have a better sense of what counseling is like.
Can we meet online from two different places? Yes, you can both join the same video session from wherever you are. Each of you will need to be in Texas at the time of the session, or in Colorado if you are working with Fabian Armenta.
Do you offer premarital counseling? Yes. We see engaged couples in person in Austin and online across Texas.
Is couples counseling right if there has been abuse? When there has been abuse, or when one spouse doesn't feel safe at home, joint sessions usually aren't the right place to start. Please let the therapist know during your consultation (privately, if you need to), and we will help you find the right kind of support. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. You can also reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
How much does couples counseling cost? Couples sessions are $175 for the intake and $175 for ongoing sessions with a Licensed Professional Counselor, or $150 for each with an Associate. Most of our couples therapists are able to see clients with Aetna and Cigna, and Fabian Armenta accepts a wider range of plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield and UHC. Insurance doesn't always cover couples counseling, since plans pay for sessions that are medically necessary, so we'll check your benefits with you before you begin.
Written by Lauren Jones, LPC-S, Director of Neema Counseling.
This page is for general education and is not a substitute for individual assessment or treatment. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 for an emergency.