Whether you’re working through relationship challenges, feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or simply ready to grow, you deserve support that feels safe and real.
At First Stop Counseling, I walk alongside individuals, couples, and families to strengthen connection, deepen personal insight, and sit with what’s been weighing on you so we can create healthier patterns that last.
Hi, I’m Rosie Arias, Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern and founder of First Stop Counseling.
I help couples improve communication, reduce conflict, rebuild trust, and strengthen both emotional and physical intimacy. I also work with individuals navigating stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, and life transitions, as well as families wanting more peace, connection, and clarity at home.
This work is personal for me. I’ve lived through the messy, tender, confusing, and beautiful parts of relationships, personal growth, uncertainty, healing, and hope. These experiences have shaped the way I show up as a therapist: present, real, steady, and deeply committed to helping others find clarity and connection.
My approach is warm and down-to-earth. I integrate evidence-based methods like the Gottman approach and emotionally focused concepts with real-life practicality, compassion, and honest conversation.
My goal for First Stop Counseling is simple: a place to pause, feel understood, and find your way forward.
Couples are at the heart of my work, but I also support individuals and families navigating stress, transitions, and emotional challenges. Whether you’re rebuilding trust, improving intimacy, reconnecting, or seeking personal clarity, therapy offers a space to pause, reflect, and grow.
Marriage counseling provides support for couples navigating communication issues, frequent conflict, distance, or major life changes. Together, we work on listening without defensiveness, expressing needs clearly, and rebuilding a sense of teamwork and emotional closeness.
Individual counseling is a supportive space to sort through stress, anxiety, relational concerns, overwhelming emotions, or seasons of feeling stuck. Together, we work toward clarity, healthier approaches, emotional regulation, and a stronger sense of self.
I draw from Emotion-Focused Therapy principles to help individuals and couples understand their emotions, recognize patterns, and respond to each other with more clarity and compassion. This supportive approach leads to healthier communication, stronger relationships, and meaningful personal growth.
What kinds of concerns do you help individuals with?
Individual counseling is a place to sort through stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, life transitions, or anything that feels overwhelming. Together, we work toward clarity, emotional resilience, and healthy dynamics that support your wellbeing.
How do I know if individual counseling is right for me?
If you’re feeling stuck, stressed, disconnected, or unsure of your next steps, individual counseling can help. Many people come simply because they want a safe place to talk, think, and grow, you don’t need a crisis to benefit from support.
Can family therapy help with parenting or blended-family stress?
Yes. Family therapy can be incredibly helpful for blended families, co-parenting concerns, parent-child communication issues, and family stress. Sessions provide a safe place to work through differences, improve communication, and build routines and expectations that support everyone.
What can we expect from couples therapy?
Couples therapy is a supportive space where partners can understand each other better, communicate more clearly, and work through the challenges affecting their relationship. At First Stop Counseling, I help couples explore what’s been getting in the way, understand where the disconnect is happening, and strengthen emotional and physical connection.
In our online first sessions we’ll talk about what’s been hard, what you hope to change, and where you want your relationship to go. From there, we work together on communication, trust, and building healthier ways of relating to each other.
Who is couples counseling for?
Couples counseling isn’t only for relationships in crisis, it’s for any couple that wants to communicate better, navigate conflict more effectively, rebuild trust, deepen connection, or simply feel more supported in their partnership.
Therapy can be a proactive step toward a healthier and more fulfilling relationship at any stage.
Is couples therapy only for married couples?
Not at all. I work with dating couples, engaged couples, long-term partners, and couples committed without marriage. I also support couples from diverse backgrounds and relationship structures. Anyone wanting a stronger, healthier connection is welcome.
What issues do couples usually come to therapy for?
Couples seek therapy for many reasons, including:
Therapy is a space to gain clarity, learn healthier ways of relating, and reconnect with each other.
What if my partner is hesitant to come to therapy?
It’s common for one partner to feel unsure. I welcome both of you at whatever comfort level you’re starting from. My role is not to take sides, but to help each person feel heard and understood. Many hesitant partners end up appreciating the process once they experience it.
How long does couples therapy usually take?
Each couple’s journey looks different, but many begin noticing improvements after several sessions. I create a personalized plan based on your goals so we’re focusing on what matters most. I am private-pay only, but many clients use out-of-network benefits for partial reimbursement.
Does insurance cover therapy?
At this time, I do not accept insurance. Many clients choose private-pay therapy because it offers greater privacy, flexibility, and freedom from insurance-required diagnoses. If you’d like to use your benefits, I’m happy to provide a superbill (itemized receipt) you can submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
If you’ve been searching for a counselor who listens with compassion and supports real, meaningful change, this is your first stop toward healing – let’s take the next step together.
Request an appointment or access my secure client portal.
