Online Couples Therapy and Intensives: What to Expect | Sagebrush Counseling

Most couples who are thinking about starting therapy have the same question: what exactly will happen? Not the emotional part. The practical part. What do I click, what does it look like on screen, how does it work with two people in different locations, and what should I expect from that first session?

This post answers all of that. By the end of it, the only remaining question is whether it feels like the right fit, and the free 15-minute consult is where you figure that out.

For a full overview of the approach, see the online couples therapy page. For how online therapy works generally, see how online therapy works. Common questions are also covered in the FAQs.

Sagebrush Counseling

Ready when you are. A free 15-minute consult is the first step.

No paperwork before you talk to anyone. Just a conversation about what is going on and whether this is the right fit.

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LCMHC · LCPC · LPC · NH · ME · MT · TX · $200/session · No waitlist

The Process

From First Contact to First Session

Reach out

Use the contact form or email. No intake paperwork before you speak to anyone.

Free 15-minute consult

A phone or video call. We talk about what is going on and whether this is the right fit. No commitment.

Schedule your first session

You receive a confirmation email with a secure video link. No app to download.

First session (50 minutes)

You click the link. The session begins. We get to know each other and what brought you in.

Ongoing sessions or intensive

Weekly sessions continue, or we discuss whether a couples intensive is a better fit for your situation.

Start with a Free Consult

What You Need

Your Setup Checklist

This is genuinely all you need. Tap each item to check it off.

□A phone, tablet, or computer with a camera and microphone

□A reasonably reliable internet connection — standard home broadband or 4G is fine

□A private space where you will not be overheard — a bedroom, home office, or parked car all work

□50 minutes when you are both available

□No app downloads required — a secure link sent to your email is all you click

In This Post

The technology
Same room or different rooms
Your first session, step by step
Ongoing sessions and intensives
Common worries, answered

The Technology

You need a device with a camera and microphone — a laptop, desktop, tablet, or phone all work. You need an internet connection. Standard home broadband or a 4G signal is more than adequate. If your connection drops during a session, you reconnect in seconds.

When you click the session link, your browser asks permission to use your camera and microphone. You click allow. The session room opens. You see yourself in a small window and the therapist on the main screen. It looks and functions like a standard video call, running on a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform that encrypts the session. Nothing is recorded.

Same Room or Different Rooms

Both work. Most couples join from the same physical space, sitting side by side in front of one shared screen. This is the most common setup and the closest to in-person therapy.

If you and your partner are in different locations, you each join from wherever you are on separate devices. One partner can be in New Hampshire and the other in Montana. The session proceeds the same way.

Some couples join from separate rooms in the same house. This is also fine, particularly early in therapy when some physical separation during the session feels useful.

On location and licensing

Each partner must be physically in a state where Sagebrush Counseling is licensed at the time of the session: New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, or Texas. Partners do not need to be in the same state as each other. If you are temporarily travelling outside those states, flag it before scheduling and we can plan around it.

On privacy

You need a space where you can speak freely. A bedroom with the door closed, a home office, or a parked car all work well. If joining from a car, it should be parked in a stationary, secure location. Let your therapist know if you are joining from a car so the setup can be confirmed before the session begins.

Serving NH, ME, MT, and TX

Questions before you start? The FAQ page has answers, or reach out directly.

Schedule a Free 15-Min Consult Read the FAQs

Your First Session: A Concrete Walkthrough

Before the session

You do not need to prepare anything. You do not need to write notes, agree with your partner on a shared account of the problem, or decide in advance what you want from therapy. None of that is required and most of it would just add friction before you have even started.

A few minutes before the session time, open the link from your confirmation email. Your browser will ask permission to use your camera and microphone. Click allow. You will see yourself in a small window and a waiting room screen. The therapist joins at the session time.

When you join

The first thing that happens is a brief check-in on the setup — that you can see and hear clearly, that you feel private enough to speak freely. This takes about two minutes. Then the session begins properly.

The therapist will introduce how the session tends to work: both partners will have time to speak, nothing said will be used against either person, and the goal of the first session is understanding rather than problem-solving. You are not expected to resolve anything today.

What the session covers

The therapist will ask each of you to describe what brought you in. You do not need to have agreed on a version of this. Partners often have different accounts of the problem and different levels of urgency about it. That is expected and the session is designed to hold both perspectives without adjudicating between them.

The session typically moves through: what is happening now, how long it has been happening, what you have already tried, and what you are each hoping therapy will provide. You will not get through all of this in a single session and that is fine. The goal is a working understanding of your situation, not a comprehensive history.

What you do not need to do

You do not need to be in agreement with your partner about whether therapy is needed.
You do not need to have a clear sense of what the problem is.
You do not need to be emotionally ready or in a calm state.
You do not need to know therapeutic language or have done therapy before.
You do not need to perform being okay.

How you will feel at the end

Most couples leave the first session with a clearer sense of whether this therapist and approach feel like the right fit. The session is not designed to be dramatic or immediately transformative. It is designed to be the beginning of something — a first look at the dynamic from outside it, with someone who is not already inside the problem with you.

If it does not feel like a match, that is useful information and not a failure of the process. The free consult exists partly to reduce that risk before a full session is scheduled.

Ongoing Sessions and Intensives

After the first session, if you continue, sessions are typically weekly — 50 minutes each, same format.

Some couples prefer a more concentrated format. Couples intensives are longer extended sessions designed for situations that need more than weekly 50-minute sessions can address — infidelity recovery, a significant decision point, or a relationship at an acute level of difficulty. The intensive is always scheduled after the 50-minute intake session, so you will have already spoken before you arrive at one.

For more on all available services, see the services page. Couples considering marriage preparation may also want to look at premarital counseling.

Common Worries, Answered

What if we feel awkward on camera?+

Most couples feel slightly awkward for the first few minutes and then forget the screen is there. The conversation takes over. By the end of the first session, the format usually feels natural.

We have never done therapy before. Will we know what to do?+

You do not need to know what to do. The therapist guides the session. Show up, speak honestly, and the structure will be provided. Most couples are surprised by how quickly it feels like a natural conversation.

What if our wifi drops?+

You reconnect. It takes about 30 seconds. If a connection is persistently poor, switching to a phone hotspot usually resolves it. Dropped connections are rare and are not charged for.

What if one of us does not want to come?+

This is one of the most common situations. A free 15-minute consult is often a lower-stakes way to start, where both partners can ask questions without committing to a full session. Many couples in which one partner was initially skeptical have found the first session enough to resolve the question.

What does it cost?+

Sessions are $200. Payment by card on file at the time of session. Sagebrush Counseling is private pay — sessions are not billed to insurance. HSA and FSA accounts cover therapy costs. A superbill can be provided for out-of-network reimbursement if your plan offers it. Contact your insurance provider to check your out-of-network benefits.

Do you offer premarital counseling?+

Yes. See the premarital counseling page for more detail on how that works and what it covers.

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Online Couples Therapy and Intensives What to Expect