Couples Therapy in Albany
Reconnect, repair, and grow together — without leaving home.
Weekly 50, 75, or 90-minute sessions · Secure video sessions · Serving Albany residents and clients across California
Couples therapy that meets Albany where it lives.
Albany is the East Bay's quiet neighborhood — small-town feel, walkable streets, and one of the strongest family communities in the region. It's also small enough that families know each other, which means privacy in your relationship work matters. The pressures of dual careers, parenting, and the long arc of partnership build in Albany the same way they do anywhere — just often a little more privately.
Online therapy gives Albany couples and individuals the privacy that small-community life can't always offer. Sessions from your home, with no risk of running into a neighbor in a waiting room, no parked car telling the block where you are on a Wednesday morning.
About Couples Therapy
Couples therapy that meets you where you are — in the relationship, in your life, and in your home. I work with couples navigating disconnection, conflict, intimacy challenges, life transitions, and the slow drift that happens when partnership is on autopilot. Together we slow down, get curious about what's actually happening between you, and rebuild the connection from the ground up.
Plenty of Albany couples moved here for the schools and now find the mortgage, the commute, and the parenting calendar leaving almost nothing for each other. Online couples sessions let you both show up from home after bedtime — no sitter, no drive, just the two of you and the conversation you've been postponing.
What to expect
- An initial 90-minute intake where I meet both of you and we map what's going on
- Weekly sessions of your chosen length — 50, 75, or 90 minutes
- A blend of structured tools (communication, repair, attachment work) and open exploration
- Real homework between sessions — the work doesn't happen only in the room
- A pace that follows your lead — I'm here to support, not push
Common reasons people come in
- —Communication patterns that feel stuck or escalate quickly
- —Loss of emotional or physical intimacy
- —Major life transitions — parenthood, career shifts, blending families
- —Trust ruptures, including affairs and betrayals
- —Resentment, distance, and the feeling of being roommates
- —Differences in sex drive, desire, or sexual expression
Weekly 50, 75, or 90-minute sessions
- All sessions held online via secure HIPAA-compliant video
- Cancellation policy: 24 hours
- Currently accepting new Albany clients
Why online sessions are a good fit for Albany
Albany is barely a square mile, and that's exactly why online therapy makes sense here. When nearly everyone lives within a half-mile of Solano Avenue, you run into your kid's teacher at the bookstore and your neighbor at the grocery store — walking into a local therapist's waiting room can feel more public than you'd like. Online sessions give you real privacy without leaving the community you chose. Albany life is also tightly scheduled: many residents stretched to afford housing here for the schools, and between the BART ride from El Cerrito Plaza, the I-80 crawl into San Francisco or Oakland, and school pickup, there's rarely a spare ninety minutes to travel to and from an office. Whether you're a UC Village family navigating grad-school pressures, a two-commuter household, or someone who's called these small bungalow blocks home for decades, you can meet from your own kitchen table — no parking, no traffic, no waiting room.
- No travel time across Solano Ave area, Albany Hill, Downtown Albany
- Sessions fit into work-from-home schedules
- Privacy and discretion — sessions from your own home
- Available evenings and select weekend hours
A relational, depth-oriented therapist serving California.
I'm Fanshen Thompson, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in California. I work with couples, individuals, and partnerships navigating intimacy, identity, and the slower work of becoming.
I am a certified Gottman trained couples therapist and draw from Emotionally Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, attachment theory, and somatic practices. But more than any single modality, I bring myself: a real human who has done — and continues to do — this work.
My practice is online and serves clients across California. The work is honest, grounded, and paced to what you can actually carry.
Frequently asked questions
How do online sessions work?
We meet over a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. You'll receive a link before each session and join from a private space at home — no app downloads or special equipment beyond a device with a camera and a stable internet connection.
Do I need a special app or platform?
No. The video platform runs in your browser. I'll send a link a few minutes before our session — you click, and we begin.
Is this covered by insurance?
I'm an out-of-network provider. I can provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement. I'd encourage you to call your insurance and ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits.
How long does it take to see results?
Most people begin to feel something shift within the first several weeks — a little more clarity, a little less alone in it. Real, lasting change is a longer arc, often months of consistent weekly work. I'll be honest with you about what I see along the way.
What is your cancellation policy?
My cancellation policy is 24 hours. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice are charged in full.
Can you see clients in Albany?
Yes. I see clients in Albany and across California via secure video sessions. There's no need to come to an office — sessions happen from wherever you're comfortable in Albany.
Ready to start? Let's talk.
Book a free 20-minute consultation. We'll talk about what's going on and whether working together feels right. No pressure, no commitment.