“Nobody hurried us. After thirty years I did not expect to be listened to like that, with my wife sitting right there.”
Roger D.
Couples therapy · Holladay, Utah
Couples therapy for the years after the kids and the career
Abide is a one-therapist practice for couples married fifteen years or more. Sessions run 80 minutes, in the office or by video.
80 min
A couples session1
Therapist, the same one each time2
Ways to meet: the Holladay office or video15+
Years married, the couples we see
What we do
One kind of therapy, and two guides to the years you are in
Sessions for two, done slowly. The pages below say what to expect.
Couples therapy
Sessions for the two of you, 80 minutes each, in the office or by video. Louise sets the pace with you, and does not promise a number of sessions.
About couples therapyAfter the kids, after the career
A page about the years when the house is quiet and the calendar opens up, and what couples bring to us then.
Read the pageHow long a session is
Eighty minutes, in plain terms: why not fifty, how the time is used and what to do if it feels too long.
Read the pageSessions by video
For couples who are both in Utah during the session. Louise is licensed in Utah. The same therapist, the same 80 minutes.
Where we practice
Who we see
Marriages with a long history
Abide sees couples married fifteen years or more. These are the turns we hear about most.
Step 1: When the children leave
The house gets quiet and the two of you are alone at the table. Some couples find a new ease. Others notice how long it has been since they talked about anything but the children.
Step 2: When the career ends or changes
Retirement, a layoff or a move to part-time puts two people in the same rooms all day. Routines that worked for decades stop working.
Step 3: When the quiet has been there a long time
Neither of you is angry, exactly. You live side by side and wonder whether it has to stay that way.
Step 4: When you want to plan the next stretch
You are fine, and you would like to say out loud what each of you hopes the next twenty years hold.
Abide sees couples only, not individuals, teens or families. If there is violence or fear at home, couples therapy is not the first step: call 911 if you are in danger, and ask us for names of people who can help.
How it works
From your first message to the first session
We keep it simple and slow.
You write
Use the form or call. Louise reads each message herself and replies by phone or email.
You choose a time
Pick one that suits both of you. Sessions run 80 minutes, in the office or by video.
We send the paperwork
Before the first session you get a written fee estimate and a link to the intake forms on the practice portal.
You come together
The first session is for the three of you to meet. Louise listens to each of you and explains how she works.
Louise Haugen
Founder and couples therapist, LMFT
Louise sees couples who have been together a long time. She works slowly, and she does not take sides.
In the first session Louise listens to each of you, explains how she works and the limits of confidentiality, and asks what you would want the years ahead to hold. Her Utah license is listed at the foot of every page.
She sees
- Couples married fifteen years or more
- Couples in the years after children leave home
- Couples facing retirement or a change of work
Credentials
LMFT, licensed in Utah
In person in Holladay, and by video for people in Utah
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) · UT Lic. # 000000
How Louise works
A slow, plain way of working
Most sessions follow emotionally focused couples therapy, a method taught through the International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy. In plain words: Louise helps each of you say what you need, and helps the other hear it.
She does not take sides, and she does not decide whether a marriage continues. That is for the two of you.
What Abide does not do
Abide does not offer individual therapy, therapy for children or teens, custody or divorce evaluations, or crisis care. If you need one of these, Louise will give you the names of colleagues.
In their words
What the room felt like
“The room was quiet, the chairs were comfortable, and the eighty minutes went by without my checking the time.”
Anne L.
“She did not take sides. I never felt the two of us were being measured against each other.”
Nancy W.
Sample reviews.
License
Louise's license and training
The license number is in the footer. This is what it means.
License
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
UT Lic. # 000000 · Utah Division of Professional Licensing
Required to practice therapy in Utah
Education
Master's degree in marriage and family therapy
The owner adds the school and year
Where we practice
One quiet office in Holladay
Abide is a single office south of downtown Salt Lake City. If you are both in Utah, you can meet by video instead.
Abide
Address: 4670 S Highland Dr, Suite 210 Holladay, UT 84117Phone: (801) 555-0109Hours: Monday: Closed Tuesday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday – Sunday: ClosedVideo sessions are for people who are in Utah during the session, in the state where Louise is licensed.
Get directions to the Abide officeHow fees work
The answers to what couples ask before they book.
Insurance we work with
Abide is out of network with every plan, so you pay for each session yourself. We do not bill insurance, and we do not take Medicare or Medicaid. Many plans pay for couples work only in limited cases, so it is worth asking yours.
Out of network with insurance plans
No Medicare or Medicaid
If you pay yourself
You pay at the end of each session by card, including HSA and FSA cards. Louise sets your fee by the length of the session, and every session runs 80 minutes. She keeps a small number of reduced-fee times; ask how to request one. You see your fee in writing before you start. We ask for 24 hours' notice to change or cancel a session.
Receipts for reimbursement
Each month we give you an itemized receipt (a superbill) with the dates and kind of session, to send to your plan, which may reimburse part of out-of-network care. It carries a diagnosis code your plan can see. Your plan decides whether it pays anything, so ask before you start.
An estimate in advance
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a good faith estimate of what your care will cost before you start. We give you one in writing before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.
Checking your benefits
We do not check benefits, because we do not bill your plan. If you want to know whether it reimburses, call it before the first session and ask about out-of-network mental health benefits.
What the first visit includes
Eighty minutes with Louise, the same length as every session after it. She meets the two of you, explains how she works and the limits of confidentiality, and listens to each of you. At the end you decide together whether to continue.
Questions
Questions couples ask first
If yours is not here, write to us and we will answer.
Do you take my insurance?
No. Abide is out of network with every plan, so you pay for each session yourself, and we give you an itemized receipt in case your plan reimburses. We do not take Medicare or Medicaid.
What is a superbill?
It is a receipt with the dates and kind of session and the diagnosis code a plan asks for. Your plan can see that code. Your plan decides whether it pays anything, so ask it first.
What is a good faith estimate?
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a written estimate of your care before you start. We give you one before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above it, you can dispute the bill. The estimate is not a contract.
How much does it cost, and how do fees work?
Louise sets your fee by the length of the session, and every session runs 80 minutes. You see your fee in writing before you start. The fees page answers insurance, receipts and estimates, and Louise keeps a small number of reduced-fee times.
Can we pay with an HSA or FSA card?
Yes. They work like any other payment card. If your plan also reimburses, use the itemized receipt as well.
What happens in the first session?
It lasts 80 minutes. Louise listens to each of you, explains how she works and the limits of confidentiality, and asks what you would want from the time ahead. At the end you decide together whether to continue.
How often, and for how long?
Sessions are 80 minutes, usually every week or every other week. Louise sets the pace with you. She does not promise a number of sessions: it depends on what the two of you want to work on.
Are you licensed where I live?
Louise is licensed in Utah. In the office, we see couples from anywhere. By video, you must both be in Utah during the session.
What do I do in a crisis?
Call or text 988, any time. In an emergency, call 911. This site and our messages are not monitored around the clock.
What is confidential, and what are the limits?
What you share stays in the session. The law sets limits: if someone is at serious risk of harming themselves or another person, or if abuse of a child or an older adult is suspected, Louise may have to tell others. She explains this in writing before you start. In couples work, she does not keep secrets between the two of you.
Do you see individuals or teenagers?
No. Abide sees couples only. If one of you wants individual therapy, or you are looking for help for a son or daughter, Louise will give you the names of colleagues.
What is your cancellation policy?
We ask for 24 hours' notice to change or cancel a session. Without notice, the session may be charged. We tell you in writing before you start.
Write to us
Tell us how to reach you
Louise reads every message herself. If you would rather talk first, call (801) 555-0109.
Phone(801) 555-0109
Hours
- MondayToday
- Closed
- Tuesday – ThursdayToday
- 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- FridayToday
- 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Saturday – SundayToday
- Closed