Couples counseling at Ascend is structured, practical work on the patterns between two people. It is not a referee session where someone gets declared right and the other person gets homework. The relationship is the client. Our Lakeland couples work is led by Kaylee Mills Brenneman, Ed.S, MEd, LMHC, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Clinical Supervisor whose focus areas include relationships, communication, and life transitions. Sessions run about 60 minutes, in person at our South Florida Avenue office or by secure Florida telehealth. Call (863) 510-2624 or book online.
This page is the Lakeland-local home for couples therapy. If you are looking for individual therapy instead, see therapy in Lakeland.
When couples counseling helps
There is no single profile of a couple who comes in. These are the situations we see most often:
- Communication that keeps breaking down. The conversation turns into the same standoff before either of you meant it to.
- The same conflict on repeat. Different topic, identical script. Money, in-laws, chores, sex, parenting, and the argument always ends in the same place.
- Rebuilding trust after a breach. An affair, a financial secret, or a broken promise that the two of you have not been able to move past on your own.
- A big life change. A new baby, a blended family, a move, a job loss, an empty nest. Transitions put pressure on even strong relationships.
- Drifting apart. Less roommates-by-accident, more two people who used to feel like a team and want to find their way back.
- Considering separation. One or both of you is unsure whether to keep working on it. Discernment counseling is built for exactly that.
- Premarital. Doing the work on communication and expectations before the wedding, not after the first hard year.
How sessions work at Ascend
The first session. About 60 minutes, with both partners present. Kaylee will ask each of you what brought you in and what you would want to be different. Nobody is expected to arrive with a tidy explanation. "We keep having the same fight" is a perfectly good place to start.
No taking sides. The goal is not to determine a winner. It is to understand the cycle the two of you get caught in and to give you tools to interrupt it.
Paced to both of you. Harder topics, like a betrayal, are approached carefully so the work moves you forward instead of reopening the wound. You set the pace together.
Between sessions. Most couples leave with something small to try before the next visit. Real change tends to happen in the week, not just in the room.
Approaches we use
We draw on the relationship methods with the strongest research support. We do not promise to save a marriage or guarantee an outcome. What we offer is a structured process and skilled guidance.
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) - a research-supported approach that helps couples understand and shift the emotional cycle underneath their conflicts.
- Gottman Method principles - practical, well-studied tools for managing conflict, repairing after a rupture, and building everyday connection.
- Communication and repair skills - concrete techniques you can use in real conversations, not just in session.
- Discernment counseling - a short, focused format for couples who are unsure whether to keep working on the relationship or move toward separating, designed to bring clarity before a big decision.
Insurance and pricing
Licensed-clinician couples sessions are $175 for a 60-minute session. Kaylee Brenneman is in-network with UnitedHealthcare and Medicare, which makes her one of the few in-network options in Polk County for those plans. Many insurance plans do not cover couples counseling specifically, so we keep self-pay rates transparent and provide superbills with the codes you need for out-of-network reimbursement through PPO plans, which often return 50 to 80 percent for out-of-network mental health services.
Our Lakeland office
Ascend Mind and Body - Lakeland
832 South Florida Avenue, Suite 1, Floor 2
Lakeland, FL 33801
Phone: (863) 510-2624
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. On South Florida Avenue in downtown Lakeland, near Munn Park, second floor between Memorial Boulevard and Lime Street. Street parking plus a lot behind the building. We see couples from Lakeland, Winter Haven, Auburndale, Bartow, Plant City, Haines City, and the surrounding Polk County area, in person or by Florida telehealth.