Marriage Counseling in Chattanooga

It's not uncommon for couples to run into uncertainty or difficulty at different stages of marriage. Marriage is a big commitment, and it asks both of you to keep adjusting to a changing landscape. Whether you've been married for 25 days or 25 years, counseling can help you understand how you interact as a couple and what to work on so your relationship can function to the fullest.

Dr. Brandon Santan, PhD, LPC-MHSP, holds an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy and a PhD in Counseling. He sees couples at the Jordan Professional Building, 101 Jordan Dr., just off I-75 at the Shallowford Rd exit, and by telehealth.

How Dr. Santan works with couples

Dr. Santan uses his own methods for couples counseling, developed over years of practice. They draw on principles from approaches such as Gottman and EFT, but he doesn't rely on any one method. Instead, he tailors treatment to your relationship and your situation rather than using a "one size fits all" approach.

The ENRICH couples assessment

Dr. Santan is certified to administer the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment. ENRICH is the version for married couples, and it gives detailed results across many areas of your relationship.

• You'll start with an initial appointment to talk about your challenges and decide whether the assessment is a good fit. Not every relationship benefits from it.
• You each take the assessment online, individually, at your own convenience.
• The results go to Dr. Santan, who reviews them with you during your sessions.
• Because the results are extensive, Dr. Santan asks for a commitment of at least 6 sessions to review them and begin working on areas of concern.
• There's a $35 administration fee, which goes directly to the organization that maintains the assessment.

Is this a good fit for you?

Dr. Santan's approach is best suited for couples who want to stay together and are motivated to heal, grow and work on change together. It works especially well for couples looking for preventative care or fine tuning to smooth over rough areas.

It's not typically a good fit for couples in crisis mode, or who are ready to split and are trying couples therapy as a last resort.

To avoid conflicts of interest, Dr. Santan provides either couples counseling or one partner's individual counseling, not both.

Fees and insurance

Most insurance plans don't cover relationship counseling, because relationship distress isn't considered a medical condition. Rather than risk a denied claim and a surprise bill, couples counseling at Thrivepoint is private pay only (cash, check or credit card). If you'd like to seek reimbursement yourself, you can ask for a superbill to submit to your insurance company. See Rates for current fees and the FAQ for more about insurance and couples therapy.

Telehealth for couples

Couples can meet by video as long as each of you is located in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Idaho or Ohio at the time of the session. It's best to be together, but you can join from different locations and Dr. Santan will conference you in on the same call. Just let the office know beforehand.

Getting started

Fill out the couples counseling request form. Once your patient portal account is set up, you'll complete your paperwork and schedule from the portal. Questions? Call or text 423-834-7209.

Not married yet? See pre-marriage counseling.