How to use this guide
Choosing a couples counselor goes more smoothly when both partners are part of it from the start. These steps are written for people in Odessa and nearby parts of Ector County. This directory introduces you to independent counselors; we don't examine anyone's credentials, so the steps include how to look things up yourself.
Step 1: Talk about why, together
Sit down for fifteen minutes and each say, in one or two sentences, what you hope counseling will change. Maybe it's how you split chores when one of you is gone on a rotation. Maybe it's how you talk about money, or in-laws, or a move. You don't have to agree on the answer. You just need to know you both want to try. If one partner is more hesitant, agree to a set number of sessions, say three, and then decide together whether to keep going.
Step 2: Agree on the practical limits
Decide what you can manage:
- How many sessions a month fit your budget?
- Which days and times work around both jobs?
- Do you want to meet in person, by video, or a mix?
- Would either of you prefer sessions in Spanish?
Write the answers down. They will narrow the field quickly.
Step 3: Make a short list
Go through the listings on this page and pick three counselors who seem to match. Look for ones who mention work with couples, not only individuals, and who offer hours that fit your schedule.
Step 4: Look up each license
In Texas, the Behavioral Health Executive Council oversees the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors and the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists. The Council's site, linked in the facts below, lets the public look up a license online.
Enter each name from your list. If a name doesn't come up, ask the counselor what name the license is held under. Do this before you book, not after. Keep a note of what the lookup showed for each person on your list so you can compare them side by side.
Step 5: Make the calls
Call or email each counselor and ask:
- How do you usually structure the first three sessions?
- Do you ever meet with each of us alone?
- What does a session cost, and what is your cancellation policy?
- Can we switch to video if one of us is working out of town?
- How do you handle it if one partner wants to stop?
Pay attention to how each person answers, not just what they say. You are looking for someone you both feel able to talk to.
Step 6: Compare notes
After the calls, talk it over. Did one counselor feel easier to talk to? Did one have the hours you need? It's normal for partners to lean different ways; pick the one you can both live with for a few sessions.
Step 7: Know what the court page offers, just in case
Not every couple in counseling is thinking about separating, but some are. If that's part of your situation, the 446th District Court in Ector County has a Self-Help Center for Self-Represented Litigants on its page, with links to the Ector County Law Library, the Texas State Law Library and Texas Law Help, and it posts a list of mediators. Mediation is a separate process from counseling, and neither one replaces advice from a lawyer.
Step 8: Prepare for the first session
Before the first appointment, each of you can jot down one thing you'd like the counselor to understand about the relationship. Bring any intake forms already filled out. If you are meeting in person, leave enough time that nobody arrives rushed from a shift.
Step 9: Check in after a few sessions
After three or four sessions, ask each other whether the meetings feel useful. If not, say so to the counselor; a good counselor will want to know. Changing counselors is fine, and you can start again from your short list. Some couples also find that a different format, such as moving from weekly in-person visits to every other week by video, makes the work easier to keep up.
A last word
Counseling takes some patience. Small changes, like one calmer conversation a week, are worth noticing. Keep the lines open with each other between sessions, and use the counselor's time for the things that are hardest to talk about alone.