Christian Marriage Counseling in Houston
At Neema Counseling, we offer Christian marriage and couples counseling at our Houston office on Long Point Road in Spring Branch, on the west side of the city. We also meet with couples online anywhere in Texas, in English or in Spanish.
Neema is the Swahili word for grace. When a marriage has been going through a hard season, grace toward each other is often one of the first things to wear thin, and so much of our work with couples is helping them find their way back to it.
Why Christian couples often wait to ask for help
Most of the couples we meet have been struggling for a while before they reach out, and for Christian couples that waiting often looks a certain way. You've prayed about it, and you may have read the marriage books, done the Bible study together, or gone on the retreat. When the same argument keeps coming back anyway, it can start to feel like a spiritual failure, and that feeling can make it even harder to tell anyone what's going on.
Some couples also worry about who might find out. If you serve at church, lead a small group, or are close with your pastor, it can feel like your marriage is supposed to look settled, and admitting otherwise feels risky.
We see reaching out as a sign that you both still care about getting this right. And couples who come in earlier usually have an easier road ahead of them, because the patterns between them haven't had as much time to settle in.
What we help couples work through
Communication that keeps going in circles. Many couples tell us they have the same conversation over and over and it ends the same way every time. We help you slow those conversations down so you can both see what is actually happening underneath them.
Conflict that has turned into distance. Some couples come in because they argue often, and others come in because they stopped arguing a while ago and now feel more like roommates than partners. Both are good reasons to reach out.
Rebuilding trust after betrayal. This might be an affair, hidden spending, pornography, or a longer pattern of broken promises. We've written more about this in When Trust is Broken.
The two families you each bring into a marriage. Each of you learned from your own family how to handle money, anger, affection, holidays, and faith. Those differences often sit quietly underneath arguments that seem to be about something else entirely.
Seasons that put weight on a marriage. A first baby, infertility or miscarriage, a move to Houston far away from family, long hours or travel for work, a job loss, caring for an aging parent, or grief can all put real strain on even a strong marriage.
Preparing for marriage. We also see engaged couples who want to talk through expectations, family of origin, and how they handle conflict before the wedding day.
How marriage counseling works with us
Allison Sims and Hallie Nicholls, who see couples in person at our Houston office, bring two approaches that fit together well.
Allison has specialized training in couples and family therapy and draws on family systems work. 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. 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.
Hallie uses cognitive behavioral and solution-focused approaches, which are very practical. You'll learn to notice the thoughts and assumptions that tend to fuel an argument, and you'll spend time on what is already working between you so you can build on it, trying the conversation a little differently at home between sessions.
How much your faith comes into sessions is completely up to the two of you. Some couples want to talk through what Scripture says about marriage and forgiveness, and how they've heard it taught over the years. Others simply want a counselor who shares their faith and understands where they're coming from. And when spouses are in different places with their faith, that can become a meaningful part of the work 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 Houston
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 at our Houston office and online, 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 at our Houston office and online, and she is able to see clients with Aetna and Cigna.
In-person sessions at our Houston office are in English. If you'd like your sessions in Spanish, the therapists below see couples in Spanish by video.
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.
Elvia Delgado, LPC-Associate (supervised by Lauren Jones, LPC-S) sees couples and families online and in person at our Austin office. She is fluent in Spanish and English, so couples can meet in either language or move back and forth between the two. She works from Bowen family systems theory alongside cognitive behavioral therapy. She is able to see clients with Aetna and Cigna, and see clients virtually with BCBS.
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 Houston office
Our office is at 8215 Long Point Road, Suite 11, Houston, TX 77055, in Spring Branch. Long Point runs parallel to I-10, so we're an easy drive from Memorial, Spring Valley, Hedwig Village, Bunker Hill, Hunters Creek, Garden Oaks, the Heights, Tanglewood, and the Energy Corridor. 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 Houston, take a look at our Christian counseling in Houston 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.
Houston 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 Houston? Our Houston office sees couples in person in English. Couples in the Houston area can meet in Spanish online with Fabian Armenta or Elvia Delgado, and Elvia also sees couples in Spanish in person at our Austin office.
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 Houston 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.