What changes
What you'll actually walk away with
The same fight loses its grip
Not white-knuckled past — actually defused, because you finally know what it was standing in for.
You stop being the only one holding it together
The weight gets shared. You're teammates again, not manager and managed.
You can say the true thing without bracing for a fight
Honesty stops costing you closeness.
You stop shrinking to keep the peace
You come back to yourself inside the marriage instead of disappearing to protect it.
You feel like best friends again
Close, easy, having fun — the part you actually miss.
You won't need us forever
The strongest relationship in the room becomes the one between the two of you. That's the goal.
The guide
You don't need a referee. You need someone who knows what the fight is really about.
We know the bind you're in. Say the true thing and brace for the fight — or swallow it one more time and feel a little more invisible. You've been choosing between honesty and closeness for so long it stopped feeling like a choice.
And we know the part almost no one says out loud: the fights are hardly ever about what they're about. The dishes aren't the dishes. The tone isn't the tone. Underneath every "small" fight is something real that hasn't found its way into words yet.
That's the work we do — and we're built for it.
Althought Therapy is founded and led by Dr. Samantha Awalt, a licensed psychologist. We work from a developmental, depth-oriented model — and we offer same-week access, because the moment you're ready to do this shouldn't sit on a waitlist.
We don't hand couples a generic playbook. Your marriage runs on its own logic. We learn it before we touch it — that's why this gets to the root instead of skating the surface.
The plan
How the work goes
We stabilize things first
You get real tools and structure early to take the heat out of the conflict — because no one gets honest in a room that doesn't feel safe yet.
We learn the two of you
Not couples in the abstract — each of you, with your own history and your own logic. This is where the work becomes yours instead of a generic script.
We get to the root together
Why the small fights aren't small, what sets each of you off, and what you're each reaching for underneath it. The pattern stops being a mystery — and stops running you.
You bring your real selves back into the room
You each say the true thing without bracing for a fight or disappearing to keep the peace. This is where closeness and honesty stop competing.
You outgrow us
The strongest relationship in the room becomes the one between the two of you. The goal was always that you don't need us anymore.
What it costs
Why we're private-pay, and how the first step works
Every price above is the whole price; there's nothing added later. We're a private-pay practice, and that's a choice, not a workaround. It means the two of you and your therapist decide what the work needs — how often you meet, how long you keep going — rather than an insurance plan, a diagnosis code, or a session cap. It also keeps your records yours.
A short conversation about what's been happening and whether we're the right fit. You commit to nothing.
An itemized receipt you can send to your insurer for possible reimbursement. HSA and FSA funds can be used.
It's a real investment, and it's what makes this kind of depth possible. Both things are true. The first step, though, doesn't cost anything: a conversation, and then you decide.
Request a free consultationWhere we meet
In Lakewood, or anywhere in Colorado
Some couples want to sit in the same room with us. Our office is at 575 Union Boulevard, Suite 210, in Lakewood, right off 6th Avenue, so it's easy to find and easy to get to, with free parking when you arrive. Couples come to us from Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Denver, and across the metro.
Some couples can't, or would rather not, and that works too. Because Dr. Awalt is licensed in Colorado, the two of you can meet with us online from anywhere in the state. The only requirement is that you're both physically in Colorado during the session. You don't have to be in the same place as each other, either; plenty of couples join from two different rooms, or two different towns.
Online sessions happen over a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. What you need is simple: a device with a camera, a decent connection, and somewhere the two of you can speak honestly. In person, online, or a mix of both as your lives allow, the work is the same, and so is the person doing it with you.
Not near Lakewood? I work with couples anywhere in Colorado online. See online couples therapy in Colorado.
The next step is a conversation
A short consultation to talk through what's been happening and whether we're the right fit. Same-week appointments available.
Request a consultationWhy this works
Why this works when other things haven't
If you've tried couples therapy before — or read the books, taken the course, had the same conversation a hundred different ways — and the fight still came back, it's probably not because you didn't try hard enough. It's because the work stopped at the surface. Communication tools matter, and you'll get them here, early and in abundance. But tools alone manage the fight; they don't resolve it. The argument keeps returning because it's carrying something that hasn't been named yet, and no script can name it for you.
Tools manage the fight; they don't resolve it.
That's the difference in how we work. We treat your marriage as a system with its own logic — built over years, out of two histories, two nervous systems, two sets of reasons that made sense at the time. Before we change anything, we learn that logic. We find out why this particular fight, between these two particular people, keeps happening. When you understand the pattern instead of just managing it, it loses its grip — and the closeness you've been missing stops being something you have to choose against your own honesty.
This is a developmental, depth-oriented model led by a licensed psychologist. It's not crisis triage and it's not a quick communication tune-up — it's the deeper work that growth-oriented couples come to us specifically to do. Most couples don't stay forever. The goal is that you leave with the strongest relationship in the room being the one between the two of you — and that you don't need us anymore.
The stakes
You already know what the other version looks like
If nothing changes
The small fights stay constant — or the talking quietly thins out to nothing. You stay the one carrying it, a little more invisible every year. And the people watching you closest learn that this is what love is supposed to feel like.
It doesn't have to go that way.
When the real thing gets said
When the real thing underneath finally gets said — and heard — the small fights lose their charge. You stop choosing between honesty and closeness. Best friends and teammates again, fully yourselves and deeply connected.
That's interdependence, in your own marriage.
Getting started
What our process looks like
Starting is simpler than it feels. Here's exactly what happens, from your first hello to your first session.
Reach out
Reach out through the contact form on this page or give me a call. Tell me a little about what's been going on — no long intake, just a first hello.
Schedule a phone consultation
We'll set up a brief call to talk through what's been happening and make sure we're the right fit before you commit to anything.
Get set up on your online portal
When you're ready, we'll get you onto your secure client portal for scheduling, paperwork, and telehealth links — all in one place.
Begin couples therapy
You begin the work with Dr. Awalt — in person in Lakewood, online from anywhere in Colorado, or a mix of both.
Who you'll work with
Meet your therapist
Dr. Samantha Awalt, Ph.D.
Founder & Licensed Psychologist
Licensed psychologist, Colorado license PSY.0006914 · Maternal Mental Health Professional Certificate Training (Postpartum Support International and the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health)
Couples come to Dr. Awalt when transitions — pregnancy, postpartum, new parents, infidelity, career — have exposed older patterns and the existing tools aren't holding. Her work integrates the Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and psychodynamic frameworks.
Dr. Awalt earned her master's degree in Psychology from The City College of New York (CUNY) and her PhD in Psychology, with a specialization in Neuroscience and Behavior, from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Her dissertation focused on early-life stress and how it can shape attachment, hormonal systems, and genetics. She later completed clinical re-specialization training in Colorado under Dr. Mara Kailin and became licensed as a psychologist.
If you're expecting, or in the first years of parenthood, her perinatal mental health training matters more than it might sound. That stretch is when old patterns surface fastest, and when it helps to work with someone who understands both the relationship and the season it's in.
More about Dr. AwaltWhat we help with
Couples therapy for these issues
Couples come to us growth-oriented — not in crisis, but tired of the same fight on a loop and missing the easy, on-the-same-team feeling they used to have. We work across the full range of relationship challenges, including:
- Marriage Counseling
- Premarital Counseling
- Infidelity & Affair Counseling
- Affair Recovery Counseling
- Codependent Relationship Counseling
- Conflict Resolution Counseling
- Couples' Communication Skills
- Dating Counseling
- Divorce Counseling
- Family Relationships
- Intimacy Concerns Counseling
- Marital Difficulties Counseling
- Parenting Skills Counseling
- Same-sex Relationships
- Second Marriages Counseling
- Sexual Issues Counseling
Questions
FAQs about couples therapy
What happens in the first few sessions?
The first session is about getting to know the two of you and understanding what's bringing you in. We make space to talk through what you're experiencing while beginning to understand your conflict patterns, your attachment dynamics, and the larger relationship patterns around the issue you want help with. The second session goes deeper into each partner's individual and relationship history, so we can see what each of you is bringing into the relationship and how those experiences may be shaping the current dynamic. By the third session, we have enough context to begin working directly on the patterns you want to change.
How long does couples therapy last?
While the length of therapy varies depending on each couple's needs, we approach every relationship individually. Typically, couples can expect a minimum of 10 to 15 sessions, though some achieve meaningful progress within a few months. Many couples continue therapy to explore new goals and maintain growth, highlighting the ongoing benefits of the therapeutic process.
How much does couples therapy cost?
Sessions are $250 for 50 minutes. We're private-pay, so we don't bill insurance, but if you have out-of-network benefits we'll give you a superbill to send to your insurer, and HSA or FSA funds work. The Enhanced and Intensive formats are priced as packages; you'll hear those numbers on the free consultation, so you have the full picture before you decide anything.
Do we have to live near Lakewood?
No. Some couples come to the Lakewood office; some meet with us online from Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, the Western Slope, or a mountain town. Because Dr. Awalt is licensed in Colorado, the only requirement for online sessions is that you're both physically in the state at the time. You don't have to be in the same room as each other.
Can we do some sessions in person and some online?
Yes. Many couples do: in the office when the week allows, online when it doesn't. The work is the same either way, and you don't have to decide up front.
Is this marriage counseling or couples therapy?
Both, and the difference matters less than it sounds. Married, engaged, or neither, the work is the same: making sense of the pattern running between the two of you and finding your way back to the same team. If you searched for marriage counseling, you're in the right place.
Do you work with unmarried, engaged, or LGBTQ+ couples?
Yes. The patterns we work with don't depend on your marital status or who you love. Couples come to us dating, engaged, newly married, and decades in, including couples preparing for marriage and dating couples.
What if my partner is hesitant to come to therapy?
We can provide guidance and strategies to help your partner feel comfortable and understand the benefits of couples therapy. Even when one partner is initially hesitant, starting therapy can open pathways to positive change and deeper connection.
Can both partners attend every session?
Yes. Couples therapy works best when both partners are present, though occasionally individual check-ins or assessments may be recommended to support the work together.
Do you offer evening or weekend appointments?
Not at this time; sessions are scheduled on weekdays. Meeting online removes the drive, which is what makes a weekday slot workable for many couples, and we'll help you find a time that both of you can hold.
Ready to find out what the fight's really about?
Book a consultation. We'll talk through what's been happening, where you want to get to, and whether we're the right fit to help you get there. Same-week appointments available.
Request a consultation575 Union Blvd, Suite 210, Lakewood, CO · In person or online across Colorado
Visit us
Couples therapy in Lakewood, across the Denver metro & online throughout Colorado
You can meet with us in person at our Lakewood office, right off 6th Avenue about 15 minutes west of downtown Denver, with free parking, as couples from Denver, Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, and the surrounding communities do. Or you can meet with us online from anywhere in Colorado. Both are the same work.
Althought Therapy
575 Union Blvd, Suite 210
Lakewood, CO 80228
720-984-1219