Hi, I’m Michael Duryea.
I help couples find their way back to each other.
My work centers on relationships—those stuck in cycles of disconnection, navigating betrayal, dealing with mismatched sex drives, or struggling to communicate without things blowing up or shutting down. Whether you’re fighting too much or not speaking at all, I help couples untangle what's happening underneath.
I also support individuals working through anxiety, trauma, or relational wounds that keep showing up in love, sex, and connection.
I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), Gottman Certified, and LGBTQIA+ and poly-affirming. My style is warm, intuitive, and active—I’m not just a nod-and-smile kind of therapist. I use research-backed approaches to support lasting change, always grounded in the belief that healing begins in the safety of honest connection.
Pricing and Insurance
I’m in-network for individual therapy with Aetna and Cigna. For all other insurance plans, I’m considered out-of-network. If you have out-of-network benefits, I’m happy to provide a monthly superbill that you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. I encourage you to check your mental health benefits before we start, so you’ll know what to expect. Feel free to reach out to me or your insurance provider if you need help figuring it out.
For couples counseling, I do not bill insurance directly and am not in-network with any plans. I charge my full fee for these sessions and provide a superbill upon request.
If you need to cancel, please provide 48 hours’ notice to avoid being charged the full session fee. I offer one free late cancellation per client as a courtesy. After that, late cancellations are charged unless they are due to a medical emergency or serious unforeseen event.
Individual Counseling
50 minutes — $170 per session
In individual therapy, you set the pace. I offer a supportive space to explore what truly matters to you—whether that’s easing anxiety, building confidence, deepening relationships, or finding your voice. I work with people from all walks of life, and as a gay man, I also bring a nuanced understanding of the unique pressures many queer folks carry—like internalized shame, family rejection, or the search for belonging. Together, we’ll make sense of what’s been hard, honor what’s been true, and help you move toward a life that feels more whole, more grounded, and more yours.
Couples Counseling
50 minutes — $200 per session
In couples therapy, we focus on strengthening your friendship, deepening emotional connection, and rebuilding trust where it’s been strained. Using Gottman Method tools, we’ll work on softening startup, managing conflict without blame, and turning toward each other instead of away. Together, we’ll explore how your histories and attachment styles shape your dynamic, and build rituals of connection, shared meaning, and a culture of appreciation. My goal is to help you shift out of stuck patterns and into a more resilient, respectful, and intimate partnership.
Discernment Counseling
80 minutes — $300 per session
Discernment Counseling is for couples on the brink—where one or both of you feels unsure about staying or leaving. It’s not about fixing the relationship right away, but slowing down to gain clarity and confidence in your next steps.
Across a short series of structured sessions, we’ll explore how you got here, what’s been tried, and what each of you needs and wants moving forward. We’ll look at your patterns with honesty and care, and create space for both partners to be heard—without pressure or blame.
Whether you choose to work on the relationship, separate with compassion, or continue reflecting, my role is to help you make that decision with intention, integrity, and respect for yourselves and each other.
Background
Before I became a therapist, I studied fine art. I was always drawn to emotion—how we carry it, express it, and try to make sense of it. Art gave me a language for that. But over time, I realized what I wanted most was to sit with people, not just observe them—to be in real conversation about their lives, their patterns, their longings. Becoming a therapist was a natural next step.
I earned my B.A. in Fine Art from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, then worked as a Mental Health Specialist at Navos Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital in Seattle, supporting individuals in acute crisis. I went on to complete my M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Antioch University Seattle, where I trained as a Couple and Family Therapist Intern at Life Transitions in Tacoma.
As a licensed marriage and family therapist, trained in the Gottman Method and grounded in systems thinking, I work with individuals and couples who want more emotional depth, clarity, and connection. As a gay man, I also bring lived insight into the unique relational and cultural challenges many queer folks face. My approach is warm, collaborative, and emotionally curious—always with the aim of helping people feel more understood, more empowered, and more at home in their relationships.
Washington License:
Michael R. Duryea., MA., LMFT, LF61431405