Couples Therapy Registration 

The Hope Couples Project provides counseling in partnership with the Psychological Services Center at Regent University.  We also provide community marriage education and conduct research investigating the Hope approach to couples intervention located at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA.  

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Are you open/ taking appointments?

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Our campus clinic is full and not taking new clients until August at this time.  We do have affiliates and alumni of our training center who know Hope Focused Counseling well.  We are happy to refer you to one of these.  To receive a referral list please email us at hopecouples@hopecouples.com and request a referral list of high quality couple therapists.

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Are meetings in-person or on-line?  Yes, both

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- your first meeting with your therapist is typically in our offices, to meet, establish relationship, and get off to a good start.  If you live in Virginia, but far from our offices in Virginia Beach then we can do the first meeting by Zoom.

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- after that the therapist and you will decide together if we match your needs, and whether in-person meetings are best or online meetings.  

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If you have any needs relevant to meeting in our offices, or access to videoconferencing from home, please contact us at hopecouples@hopecouples.com

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What is the Hope Focused approach?  

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The Hope-Focused approach works to build hope for couples using positive interventions, a short-term strategic approach that is tailored to the relationship needs of the couple.  It is based on dozens of research studies and has been published in several books by Dr. Ripley and Dr. Worthington.

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Dr. Ripley answers questions about the Hope Focused Approach

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How much of a commitment are we talking about here? 

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The intervention is tailored to your needs so it varies. Generally, we ask that you commit to one standard workweek worth of work in your relationship- 40 hours.  Considering all the work you've put into your relationship, couples are usually willing to put in just one week's worth of work.  What that means is generally 8 to 15 weeks of counseling and about 3 hours a week focusing on your relationship with homework and positive time together like date nights or communicating positively together. 

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Our relationship is in trouble, will this work for us? 

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The Hope approach will work with a wide variety of couples problems.  It's not magic, but you both can choose to make effective decisions that will improve your relationship.  However, there are some situations or psychological problems for which we recommend individual treatment at the PSC either simultaneously or before beginning couples therapy.  Please bring up concerns about this in the screening meeting so we can serve you well.  And there is a 1-3 session trial period at the beginning of counseling where you and your counselor are trying to decide what would be the best treatment approach for your situation.

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Do you do pre-marital counseling or couples enrichment? 

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Yes, we do.  We encourage a prevention approach to relationship problems and will work with you to "fill up your toolbox" with skills and principles that will help you negotiate your ever-changing relationship.

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Where are the meetings for the campus clinic? 

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Our offices are on the Regent University campus, at the Indian River Road exit of I-64.  We are a specialty clinic within the Psychological Services Center which is in the classroom building, Suite 188.  You can download a campus map HERE in pdf.  

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We also meet online for those who need or prefer online meetings.

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Appointments can be scheduled on weekdays and most weekday evenings.  

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What is the cost?  

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For the training clinic:  The cost of therapy sessions is normally $60 for intake and $40 per session.  This includes a comprehensive relationship assessment, and feedback report at no additional cost.  A referral from a pastor/religious leader is 50% off.  Couples with financial need can discuss a sliding scale option at the first session.  The cost of care is supported by Regent University as community outreach, an endowment to the Charis Institute (our parent institution),  and part of our doctoral clinic.

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For our affiliate providers:  If we cannot meet your needs in our on-campus clinic, the costs vary as each practice has their own price.  But you will be informed of the cost once you decide on a provider/ therapist.  We also work to create a network of providers who provide couple therapy at a reasonable cost as we are committed to couple care for couples at all income levels.

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What is the process to register and begin? 

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1.  Fill out the couple therapy interest questionnaires.  To do that please click the registration button located below.  You will also be asked about 35 minutes worth of questions about your relationship, what type of couples counseling you are looking for and tell us your availability.  This will help reduce time on paperwork in the intake meeting.  If you prefer to do the questionnaires by mail that is an option, email or call to request.

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2.  If you match with our on-campus clinic you will get a call from our clinic staff within a few days offering an intake appointment.  If we can't accommodate your needs in our campus clinic we will send a list of trusted Hope-focused couple therapists & contact information from our network of alumni.

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If you have further questions and would like to speak with staff first, you can email us at hopecouples@hopecouples.com  

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