Marriage
Counseling
That Works
in Oakland

Marriage
Counseling
That Works
in Oakland

Better Methods. Better Lovin.
Better Methods. Better Outcomes. Better Lovin.

Empathi's counselors provide hope
to spouses in Oakland

happy married couple

Struggling with your partner is despairing and exhausting.

Sometimes it can seem hopeless. The good news is, we really know how to help you get unstuck!

Empathi’s Methods are proven to help.

We are extremely selective about which therapists are invited to join our practice.

Each of our therapists are trained to use our proprietary blend of the Empathi Method and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). We’ll help you understand both your intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles in a way that guides you to communicate better, repair after fights, and feel more deeply and securely connected.

We are extremely selective about which therapists are invited to join our practice.

Each of our therapists are trained to use our proprietary blend of the Empathi Method and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). We’ll help you understand both your intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles in a way that guides you to communicate better, repair after fights, and feel more deeply and securely connected.

Clinical research shows that 86% of couples improve after a brief period of EFT guidance, and 73% have maintained their improvements when we check back two years later.

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couples therapy that works

With Empathi Marriage
Counseling You Will…

There’s no quick fix for repairing a relationship — if there were, no one would suffer in love — but there is a process that works.

Stop struggling. Book your call now.

Best Marriage Counseling in Oakland, CA | Empathi.com

Discover why Empathi marriage counseling is right for you.

Do I need Empathi marriage counseling?

When a couple shares that special bond that leads them to marriage, they often approach it with the belief that their relationship is special—it will stand the test of time, with or without pre-marriage counseling, because together they can get through anything.

As time passes, this idealism can gradually fade into a pessimistic view toward marriage and relationships in general. Somewhere along the line, the feelings and enthusiasm that brought them together changed into question, “Why are we even still together?”

If you’ve reached a place in your marriage where you and your spouse are asking yourselves that question, it doesn’t have to be the end of the road for your relationship. This question gives you the opportunity to explore each other and reconnect. With quality marriage counseling, you’ll come to ask yourselves, “Why did we even question ourselves?”

Reach out to Empathi today. Our experienced marital counselors can help you re-engage and find your way back to a relationship that’s even better than the one you started with.

gay couple marriage counseling

Do I need Empathi marriage counseling?

When a couple shares that special bond that leads them to marriage, they often approach it with the belief that their relationship is special—it will stand the test of time, with or without pre-marriage counseling, because together they can get through anything.

gay couple marriage counseling

As time passes, this idealism can gradually fade into a pessimistic view toward marriage and relationships in general. Somewhere along the line, the feelings and enthusiasm that brought them together changed into question, “Why are we even still together?”

If you’ve reached a place in your marriage where you and your spouse are asking yourselves that question, it doesn’t have to be the end of the road for your relationship. This question gives you the opportunity to explore each other and reconnect. With quality marriage counseling, you’ll come to ask yourselves, “Why did we even question ourselves?”

Reach out to Empathi today. Our experienced marital counselors can help you re-engage and find your way back to a relationship that’s even better than the one you started with.

Is there a marriage therapist near me that can help us reconnect?

Are you looking for marriage counseling in Oakland, CA? You’re not alone. If you’ve reached a point in your marriage where you’re asking yourself, “What’s the point,” you feel as though you might be reaching the end even though you don’t want that, or you just need to reconnect with your partner, thousands of couples are experiencing the same struggles. More reach out for help every day.

Here are the most common issues people in Oakland come to us with:

What if marriage counseling in Oakland has not worked for me in the past?

Perhaps you’ve gone to a relationship therapist before, but they weren’t able to provide the guidance you needed. Perhaps the therapist didn’t have the right experience to address your specific issues. Maybe their methods just didn’t help in the way you hoped they would. You’ve come to the right place.

marriage counseling for parents

Here's why our approach works

We have experienced relationship counselors who use well-established, effective methods to guide couples through rebuilding their marriage and reconnecting with each other.

By applying attachment theory methods, we’re able to guide couples into rebuilding their trust, the most important element in any relationship. By showing you how to infuse perspective, your faith and trust can be restored.

We apply experiential psychotherapy techniques to help couples recover from negative behaviors that may be impacting their marriage. Addictive behaviors don’t have to rule your marriage. Allow us to show you a way out of them.

Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) teaches you to turn conflict into communication. 86% of couples see significant improvement right away. This improvement continues long-term for 73% of couples.

Will starting marriage therapy be hard for me?

Starting marriage counseling can be scary. People frequently don’t know what to expect from marriage and relationship counseling. They might not even know what their ideal outcome looks like. They just know that they need something to change. Quality therapy is the best first step toward making that happen.

Here's how we make it easy:

Here are the ways we make it easy:

Marriage Counseling in Oakland

Begin the Empathi Process

Your expert counselor is here to guide you back to connection using Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy and the Empathi Method.

Acceptance

The hardest part is just getting started.

Healing starts with accepting you need help, booking a free consult, and showing up as you are. Everything that comes next will be easier as you’re held by an Empathi therapist and a proven process. From now on, you’re not alone in this.

Alliance

Feel like you’re on the same team again.

Explore your process and discover a unified narrative where neither of you are wrong or right, “the good one,” or “the bad one.” Learn to approach suffering and conflicts as an “us” problem instead of a “them” problem or a “me” problem.

Empathy

See the hurt and love behind their reactivity.

Strengthen your new narrative by accessing empathy to recognize the root of each other’s reactivity, how much you matter to each other, and what love is. Understand the cycles you get into with the help of your expert Empathi counselor.

Vulnerability

Share the hurt and love behind your reactivity.

Get to know, live in, and share your vulnerable feelings. Then, learn to let in the ways that those feelings are understood and accepted by your partner through the power of the Empathi method and Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy.

Connection

Feel deeply and securely bonded to one another.

Mend your relationship and your wounds through the understanding that you matter to each other. Learn to grieve, show up for, heal, and accept the most vulnerable parts inside of each other without sacrificing those parts in yourselves.

Resilience

Rely on your bond to get out of stuck moments.

Having proved your ability to resolve long-standing issues, heated conflicts, and negative cycles, face your future together with a certainty that you will not only survive those moments, but grow stronger and more connected because of them.

Raph counselor
COUNSELOR

Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, LMFT #123865

EMDR-trained Marriage and Family Therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Happily married father of two. Raphael loves helping people get more intimately connected by helping them work through emotional and traumatic blocks. His own long-term relationship has been aided greatly by Emotionally Focused Therapy and he wants to share the benefits of being more insightful, honest, and compassionate in relationships.

Raphael has worked with several different configurations of relationship with the focus on creating security, care and safety. By helping couples relate to each other more effectively, it has ripple effects on their children; friends; extended community. The stronger we are together, the easier the travails of life are to face.

Wendy Parker Counselor
COUNSELOR

Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #121183 in Oakland
Supervised by Fiachra O’Sullivan, LMFT #79062

Wendy is a long-time mental health practitioner who believes that, with the right amount of effort, the partnership of your wildest dreams is within reach and can turn up the heat on your personal growth.

In a culture that puts so much emphasis on “I,” Wendy works with patients to develop the “we” mentality required for a loving, thriving, satisfying relationship based on mutual respect and understanding.

Wendy uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy to help couples demystify the behaviors of their partner and learn to identify the underlying patterns and programming that cause emotional chaos. Her work helps members of a couple draw closer and build bonds that withstand the inevitable hardships of life.

NOT THE CITY YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

More Marriage Counseling Near You

We offer virtual counseling across the nation.

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We are passionate about healing relationships.

Our team of couples counselors, relationship coaches, and marriage therapists can help you reconnect and discover that loving feeling.

Frequently Asked Couples Therapy Questions

Read our Oakland FAQ or schedule a free consult now and get answers directly!

How much does marital counseling near me cost?

In the San Francisco metropolitan area the cost for marriage counseling ranges on average from $120 per therapy hour to $250 per therapy hour, but there are no statistics specifically related to Oakland. The reason for this large range is because some therapists are in higher demand. Skill and training also play a large part in the pricing of marriage therapy. Some may charge more than $250, but these tend to be highly specialized marriage counselors with significant rates of success.

Empathi’s pricing can vary, but it’s always worth every penny. Our relationship counseling experts offer personalized marital guidance and can assist in realizing the dream of making your marriage a successful one.

marriage counseling that works

How much does marital counseling near me cost?

In the San Francisco metropolitan area the cost for marriage counseling ranges on average from $120 per therapy hour to $250 per therapy hour, but there are no statistics specifically related to Oakland. The reason for this large range is because some therapists are in higher demand. Skill and training also play a large part in the pricing of marriage therapy. Some may charge more than $250, but these tend to be highly specialized marriage counselors with significant rates of success.

marriage counseling that works

Empathi’s pricing can vary, but it’s always worth every penny. Our relationship counseling experts offer personalized marital guidance and can assist in realizing the dream of making your marriage a successful one.

marriage counseling

What are the divorce statistics for Oakland, CA?

Going through divorce is painful. Many people don’t even want to see it as an option. Most want to avoid it if at all possible, and yet unfortunately people do still get divorced. National divorce rates have been declining over the past 30 years and the trend doesn’t seem to be reversing.

California has one of the lowest divorce rates in the country. World Populated Review data places the divorce rate in California at 9.0%. The divorce rate in Oakland is slightly higher than that, at 10.0%.

Financial stress and marital infidelity rank as the top reasons people get divorced. Communication problems also rank highly. These issues affect people all across California, and at home in Oakland as well. With high-quality marital counseling, couples can see their way past these issues and into a happy relationship.

marriage counseling

What are the divorce statistics for Oakland, CA?

Going through divorce is painful. Many people don’t even want to see it as an option. Most want to avoid it if at all possible, and yet unfortunately people do still get divorced. National divorce rates have been declining over the past 30 years and the trend doesn’t seem to be reversing.

California has one of the lowest divorce rates in the country. World Populated Review data places the divorce rate in California at 9.0%. The divorce rate in Oakland is slightly higher than that, at 10.0%.

Financial stress and marital infidelity rank as the top reasons people get divorced. Communication problems also rank highly. These issues affect people all across California, and at home in Oakland as well. With high-quality marital counseling, couples can see their way past these issues and into a happy relationship.

Why should I seek out marriage counseling near me?

There is still hope for your marriage. And as long as you can hold onto hope, there’s a chance. This doesn’t have to be the end of the line for your marriage. Marriage counseling works. Quality therapy has brought countless couples back from the brink of dissolution, and it can do the same for you.

If you have children, this may also be a strong motivator to keep trying. Nearly three decades of research shows that children who live in a household with two loving and attentive parents consistently have better physical and emotional health and perform better academically.

top rated marriage counseling
successful marriage counseling

How many marriage therapists are in Oakland, CA?

The most recent data from BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) places just over 60,000 people employed nationally as marriage or marriage and family therapists. There are just over 32,000 marriage and family therapists employed in the state of California, the highest number in the nation. BLS includes Oakland in the count for the San Francisco Bay area, which is just over 3,300 marriage and family therapists.

Many sites have a list for “best relationship counseling near me” to help users navigate the many qualified therapists. A search of best marriage therapists in the San Francisco area places Empathi founder, Fiachra Figs O’Sullivan in the top 10 list on Yelp and the top 5 list on GuideDoc.

successful marriage counseling

How many marriage therapists are in Oakland, CA?

The most recent data from BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) places just over 60,000 people employed nationally as marriage or marriage and family therapists. There are just over 32,000 marriage and family therapists employed in the state of California, the highest number in the nation. BLS includes Oakland in the count for the San Francisco Bay area, which is just over 3,300 marriage and family therapists.

Many sites have a list for “best relationship counseling near me” to help users navigate the many qualified therapists. A search of best marriage therapists in the San Francisco area places Empathi founder, Fiachra Figs O’Sullivan in the top 10 list on Yelp and the top 5 list on GuideDoc.

How do I choose the best marriage counselor near me?

When searching for marriage counseling, you want to be sure to seek out a therapist that has specialized expertise in relationship and marriage therapy.

Get a recommendation. If someone you know has overcome troubles in their marriage, chances are they had a skilled therapist help them through their difficult time. If this is a person you trust, ask them if you can get their therapist’s contact information.

empathi marriage counseling

If a recommendation isn’t an option, search online for the best relationship therapists near me. You’ll find hundreds of reviews on the marriage therapists in your area. Therapists who’ve made a positive impact on their clients’ lives will have reviews filled with glowing praise. When you find one that looks right for you, look into their history with the state licensing board to make sure they have a record you can trust.

How do I choose the best marriage counselor near me?

When searching for marriage counseling, you want to be sure to seek out a therapist that has specialized expertise in relationship and marriage therapy.

Get a recommendation. If someone you know has overcome troubles in their marriage, chances are they had a skilled therapist help them through their difficult time. If this is a person you trust, ask them if you can get their therapist’s contact information.

empathi marriage counseling

If a recommendation isn’t an option, search online for the best relationship therapists near me. You’ll find hundreds of reviews on the marriage therapists in your area. Therapists who’ve made a positive impact on their clients’ lives will have reviews filled with glowing praise. When you find one that looks right for you, look into their history with the state licensing board to make sure they have a record you can trust.

What questions should I ask before beginning marriage counseling?

Once you’ve narrowed down your options, schedule a consultation. Have some questions prepared and base your decision on how they answer. It’s perfectly acceptable to interview your potential therapists. You’ll be putting the future of your relationship in their hands, after all.

It’s important that you can trust the counselor’s qualifications. It’s also important to make sure they’ll be a good fit

These questions will help you determine if the therapist is a good option for you:

A therapist who shares your values is likely going to be more effective than someone whose views are counter to your own. Use these questions to make that determination. 

Finding the right therapist matters because it’s important that you stick with it. Couples who stay with marriage counseling tend to remain together and they rate their marriages as more satisfying. Couples who stay in a fulfilling relationship live longer, have better emotional health, and just lead happier lives.

People often go into marriage with an idealistic, optimistic frame of mind. Then, over time and as the relationship issues pile on, they become disillusioned and realize that a simple search for “best premarital counseling near me” in the beginning may have saved them a lot of pain down the road. 

But it doesn’t have to mean the end. These couples still have a hopeful future, they just need a little help in turning it around. Finding a good marriage therapist is a great first step in making that happen.

If you’ve become disillusioned with your marriage but still hold onto hope for a positive change, now is the time to reach out. The sooner you begin, the sooner quality marital counseling can help you on the way to a successful marriage. 

Give yourself and your spouse the gift of marital renewal, and reach out to Empathi to begin your new life together.

Marriage Counseling That Works In
Oakland

But don't take it from us!

Take it from our clients via our direct Yelp page feed.

NOT THE CITY YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

Empathi Couples Counseling Near You

Empathi counselors serve these cities and many more across the U.S.

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"With Empathi, Figs has created a fun and creative way to help people feel more connected in their relationship and to become acquainted with the transformational power of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy."

Dr. Sue Johnson

Creator of Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples

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It's quick, easy, and
free to get started!

Between the emotional hurdle of accepting you need help and the logistical nightmare of finding a therapist you trust, actually starting couples therapy is the hardest part…

That’s why we keep it simple:

Don’t Waste Time Feeling Stuck

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