Couples Counseling in Westminster & Thornton, CO

You used to be able to read each other across a room. Now the same conversation ends with one of you on the porch and the other staring at the ceiling. Maybe there was a betrayal. Maybe there's no single thing you can point to — just the slow accumulation of unfinished arguments, half-heard bids for attention, and a quiet fear that you've drifted somewhere you can't navigate back from.

Couples counseling is not a referee booth. It's a structured, research-backed space to figure out what your relationship actually needs to feel safe again — and to practice it while someone helps you stay regulated.

I'm Sarah at Mindfully Rooted Therapy, offering Gottman-informed couples work in Westminster, CO and online for couples across Colorado, including Thornton, Broomfield, Northglenn, Arvada, and Federal Heights.

What Gottman-informed couples therapy is

The Gottman Method is built on 50+ years of research by Drs. John and Julie Gottman, who studied thousands of couples in real time and identified what actually predicts whether a relationship lasts and stays satisfying.

Gottman-informed work in our sessions includes:

• A structured assessment (joint and individual sessions) so we know what we're actually working on
• The Sound Relationship House framework — building friendship, managing conflict, creating shared meaning
• Skills for the Four Horsemen (criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling) and their antidotes
• Repair attempts — how to pull a fight back from the edge before it becomes a wound
• Bid recognition — catching the small daily moments where your partner reaches for you

Gottman is one of the most evidence-supported couples models in the field. I integrate it with EMDR and IFS when individual trauma or attachment wounds are driving the pattern, because relationship problems aren't always relationship problems — sometimes one or both nervous systems are running an old playbook.

Who I work with

• Couples in long-term partnerships feeling more like roommates than partners
• Couples recovering from infidelity, emotional affairs, or breaches of trust
• Couples navigating a major life transition (new baby, career change, relocation, in-law dynamics)
• Pre-marital and pre-cohabitation couples who want to do the work before a crisis
• Neurodivergent couples (ADHD, autism, AuDHD pairings) where communication styles miss each other
• Couples where one or both partners carry trauma histories that show up in the relationship

I work with couples of all genders, orientations, and relationship structures, including LGBTQ+ and ethically non-monogamous couples.

What sessions look like

Sessions 1–4: Assessment. We start with a joint session, then I meet with each of you individually, then we come back together for a feedback session. By the end you'll have a clear map of strengths, friction points, and what we're working toward.

Sessions 5+: Treatment. We work through the priorities your assessment surfaced — usually some mix of communication skills, conflict de-escalation, rebuilding fondness and admiration, and processing specific incidents that still feel unresolved.

Sessions are 50 minutes by default; for intensive repair work (like processing an affair or a major rupture), I sometimes recommend 80-minute extended sessions.

My approach

I'm not a "switzerland" therapist who refuses to take a position — research shows that's actually less helpful for couples in distress. I'll name patterns I see, hold both of you accountable, and prioritize physiological safety in the room: if one of you flips into fight/flight, we slow down. Productive conflict only happens in regulated nervous systems.

I'm trauma-informed and neurodivergent-affirming, which matters for couples work because so much of what looks like "communication breakdown" is actually two nervous systems with different wiring trying to find each other.

Investment & insurance

• Self-pay: $130 / 50-min session (extended sessions priced separately)
• In-network with major Colorado insurance plans for couples sessions where covered — verify on the Billing & Insurance page. Note: many insurance plans require a primary diagnosis for one partner, which we can discuss in your consult
• Free 15-minute consultation for both partners
• A Good Faith Estimate is provided to all self-pay couples per the No Surprises Act

Frequently asked questions

Is it too late for us? Probably not. The Gottmans found that the strongest predictor of divorce isn't the presence of conflict — it's contempt, and the absence of repair. If even one of you is willing to try, there's almost always something to work with.

My partner doesn't want to come. What do I do? Start with individual therapy. A surprising amount of couples-level change happens when one partner shifts their nervous system and patterns. I work with individuals on relationship issues too.

Do you do affair recovery? Yes. There's a structured Gottman protocol — atone, attune, attach — for processing infidelity. It's slow, deliberate work and takes longer than 6 sessions, but it does work for couples committed to it.

Can we do couples therapy online? Yes. I offer telehealth couples sessions across Colorado, which works well for partners with different work schedules or for couples in Thornton, Broomfield, or Boulder who don't want to drive twice.

How long does couples therapy take? A typical course is 12–20 sessions. Some couples come in for a focused 8-session "tune-up"; others doing affair recovery or unwinding years of disconnection stay longer.

What if we mostly just need communication skills? Then we'll spend more time on the practical Gottman tools and less time excavating. I'll meet you where the work is.

Serving Westminster, Thornton & north Denver couples

My office is at 2010 W. 120th Ave in Westminster — a quick drive from Thornton, Broomfield, Northglenn, and Federal Heights. For couples where one partner is across town or schedules don't line up, hybrid in-person + telehealth is a common setup.

You don't have to figure this out alone

You've been white-knuckling something that wasn't built to be carried by two people without help.

Book your free 15-minute consultation →

Or call (720) 460-1094 or email sarah@mindfullyrootedtherapy.com.