Muslim couples can face a number of different challenges in marriage, from balancing cultural and religious expectations to navigating relationships with relatives, finances, and parenting. Conflicts can escalate when stress and differing views on family life are involved.
Marriage counseling offers a safe space to address these issues, improve communication, and uncover the root causes of tension.
In this article, we’ve explained the best ways to find a Muslim marriage counselor in your town or city, or for online sessions.
Muslim marriage counseling near me
If you’re looking for help from a Muslim marriage counselor, in English or Arabic, we’ve discussed some different places you can get connected with a licensed professional.
1. Regain
Regain is an online relationship therapy platform where you can get support for marriage issues in keeping with and understanding Muslim values and traditions.
All sessions are led by qualified therapists who hold relevant degrees in psychology or counseling and maintain professional licenses—many of whom are practicing Muslims.
The platform matches you with a counselor based on your preferences, including faith, cultural background, language, and areas of expertise. If requested, you can be paired with a counselor who understands Islamic values and traditions, or who is a practicing Muslim, ensuring culturally sensitive support.
Both individual and couples therapy are available, with the option to add your partner later on in the counseling process if you’d prefer.
Therapy through Regain costs between $70 and $100 per week, billed monthly. The exact cost depends on your preferences in a counselor, and the state where you live.
With a subscription, you get one live counseling session per week, conducted over a video call through the Regain app, plus the ability to message your counselor at any time.
Your partner can join in the live sessions on their own phone or computer if desired, which can be helpful if you’re separated during the day due to work or other commitments.
Relationship counseling isn’t normally covered by health insurance, and Regain doesn’t accept insurance plans. However, they do offer discounted rates under their financial aid program, helping you afford therapy if you’re facing financial difficulty at the moment.
2. Muslim Therapist Directory
The Muslim Therapist Directory is a website that can help you find a family relationship counselor who understands your values and traditions.
On the platform, you can search for therapists by location, languages spoken, type of therapy (online or offline), and other criteria. With the right search criteria, you’ll find a range of Muslim relationship counselors who specialize in helping with marital issues.
Each specialist has a detailed page with information about their qualifications, license, education, work experience, and contact details.
You can reach out to the therapist directly to arrange a consultation, although the process of finding the right counselor may take longer than on Regain, where they match you with a counselor on your behalf.
The other problem with this directory is, the number of relationship counselors can be quite limited, especially in smaller towns and cities.
And while some counselors offer sliding-scale pricing, based on your income, Regain typically offers cheaper marriage counseling services than the professionals on this platform, if you’re paying out of pocket.
What to expect from Muslim marriage counseling
Muslim marriage counseling is aimed at supporting spouses while taking the cultural and religious aspects of your relationship into account.
Usually, it is provided by a therapist who also shares the Islamic faith, meaning that they understand you and your partner’s cultural context.
Such sessions usually cover the following sorts of topics:
- Communication between spouses—developing skills for constructive dialogue, discussing expectations and personal boundaries, and addressing potential conflicts before they escalate.
- Conflicts and stressful situations—learning strategies for resolving disputes, managing emotions during stress, and finding balanced approaches to compromise and mutual understanding.
- Religious and cultural aspects—integrating Islamic values into marriage and reconciling traditions and family customs between spouses.
- Joint life planning—dividing household responsibilities effectively, financial planning, setting long-term family goals, and strengthening the relationship.
In Muslim marriage counseling, these topics are explored through guided conversations, practical exercises, and role-playing scenarios.
The therapist facilitates open communication, ensures both partners feel heard, and helps you practice communication and emotional regulation skills you can apply in everyday life.
What to consider when choosing a Muslim marriage counselor
If you’re looking for a Muslim marriage counselor, there are a few good things to make sure you assess before deciding on a professional to go with.
- Qualification and license. In the US, qualified marriage counselors are typically Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs), so look for this license when choosing a counselor. Additional training in cross-cultural and religious psychology can also be helpful.
- Experience working with Muslim families. It’s important that your relationship counselor understands Islamic values and family traditions, and other cultural factors that affect Muslim relationships. If possible, look for a counselor who is a practicing Muslim, to get the best possible support—especially if you are struggling with family or culturally sensitive issues that someone who shares a similar background is best-positioned to understand.
- Therapy format. You might prefer to see a counselor in person, or connect over the internet. Online consultations are more accessible via video calls, and are generally cheaper when using online services such as Regain. In-person psychotherapy offers a more personal approach, but can be more difficult to make time for, especially if you’re busy with work or looking after your children.
- Personal preferences. For example, would you and your husband/wife prefer to work with a female or a male counselor? Though this is not the most important factor, it is perfectly normal to have preferences in the type of professional you would like to speak with.
What to do if there are no Muslim relationship counselors in your city
Outside of major cities like New York and Los Angeles, it can be difficult to find a qualified Muslim marriage counselor to visit in person.
However, online counseling platforms such as Regain allow you to connect with qualified therapists completely remotely, making therapy accessible regardless of your location.
This platform in particular has a huge number of counselors onboard, making it easy to find a Muslim marriage counselor licensed to practice in your state. You may also be able to find a counselor who speaks your native tongue, such as Arabic, if preferred.
Though you may prefer to seek help in person, the most important thing is that you get the support you need for your relationship.
If you cannot find an available Muslim marriage counselor where you live, it can be worth at least trying online counseling, to see if it works for you.
How online relationship counseling works
Online relationship counseling works similarly to traditional therapy, but everything takes place remotely, usually through a dedicated platform like Regain.
On this platform for example, you’ll first create an account and complete a brief intake questionnaire, providing basic information about yourself and your relationship concerns.
You can also specify your preferences in a counselor at this point, for example, you might want to connect with someone who is a practicing Muslim. It’s also possible to choose whether to begin therapy sessions by yourself and invite your partner later, or immediately invite them to your account.
Assuming you’re both added to the account, you can both begin messaging your counselor, and book your weekly counseling session at a time that works for both of you. These weekly sessions are usually held using a video call on the Regain website or mobile app.
You can either attend sessions using the same laptop or phone, or using your own devices if you’d prefer, allowing you to get couples counseling even if you’re in a long-distance relationship.
Cost of Muslim marriage counseling in the US
The cost of Muslim marriage counseling in the US mostly depends on the therapist’s experience and credentials, but below you’ll find some general ranges.
- In-person sessions typically range from $150 to $250 per session for a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)—the main type of relationship counseling qualification in the US. Sessions with highly experienced or specialized therapists may cost more, and it is common for some therapists to charge extra when two people attend a session, instead of just one.
- Online sessions: Platforms like Regain or other teletherapy services often charge $60 to $120 per week (with one weekly live counseling session), depending on the therapist’s expertise and the length of the sessions. Some platforms offer subscription packages, which may also include the ability to message your therapist and ask questions between appointments.
- Counseling sessions usually last 50–60 minutes, but some therapists offer shorter check-ins or longer intensive sessions, which can affect the price.
It’s also worth noting that relationship counseling is very rarely covered by most health insurance plans, unless at least one partner has a mental health diagnosis.
If you would struggle to afford relationship counseling, look for a therapist who offers sliding-scale pricing based on your income, or take advantage of Regain’s financial aid application process when signing up.
Conclusion
Remember, the availability of qualified Muslim marriage counselors can vary considerably depending on where you live.
If you don’t live in a large city like Los Angeles or New York, you may need to use an online service to connect with a Muslim relationship counselor.
If you have any questions about choosing a counselor to speak with, let us know in the comments, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
