In-person therapy available at all three of our VA office locations: Fairfax, Virginia Beach, and Newport News!
Communicate & Connect Counseling helps individuals, couples, and families understand the interaction patterns affecting their relationships so conversations begin feeling calmer, more connected, and easier to navigate again.
Online and in-person sessions available. Evening and weekend appointments offered.
If this sounds familiar, counseling can help.
Many people come to therapy after already trying:
But when conversations become emotional, communication tools alone are often not enough. That’s because the problem usually isn’t effort. It’s the pattern relationships get stuck in.
At Communicate & Connect Counseling, we help people change those patterns.

Our work is based on Emotionally Focused Therapy and our Spiral to Team Process.
This approach helps individuals, couples, and families:
Many clients begin feeling more hopeful within the first few months of therapy.
Each service is designed to help you understand emotional patterns so change feels lasting instead of temporary. We offer attachment-based therapy for:

Overcome pain, anxiety, and shame so you can enjoy sex and feel comfortable in your body.

Learn the tools you need to fight less and enjoy each other more.

Address anxiety and relationship concerns through individual counseling.

Weekly guidance and practice so you can feel secure and satisfied in your marriage.

Resolve conflicts, strengthen relationships, and create a healthier, more supportive family environment.

Jump start therapy in a weekend long intensive so you can make progress quickly.
Unlike therapy that focuses only on coping strategies or surface-level communication skills, our approach helps you understand the emotional patterns shaping your relationships. We provide:

Communicate better, fight less, and develop a deeper understanding of each other.

Understand your emotional patterns, heal past wounds, and build a stronger connection with yourself.

Improve family dynamics, reduce conflict, and create a more secure emotional bond between members.
These research-supported approaches are based on attachment science and help create lasting change in how people connect with each other.
Virginia Beach families often navigate:

We partner with Mentaya to help eligible clients use out-of-network benefits to reduce the cost of therapy.
Use the tool below to check whether you qualify.

Check out our podcast and articles to access free resources and educational tips for relationships, communication, and navigating military family life.
Explore our podcast and articles for practical insights about relationships, communication, and military family life.
Starting therapy is a big step. Here are answers to some common questions people ask before scheduling their first consultation.
Consistency is an important part of the counseling process. To help you get the most out of your work together, we schedule regular weekly sessions on the same day and time each week. This consistency supports steady progress and helps you build the momentum that makes therapy truly effective.
We do not take insurance and are not connected with Military One Source or the VA. All providers are out-of-network providers, which means that they do not bill insurance. We are happy to offer you the necessary paperwork (superbill) to file with your insurance provider for possible partial or full reimbursement. Please know that not all insurance plans offer reimbursement and that some may have a deductible or an allowable amount. It is best to call the number on the back of your insurance card and speak to a representative about what your specific benefits are. In addition, insurance companies typically only reimburse if the client has a diagnosable mental health condition. Your provider can talk this through with you at any time.
Medicare: Communicate & Connect Counseling does not participate in any health insurance plans, HMO plans or panels, and cannot accept Medicare in any form. Clients of Communicate & Connect Counseling cannot attempt reimbursement of services through Medicare. Services provided by Communicate & Connect Counseling are not covered under Medicare and no Medicare payment will be made or accepted for any reason.
Have questions about using your insurance for therapy? It is best to call the number on the back of your insurance card and speak to a representative about what your specific benefits are.
When you begin counseling, you are given a recurring weekly appointment time that is reserved just for you. Consistent weekly sessions are the most effective for counseling results, and some clients even benefit from meeting twice per week.
If you need to cancel or reschedule, we require at least 48 hours’ notice. Cancellations or changes with less notice, or missed (no-show) appointments, are charged the full session fee. In rare situations, your therapist may choose to waive the late cancellation fee one time per calendar year at their discretion.
If more than two sessions are missed within six months, your therapist may talk with you about whether this is the right time for counseling, and your weekly spot may be offered to another client who can attend more regularly.
The exception is Dr. Elizabeth Polinsky who only works with clients who are willing to be videotaped for training purposes. She works with clients on a weekly basis and has a reschedule only policy. We are happy to provide more information about this should you wish to work with her.
For individuals requiring intensive counseling, rescheduling is allowed up to two weeks before your date, and your non-refundable deposit will be applied to your new date. Cancellations after the two-week window are charged the full cost of the intensive.
Click on the Book Now button to book your initial 20-minute free consultation. You’ll chat with your selected therapist to see if they are a good fit for your needs. If so, they will book an intake session where they can get to know you and your concerns more in depth.
As a group, we are committed to a non-judgmental experience. We all look through a lens that honors what makes us human. We are relational beings, hard-wired to connect. What makes us different is where we want to be especially open, curious and never presume that we are experts. We welcome all, including sexual orientation, age, race, disability, ethnicity/national origin, gender identity and religious/spiritual affiliation.
Schedule a consultation so we can understand what’s been happening in your relationship.
Slow the conflict pattern and begin understanding what's happening underneath it.
Start having conversations that feel safer and bring you closer again.








Counseling can help you understand what’s happening underneath conflict so conversations begin bringing you closer again instead of pushing you apart.