New York · Los Angeles · Nationwide
Evidence-based couples therapy for high-performing partners.
Structured, research-backed couples work led by Dr. J. Ryan Fuller, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist, executive coach, and Executive Director of New York Behavioral Health. Private pay, out-of-network, and scheduled around demanding calendars.
Calls are confidential. No insurance panel, no diagnosis on file, no waitlist for intensives.
Who we work with
Success at work rarely transfers to the relationship.
Our clients are executives, physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, and partners in demanding careers, people accustomed to results in their work who want equally effective solutions at home. Many have already tried relationship advice, self-help, or individual therapy without lasting change. They need concrete tools, not generic frameworks.
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01
Communication that breaks under pressure
Conversations that work in a boardroom collapse at the kitchen table when stress and competing priorities take over.
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02
Achievement outpacing intimacy
The career is compounding. The partnership is running on maintenance mode, and both of you have noticed.
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03
Work pressure that follows you home
Call schedules, deal cycles, and trial calendars set the emotional temperature of the household.
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04
Conflict patterns that persist despite therapy
Individual work has helped each of you separately. The pattern between you has not moved.
The clinical approach
Four approaches with randomized-trial support. No proprietary method.
Couples work here is grounded in empirically supported treatment rather than a single branded system. You get the approach the evidence supports for your pattern, and progress is tracked with validated measures instead of impressions.
CBCT
Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy
Targets the interpretations and behaviors that drive escalation. Skills are practiced in session and assigned between sessions.
EFT
Emotionally Focused Therapy
Works the attachment cycle underneath the argument, so repair holds after the immediate conflict has cooled.
BMT / IBCT
Behavioral Marital Therapy
Rebuilds the exchange of positive behavior and, where change is not possible, builds genuine acceptance.
ACT
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Clarifies shared values and increases flexibility, which is what most high-control, high-achieving couples are missing.
Outcome research
Couples work has an evidence base. We use it.
70 to 75%
of couples move from distress to recovery following Emotionally Focused Therapy in published outcome research.
JOHNSON ET AL., 1999 · META-ANALYSIS
~90%
show significant improvement in those same EFT outcome studies (Johnson and colleagues).
EFFECT SIZE 1.3 ACROSS FOUR TRIALS
50 / 90
minute session formats, so the work can fit a standard week or compress into a focused intensive.
THIS PRACTICE · SCHEDULING
Figures reflect published research on Emotionally Focused Therapy generally. They are not a guarantee of individual outcomes, and results vary by couple.
Source: Johnson, S. M., Hunsley, J., Greenberg, L., & Schindler, D. (1999). Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy: Status and Challenges. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(1), 67–79. Meta-analysis of the four most rigorous EFT outcome trials, effect size 1.3. Research index: ICEEFT.
Two ways to work with us
Clinical therapy in New York. Couples coaching anywhere in the country.
New York State
Couples Therapy
Licensed clinical treatment, in person in Midtown Manhattan or by secure video anywhere in New York State.
- Weekly 50- or 80-minute sessions
- Half-day and two-day couples intensives
- Discernment counseling when one partner is unsure
- Infidelity and trust repair
- Premarital and pre-cohabitation work
Los Angeles & nationwide
Couples Coaching
The same evidence-based frameworks in a non-clinical, performance-oriented format, available in every U.S. state.
- Communication and conflict systems
- Work-life integration for dual-career couples
- Bicoastal and long-distance partnerships
- Founder and executive couples
- Evenings and early mornings across time zones
Coaching is not psychotherapy and is not a substitute for treatment of a mental health condition. Licensure is determined by where you are physically located during a session, which is why clinical couples therapy is offered in New York State.
What to expect
A defined process, from first call to measurable change.
You will know what is being worked on, why, and how progress is being measured. Most couples move to weekly work after a two-session assessment and complete a course of treatment in three to six months.
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STEP 01
Call our assistant to ask questions or schedule
Our assistant answers questions about fees, scheduling and availability, and books your first session with Dr. Fuller.
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STEP 02
Two-session assessment
Both partners together, then briefly apart, with validated relationship measures to establish a baseline.
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STEP 03
Treatment plan and written goals
Specific targets, the approach chosen for each, and the between-session practice that makes it stick.
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STEP 04
Progress review at set intervals
Measures are repeated and reviewed with you. If the data is not moving, the plan changes.
The clinician
Dr. J. Ryan Fuller, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Executive Coach
Dr. Fuller's work is structured, goal-oriented, and grounded in peer-reviewed science. He integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy with performance-focused coaching for couples whose careers set the terms of their home life.
- Executive Director, New York Behavioral Health
- Former director roles at Columbia-affiliated programs and the Albert Ellis Institute
- Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Hofstra University
- Post-doctoral fellowship, St. John's University
- Published peer-reviewed research; featured in The New York Times, ABC, and NBC
Where we work
Midtown, all of New York State, and both coasts.
In Person in New York
Midtown Manhattan, convenient to Grand Central and Bryant Park. Early morning, lunch-hour, and evening blocks held for working couples.
Virtual across New York
Clinical couples therapy by secure video for couples anywhere in New York State, including partners joining from two different addresses.
Los Angeles & Nationwide
Couples coaching for Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Miami, Chicago, and every other U.S. market, scheduled across time zones.
Fees
Private pay, out of network, and clear about why.
Staying off insurance panels keeps session length, frequency, and treatment planning in clinical hands, and keeps no diagnosis on an insurer's record. We issue a superbill each month; most PPO plans reimburse a portion of out-of-network care once the deductible is met, and HSA and FSA funds are typically eligible.
A Good Faith Estimate is provided before your first session, as required by the No Surprises Act.
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$350–$600
Couples therapy, weekly session
50 or 80 minutes, New York State
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Per session
Two-session assessment
Includes validated baseline measures
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Quoted
Couples intensive
Half-day or two-day format
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$450–$750
Couples coaching
Nationwide, single sessions or packages
Common questions
Answers to what couples ask on the first call.
How much does private-pay couples therapy cost in New York?
Weekly couples sessions with a doctoral-level psychologist in Manhattan generally run $350 to $600 per 50-minute session. Intensives are priced per program. We are out of network and provide a monthly superbill for reimbursement.
Do you accept insurance?
No. We are private pay and out of network, which keeps your record outside insurance review and keeps treatment decisions clinical. Most PPO plans reimburse a portion of out-of-network care after the deductible, and HSA and FSA funds are typically eligible.
What is the difference between couples therapy and couples coaching?
Therapy is licensed clinical treatment, available to couples located in New York State. Coaching is a non-clinical, skills-and-performance engagement available in every U.S. state, including California. Coaching addresses communication, conflict, and work-life integration, but is not treatment for a mental health condition.
Can we work with you if we live in Los Angeles?
Yes, through couples coaching. Licensure follows the client's physical location, so clinical therapy requires New York. Couples in Los Angeles and elsewhere use the same evidence-based frameworks in a coaching format.
How long does couples therapy take?
Most couples complete a two-session assessment and then work weekly for three to six months. Validated measures are repeated at intervals, so progress shows up in data rather than impressions.
Which approaches have the strongest research support?
Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy, Behavioral Marital Therapy, Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Therapy have the strongest randomized-trial support for improving relationship satisfaction and reducing the likelihood of divorce. Our work draws on all four.
Next step
Call to ask questions or schedule an appointment.
Call 646-599-3498 and our assistant can answer questions about fees, scheduling and availability, or book your first session. If we are not the right fit, we will say so and point you toward someone who is.