Finding a couples therapist that works for everyone can feel like a huge challenge.
Just last week, an individual client shared that familiar struggle with me: “I’ve found a therapist that works for me, now I need to find someone that works for my husband and me.” As a couples therapist, I immediately had a gut reaction because I knew how hard of an uphill climb this was going to be.
Choosing a couples therapist involves meeting several key requirements. You need three schedules to align. Before that can even happen, the potential therapist(s) need to be found and vetted for insurance (specifically United Healthcare, or UHC, in California), needs, and expertise.
This whole process is generally done by the more motivated party in the couple.
After you’re halfway up Kilimanjaro, you schedule a consultation with the therapist. The three of you meet via phone or virtually.
This meeting is brief, but whether brief or not, it still requires a level of mental load and coordination. (This can give an interesting perspective on the couples dynamic, but I’m getting ahead of myself.)
Somewhere near the end of the consultation, the couple and the therapist discuss scheduling the first session. Some couples need more time to decide, as the consultation can open up topics they haven’t brought up in a while.
Next up is the scheduling. Once again, three schedules need to align, insurance or self-pay needs to be sorted, and paperwork needs to be completed. All of this can feel very daunting—to the point that many couples will choose to give up before they get started. The therapists are there, but often the access to them feels like a hill needs to be climbed.
The motto of UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of United Healthcare, is to help build a high-performing health system through “improved access, affordability, outcomes and experiences”. Well then, let’s go.
At Be Well Therapy, we have couples therapists who can meet you where you are, set up a consultation, and meet your needs. We specialize in making the process of starting virtual couples therapy in California as seamless as possible, especially if you have UHC coverage.
Stop letting paperwork and scheduling be the reason you put off healing your relationship.