Who This Is For
We welcome married and unmarried couples. People thinking about getting married. People who have been together forty years. Couples rebuilding after an affair, working out how to parent together, or trying to decide honestly whether to stay.
What a First Session Is Like
Both of you come, and Ann Marie works with the two of you together, not with one side's story against the other's. The first session focuses on understanding the pattern between you, which is usually where the real work begins.
Much of the talking is between the two of you.
What the Work Involves
We focus on strengthening communication and working through conflict together, not assigning blame for it. Some sessions are about a decision the two of you have been avoiding. Others are about the ordinary work of staying kind to each other when you are both worn out, and building the tools for a conversation that keeps going wrong so it can go differently at your own kitchen table.
When Individual Work Comes First
Sometimes one person is carrying something that needs its own space before couples work can go anywhere. If that is the case, Ann Marie will say so, and individual sessions are here too.
An Honest Boundary
Couples counseling is not appropriate where there is violence or fear in the relationship. Joint sessions can make things more dangerous, not less. If that is your situation, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233, or you can text START to 88788. A text is quieter than a call, which matters if somebody else looks at your phone. Consider calling us about individual support instead. You are not being turned away.
Coming From Tawas City, West Branch or Oscoda
People come to us for couples counseling from right across the Sunrise Side. A weekly appointment is a weekly drive, so here are the road times to our office in Hale.
- Tawas City, about 32 minutes by road.
- West Branch, about 40 minutes by road.
- Oscoda, in Iosco County, about 45 minutes by road.
Tell us which town you are coming from when you call, and we will help you find the times that make sense with the drive. On the longer drives, a longer appointment spaced further apart sometimes suits better than a weekly hour, and we are happy to set it up that way. We list road times from the rest of the area on our service area page.
Sessions and Insurance
Couples sessions are 60 minutes. Our appointments page sets out what to expect at a first appointment and what to bring. We take most major insurance. See which plans, though not every plan covers couples counseling, so ask yours before you come. If you are not sure about yours, ask us. We are happy to help you work it out.
You Might Also Be Looking For
When the pressure is coming from outside the relationship, when one person is carrying something older, or when two households have already separated and still have children between them.
If you are not sure which of these fits, call us anyway. We will help you work out where to start.
Reviewed by Ann Marie Shay, MA, LPC, CTP, MITS, September 2026.