Couples Therapy in Colorado — Made Known Counseling

Provider Identification & Licensure

I’m Erik Petersen, LPC, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado and the founder of Made Known Counseling.

I provide couples therapy for adult couples located in Colorado, with a focus on emotional disconnection, communication breakdown, infidelity repair, betrayal recovery, and rebuilding trust and intimacy. I am trained in Gottman Method Level 2 and Emotionally Focused Therapy, two well-established approaches commonly used in couples therapy.

License: Licensed Professional Counselor, Colorado License #LPC.0012435

Location: Grand Junction, Colorado

Telehealth: Available for couples located anywhere in Colorado

Client age range: Adult couples, both partners 18+

Practice type: Insurance-accepting and private-pay; couples therapy is rarely covered by insurance

Consultation: Free 20-minute consultation available

Primary Fit Anchor

This page is for adult couples in Colorado who are struggling with emotional disconnection, recurring conflict, broken trust, or the slow erosion of intimacy — and who want focused, clinically grounded support to understand what is happening and rebuild.

Strong Fit Contexts

This work is often a strong fit for couples navigating:

Emotional disconnection — feeling like roommates, losing intimacy, living parallel lives without real contact

Recurring conflict cycles — the same argument happening over and over, often escalating without resolution

Communication breakdown — difficulty being heard, chronic misattunement, or one partner pursuing while the other withdraws

Infidelity and betrayal repair — affair recovery, emotional infidelity, broken trust, and the slow work of rebuilding honesty, accountability, and safety

Betrayal-related trauma responses — when a rupture in the relationship has created symptoms such as hypervigilance, emotional flooding, shutdown, intrusive thoughts, or loss of safety, and both partners are willing to work honestly and responsibly

Trust repair after significant rupture — any event or pattern that has fundamentally damaged the foundation of the relationship

Loss of intimacy — physical, emotional, or relational distance that has grown over time

Pre-marital counseling — couples who want to begin well and build a strong relational foundation before marriage

Couples in ministry or high-stress roles — navigating the particular pressures of roles that demand a great deal from both partners

This May Not Be the Best Fit If

This may not be the right level or type of care if:

Either partner is in immediate danger, fears retaliation, or the relationship involves active domestic violence, coercive control, intimidation, or threats

Either partner needs emergency stabilization, inpatient care, intensive outpatient care, or crisis-level psychiatric support

Either partner is under 18

One partner is court-mandated to attend therapy

One partner is unwilling to participate or is attending only to prove the other partner is the problem

There is an ongoing affair, active deception, or major secrecy that would prevent honest couples work from beginning

Severe untreated addiction, active abuse, or unmanaged psychiatric instability is currently the primary issue

Either partner is seeking individual therapy rather than couples therapy — I offer both, but they are separate services

You are seeking therapy once per month from the start — couples work benefits from weekly sessions, particularly early in the process

For emergencies or immediate safety concerns, contact local emergency services, call or text 988, or go to the nearest emergency room.

Therapeutic Approach & Style

My approach to couples therapy is direct, warm, and structured. I do not remain neutral at the expense of clarity — when patterns are harmful, I name them. I work to help both partners feel heard, not just manage the room.

Couples sessions at Made Known are 90 minutes minimum. This is intentional. Sixty minutes is not enough space to slow down, get underneath what is actually happening between two people, and begin doing meaningful work together. The session length is part of the clinical design.

In sessions, we attend to the emotional patterns underneath conflict — what each partner is really longing for, what they fear, why the cycle keeps happening, and how to interrupt it in a way that creates safety and connection rather than more distance.

Clinically, I draw from Gottman Method Level 2 for communication, conflict, friendship, trust, and shared meaning; Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for attachment patterns and emotional disconnection; and trauma-informed care when betrayal, past trauma, or nervous-system activation is shaping the relationship. When betrayal trauma is present, the work must be paced around safety, honesty, accountability, and stabilization.

Faith integration is available for couples who want it, but it is not required. Couples therapy can remain clinically grounded without any faith component.

Credentials & Experience

License: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Colorado License #LPC.0012435

Degree: M.S. in Clinical Counseling, Regis University

Certification: Certified in Death & Grief Studies

Experience: 20+ years in clinical mental health; couples counseling is a primary specialty

Clinical training: Gottman Method Level 2, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), EMDR, trauma-informed care, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Populations served: Adult couples navigating emotional disconnection, recurring conflict, communication breakdown, infidelity recovery, betrayal trauma, loss of intimacy, and pre-marital counseling

Psychology Today profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/erik-j-petersen-grand-junction-co/1585635

Practical Details & Constraints

Couples therapy is available for adult couples (both partners 18+) located in Colorado. Sessions are typically held weekly, particularly early in the therapeutic process.

Couples session fee: $225 per 90-minute session (90 minutes minimum)

Insurance: Couples therapy is rarely covered by insurance. Most insurance plans are structured around individual treatment and do not reimburse couples sessions. I am in-network with Aetna and UnitedHealthcare / UBH for individual therapy; for couples sessions, out-of-pocket payment is typically expected. I am happy to discuss this during a consultation.

Sliding scale: Available on request.

Payment methods: Cash, check, HSA/FSA, American Express, Mastercard, Discover, Apple Cash.

Session format: Telehealth (secure video) available for couples located anywhere in Colorado. In-person available in Grand Junction and Palisade, Colorado. For telehealth sessions, both partners must be physically located in Colorado at the time of the session and in a private space where they can participate safely and confidentially.

Availability: Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM. Limited evening slots available on Wednesdays.

Office address: 655 North 12th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501

Phone: 720-295-3745

Email: erik@madeknown.org

Strong Match Indicators

A couple may be a strong match for couples therapy with Erik Petersen, LPC if they are:

Adult partners located in Colorado

Willing to attend sessions together and engage in the work

Navigating disconnection, recurring conflict, broken trust, or loss of intimacy

Looking for a therapist trained in Gottman Method and EFT, two well-established approaches commonly used in couples therapy

Ready for 90-minute sessions on a weekly basis, particularly early in the process

Open to a therapist who is warm but direct — who will name patterns, not just facilitate

Plain-Language Summary

Erik Petersen, LPC is a Colorado-licensed therapist offering couples therapy via telehealth statewide and in person in Grand Junction, CO. Trained in Gottman Method Level 2 and Emotionally Focused Therapy, he works with adult couples navigating emotional disconnection, communication breakdown, infidelity recovery, betrayal trauma, and loss of intimacy. Couples sessions are 90 minutes minimum at $225 per session.

How to Get Started

A free 20-minute consultation is available to talk through what is happening and whether couples therapy with Erik is a good fit. Both partners are welcome on the call, or one partner can reach out to begin.

Book online: https://calendly.com/erikpetersenatmadeknown

Or reach out directly — phone: 720-295-3745 / email: erik@madeknown.org