“Daring greatly means the courage to be vulnerable. It means to show up and be seen. To ask for what you need. To talk about how you’re feeling. To have the hard conversations.”
– Brene Brown
Hillary Counseling offers couples therapy and marriage counseling in Milwaukee’s Third Ward and online across Wisconsin. In couples counseling with our Gottman-trained therapists, partners learn to communicate, repair after conflict, and reconnect. Sessions are $240–$260 for 50 minutes, and every couple starts with a free 15-minute consultation.
Signs It May Be Time for Couples Therapy
By the time most couples reach out, they’re further down the road than they ever expected to be. If any of these sound familiar, it isn’t too late.
- You keep having the same argument over and over, and it never gets settled
- You feel more like roommates than partners
- Trust has been broken by an affair or betrayal
- Emotional and physical intimacy has faded
- Big decisions about moving, kids, or money keep stalling
- One or both of you has started thinking about separating
Who We Help
We work with couples at every stage: dating, engaged, married, and unmarried partners, including LGBTQ+ couples. Whether you’ve been together a few months or a few decades, a relationship counselor can help you understand each other better and find a way forward.
- Planning to get married? See our premarital counseling.
- Our therapists are LGBTQ+ affirming. Learn more about our LGBTQIA+ friendly therapy.
Intercultural and Interracial Couples
When partners come from different cultures, races, countries, or family backgrounds, those differences shape everything from how you handle conflict to how you raise kids and spend holidays with in-laws. Our therapists have specific experience helping intercultural and interracial couples talk openly about these differences and understand where each of you is coming from. Together, you can build a relationship that honors both of your backgrounds.
Marriage Counseling in Milwaukee
Marriage counseling in Milwaukee at Hillary Counseling is for married couples who want to feel like a team again, whether you’ve been together three years or thirty. Married couples counseling, sometimes called marital therapy, gives you both a place to slow down, be heard, and work on what isn’t working.
Our marriage counselors help couples with:
- Long marriages that have drifted into routine
- Life changes like a new baby, an empty nest, or midlife transitions
- Rebuilding trust after an affair
- Divorce counseling, when you’re deciding whether to stay together, or how to separate with less conflict
A good marriage counselor doesn’t take sides. Your therapist’s job is to help both of you see what’s happening between you and give you tools to change it.
Our Approach: Gottman Method Couples Therapy
What Is the Gottman Method?
The Gottman Method is a research-based approach to couples counseling that helps partners strengthen their connection, improve communication, and navigate relationship challenges. Rather than focusing only on what’s going wrong, it emphasizes practical tools to build a healthier, more fulfilling relationship.
What Do Gottman Method Sessions Focus On?
Through Gottman-informed couples counseling, you’ll learn skills to:
- Improve communication and understanding
- Navigate conflict in healthier ways
- Strengthen emotional intimacy and connection
- Rebuild trust and repair relationship ruptures
- Express needs and emotions more effectively
- Deepen friendship, appreciation, and affection
- Manage differences and recurring disagreements
- Build shared goals, values, and meaning
Sessions are tailored to your relationship’s unique needs, with practical strategies you can use outside of therapy. All of our couples therapists have Gottman Method training. To learn more, visit The Gottman Institute.
Some of our therapists also draw on other approaches, like structural family therapy and Bowen family systems therapy, which look at how patterns from your family of origin show up in your relationship today.
Individual Counseling for Your Marriage
Sometimes one partner isn’t ready to come to therapy. Or you want to work on your own patterns first. Individual counseling for your marriage is one-on-one therapy focused on you: how you show up in the relationship, what you bring from your family and past relationships, and how you can respond differently.
This is different from couples therapy, where both partners attend sessions together. Many people find that when they change how they respond, the relationship starts to change too, and some partners decide to join later. Learn more about individual therapy.
What to Expect
- Free 15-minute consultation. Reach out by phone or online. We’ll answer your questions and match you with a couples therapist who’s a good fit.
- Your first session together. You’ll both meet with your therapist to talk about what brought you in, your history together, and what you’d like to change.
- A plan for your relationship. Your therapist builds a plan around your goals and both of your personalities.
- Regular sessions. Most couples start with weekly sessions to build momentum, then move to every other week or less often as things improve. Extended sessions of up to 90 minutes are available for couples who want more time to work through a concern.
- Check-ins along the way. Your therapist reviews progress with you and adjusts the plan as your needs change.
How long couples therapy takes depends on your goals. Some couples come for a short stretch to work on one issue. Others continue for several months or longer.
Fees, Insurance, and Location
Fees. Couples sessions are $240–$260 for 50 minutes, depending on your therapist’s experience. Extended sessions of up to 90 minutes are available.
Insurance. We’re an out-of-network practice. We provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. HSA and FSA cards are accepted. See Fees and Payments for details.
In person in the Third Ward.
Hillary Counseling
316 N. Milwaukee Street, Suite 401
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 522-7512
Online across Wisconsin. Can’t make it to Milwaukee? We offer online couples therapy anywhere in Wisconsin, including Madison, Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, and La Crosse.
Ready to Take the First Step Together?
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you reach out. A free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to ask questions, share what’s going on, and find a couples therapist who fits you both.
Do you work with LGBTQ+, intercultural, and interracial couples?
Yes. Our therapists are LGBTQ+ affirming and have specific experience helping couples navigate cultural, racial, and family-of-origin differences.
How much does couples therapy cost in Milwaukee?
At Hillary Counseling, couples sessions are $240–$260 for 50 minutes. Rates vary with each therapist’s experience. We’re out of network, and we provide a superbill you can submit for reimbursement.
Does insurance cover couples counseling?
It depends on your plan. Many plans reimburse part of out-of-network sessions, but coverage for couples sessions varies, so call the number on your insurance card and ask about out-of-network mental health benefits. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
How many sessions does couples therapy take?
It depends on your goals and progress. Most couples start with weekly sessions, then move to every other week or less often as things improve. Some couples need only short-term counseling, while others continue for several months or longer. Your therapist will check in on progress along the way.
What happens in the first couples therapy session?
You’ll both meet with your therapist to talk about what brought you in, your history together, and what you want to change. From there, your therapist builds a plan around your relationship.
What if my partner won’t come to couples counseling?
You can still start. Individual counseling for your marriage helps you understand your own patterns and how to respond differently, and many partners join later.
Is it too late for couples therapy if we’re thinking about divorce?
Not necessarily. Therapy can help you decide whether to stay together, and if you separate, it can help you do it with less conflict, especially if you have children.
What is the Gottman Method?
A research-based approach to couples therapy built on decades of studying what makes relationships last. It focuses on friendship, managing conflict, and creating shared meaning.
Do you offer longer couples sessions?
Yes. We offer extended couples sessions of up to 90 minutes for couples who would benefit from more time to work through challenges. Session length is tailored to each couple’s needs.
Do you offer online couples therapy?
Yes. We see couples in person in Milwaukee’s Third Ward and online anywhere in Wisconsin, including Madison, Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, and La Crosse.
How do I find a good marriage counselor in Milwaukee?
Look for a licensed therapist with specific couples training (like the Gottman Method), ask how they structure sessions, and book a consultation to see if you both feel comfortable. Our free 15-minute consultation is designed for exactly that.
