---
title: "Couples Therapy in Berkeley & Online California"
description: "Reconnect with your partner. Online couples therapy with a Berkeley LCSW, anywhere in California. Book a free consultation."
lang: en
json-ld: |
  [
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": [
        "ProfessionalService",
        "MedicalBusiness",
        "MedicalClinic"
      ],
      "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#business",
      "name": "Fanshen Thompson, LCSW",
      "url": "https://fanshenthompson.com",
      "logo": "https://fanshenthompson.com/og.jpg",
      "image": "https://fanshenthompson.com/og.jpg",
      "email": "fanshen@fanshenthompson.com",
      "priceRange": "$$$",
      "medicalSpecialty": "Mental Health",
      "address": {
        "@type": "PostalAddress",
        "addressLocality": "Berkeley",
        "addressRegion": "CA",
        "addressCountry": "US"
      },
      "areaServed": {
        "@type": "State",
        "name": "California"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "@type": "ContactPoint",
        "contactType": "customer service",
        "email": "fanshen@fanshenthompson.com"
      },
      "founder": {
        "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#practitioner"
      },
      "employee": {
        "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#practitioner"
      },
      "openingHoursSpecification": [
        {
          "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
          "dayOfWeek": [
            "Tuesday",
            "Wednesday",
            "Thursday",
            "Friday"
          ],
          "opens": "09:00",
          "closes": "18:00"
        }
      ],
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.linkedin.com/in/fanshen-thompson-lcsw-672425216/",
        "https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086164215212",
        "https://pin.it/5enxDfD"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#practitioner",
      "name": "Fanshen Thompson",
      "honorificSuffix": "LCSW",
      "jobTitle": "Licensed Clinical Social Worker",
      "url": "https://fanshenthompson.com",
      "image": "https://fanshenthompson.com/og.jpg",
      "email": "fanshen@fanshenthompson.com",
      "address": {
        "@type": "PostalAddress",
        "addressLocality": "Berkeley",
        "addressRegion": "CA",
        "addressCountry": "US"
      },
      "worksFor": {
        "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#business"
      },
      "hasCredential": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential",
          "credentialCategory": "License",
          "identifier": "LCSW #25004",
          "recognizedBy": {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "name": "California Board of Behavioral Sciences"
          }
        }
      ],
      "knowsAbout": [
        "Couples Therapy",
        "Relationship Therapy",
        "Sex Therapy",
        "Individual Therapy",
        "Intimacy",
        "Communication",
        "Attachment",
        "Sexual Shame",
        "Desire Discrepancy"
      ],
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.linkedin.com/in/fanshen-thompson-lcsw-672425216/",
        "https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086164215212",
        "https://pin.it/5enxDfD"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "WebSite",
      "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#website",
      "url": "https://fanshenthompson.com",
      "name": "Fanshen Thompson, LCSW",
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#business"
      }
    },
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Therapy",
          "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/therapy"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Couples",
          "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/therapy/couples"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "Service",
      "serviceType": "Couples Therapy",
      "provider": {
        "@id": "https://fanshenthompson.com/#business"
      },
      "areaServed": {
        "@type": "State",
        "name": "California"
      },
      "audience": {
        "@type": "PeopleAudience",
        "audienceType": "Couples in California seeking therapy"
      }
    },
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Therapy",
          "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/therapy"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Couples Therapy",
          "item": "https://fanshenthompson.com/therapy/couples"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
---

[![Fanshen Thompson, LCSW](/assets/logo-mark-DCWEUPFA.png)Fanshen Thompson LCSW ](/)

[Home](/)[About](/about)

Services

Specialties

[Approach](/approach/gottman-method)[Notes](/blog)[FAQ](/faq)[Resources](/resources)

[Book a Free 20-Minute Consultation](/contact)

Therapy for Couples

Online Couples Therapy in California

# For couples ready to _do the work._

Online weekly therapy for California couples who want lasting change — not just better tools.

![Hands gently holding a peach rose in a sunlit garden, suggesting tenderness and care.](/assets/therapy-couples-hero-8Kn2xBCz.jpg)

## Who this is for

Couples who love each other but feel stuck. Who keep having the same fight. Who have lost touch with closeness, intimacy, or trust — and want to find it again.

Whether you've been together one year or thirty, what matters here is that both of you are willing to look honestly at what's happening, and to participate in changing it.

## What sessions look like

We meet weekly online — 50, 75, or 90-minute sessions, depending on what fits. Sessions are a safe container for the conversations that have been hard to have on your own.

I'll help you slow down the cycles you keep getting stuck in, name what's actually happening underneath, and try out new ways of being with each other — in real time.

Over time, the patterns shift. The defensiveness softens. You find your way back to each other.

Logistics

-   Weekly 50, 75, or 90-minute sessions 
-   Held entirely online via secure video 
-   Open-ended — we move at the pace that's right for you 
-   Together, you'll work on communication, conflict patterns, intimacy, and trust 
-   California residents only 

Logistics and fit are discussed during your free consultation.

![Two people reaching across a wooden table to hold hands, with a laptop nearby in warm outdoor light.](/assets/couples-hands-C5h9ZCK4.jpg)

What we focus on

## Where the work usually lives.

### Communication

Move past circular fights into conversations that actually land.

### Trust & repair

Tend to ruptures — small or large — without disappearing the hurt.

### Intimacy

Reawaken closeness, desire, and the ease of being known.

### Conflict patterns

Name the cycle you keep falling into and learn to step out of it.

What clients say

> In this work, I've watched couples move from circling the same pain to finding language for what was underneath all along — and I've watched individuals come home to themselves in ways that change everything else.

— Fanshen Thompson, LCSW

Modalities I use

## Frameworks behind the work.

[

Approach

### Gottman Method

Research-based couples therapy from a Certified Gottman-trained therapist.

Explore → ](/approach/gottman-method)

Begin

## Let's start with a free conversation.

A 20-minute consultation so we can see if we're a fit — and so you can get a feel for how I work.

[Book a Free 20-Minute Consultation](/contact)

![Fanshen Thompson, LCSW logo](/assets/logo-mark-DCWEUPFA.png)

Relationship therapy for people who are ready for real change.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker · LCSW #25004

[](https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/971893)

Affiliations

![Gesher Community Care affiliate provider](/__l5e/assets-v1/7e4684e6-648d-48d4-892e-5c8678e89c88/gesher-community-care.png)

Online Therapy

Sessions held via secure video for clients across California.

Hours

Tue–Fri, 9am–6pm PT

Contact

[fanshen@fanshenthompson.com](mailto:fanshen@fanshenthompson.com)[Book a Free 20-Minute Consultation](/contact)

[](https://www.linkedin.com/in/fanshen-thompson-lcsw-672425216/)[](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086164215212)[](https://pin.it/5enxDfD)

Explore

-   [About](/about)
-   [Therapy](/therapy)
-   [Therapy for Couples](/therapy/couples)
-   [Therapy for Individuals](/therapy/individuals)
-   [Sex Therapy](/therapy/sex-therapy)
-   [Coaching](/coaching)
-   [Notes](/blog)
-   [FAQ](/faq)
-   [Resources](/resources)
-   [Relationship Therapy in Berkeley](/relationship-therapy-berkeley)
-   [Find an Online Sex Therapist](/how-to-find-an-online-sex-therapist)
-   [Contact](/contact)

Specialties

-   [Infidelity & Affair Recovery](/specialties/infidelity-affair-recovery)
-   [Desire Discrepancy](/specialties/desire-discrepancy)
-   [Sexual Shame](/specialties/sexual-shame)
-   [Communication Breakdown](/specialties/communication-breakdown)
-   [Anxious Attachment](/specialties/anxious-attachment-couples)
-   [Parenting Conflict](/specialties/parenting-conflict)

In crisis?  If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call or text [988](tel:988) (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call [911](tel:911). This site is not a substitute for emergency care.

[Privacy](/privacy.html)[Terms](/terms.html)[Cookies](/cookie.html)[Disclosures](/disclaimers.html)[Good Faith Estimate](/good-faith-estimate.html)[Accessibility](/accessibility)[Cookie Settings](/cookie.html)

Contacting this practice does not establish a therapist–client relationship.

Individual outcomes vary. Nothing on this site guarantees a specific clinical result.

© 2026 Fanshen Thompson, LCSW. All rights reserved.

Photography by Allison Busch

Website by [Automaus.ai](https://automaus.ai)

Your privacy matters

Functional cookies are required. Analytics and marketing cookies are off by default — you choose.

Functional

Required for the site to work

Analytics

Helps me understand how visitors use the site

Marketing

Used for ads and remarketing (none currently active)

Accept allSave preferences

Cookie preferences