Couples Therapy

With Dr. Marisa T. Cohen, PhD, LMFT, CST
AASECT Certified Sex Therapist | Relationship Scientist

As the former in-house relationship expert for Bumble and Paired, the world's leading couples relationship app, and a relationship scientist, I help couples move beyond the same arguments and build stronger partnerships.

Are you having the same fight over and over again?
Do you feel like you're talking at each other instead of understanding each other?
Does your partner feel more like a roommate than someone you feel deeply connected to? 

Maybe you've lost the sense of connection you once had. Maybe trust has been impacted by infidelity or other hurts. Maybe everyday disagreements about chores, parenting, or schedules keep coming up, but you know there's something deeper that needs attention. 

Relationships don't usually unravel because of one conversation. They struggle when partners begin to feel unseen, unheard, or alone.

Couples Come To Me When They’re:

  • Feeling stuck in recurring arguments or the same painful cycles

  • Having difficulty communicating with one another 

  • Experiencing growing emotional distance or feeling like roommates instead of partners

  • Healing and rebuilding trust after infidelity or a relationship rupture

  • Feeling unseen, unheard, or misunderstood by your partner

  • Losing the sense of closeness and connection you once shared

  • Having arguments about everyday issues that seem to reflect deeper hurts

  • Wanting to strengthen your partnership and feel more connected

“When you're arguing about the trash, the dishes, or the schedule, the conflict is usually about more than the task itself. Often, these moments reveal deeper needs for understanding, partnership, and connection.”

Flowers

What Couples Therapy With Me Is Like

One of the most important parts of my work is making sure both partners feel heard. This isn't about choosing sides; it's about helping you understand each other's experiences and find a path forward. 

My sessions are active, collaborative, and focused on creating momentum. Rather than talking about conflict in the abstract, we'll often work through disagreements in real time.

I'll help you recognize the patterns as they're happening so you can respond differently together.

Modalities I Use

Make Meaningful Changes At Home

When both partners understand what's really happening underneath the conflict, it's easier to stop fighting each other and start working together as a team.

Couples Therapy
With Results

After working with me couples report:

  • More intimacy

  • Know “how to fight”

  • They act like a team

  • Feeling seen, heard, valued, and understood

  • Can have hard conversations without being nervous

  • They trust each other more

  • Joy, playfulness, and laughing together

  • Looking forwards to the future

About Dr. Marisa T. Cohen, PhD, LMFT, CST

Relationships have been the focus of my entire career. Before becoming a therapist, I spent years researching love, attachment, and relationship development while teaching psychology at the college level.

Today I continue that work through therapy, relationship science research, and consulting with leading relationship platforms, including Bumble and Paired.

Clients often tell me they appreciate that I make sure both partners feel heard. Sessions are active, approachable, and focused on progress. I don't simply observe your relationship, I help you transform it. 

I help you understand the patterns that shape your relationship so you can create new ways to connect.

Outside the office, I enjoy wine tasting on Long Island's North Fork, spending time with my husband and young son, and keeping up with the latest relationship research.

I also met my husband on a dating app, which reminds me every day that healthy relationships are built, not found.

Availability: I provide online therapy for clients throughout
New York, Connecticut, and Vermont.

Education, Credentials, and Trainings

  • PhD in Educational Psychology

  • Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

  • Founder, Embracing Change Marriage & Family Therapy

  • AASECT Certified Sex Therapist

  • University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program

  • Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 2

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy Training

  • Prepare Enrich Certified Facilitator

  • 2021 & 2024 TEDx Speaker

  • Former In-House Relationship Scientist, Bumble

  • Former In-House Relationship Expert, Paired

  • Former Tenured Associate Professor of Psychology

3 Steps To Get Started

  • 01.

    Contact Me

    Reach out through the contact form and tell me a little about your relationship. I'll respond personally and answer any initial questions.

  • 02.

    Brief Consultation

    We'll schedule a consultation to discuss your goals, answer your questions, and decide whether we're the right fit.


  • 03.

    First Session

    We'll begin understanding your relationship history, identify the patterns keeping you stuck, and create a plan that helps both of you move forward together.

Ready To Break The Pattern?