Trauma-Informed Couples Therapy | Tiffany Savener, PhD, LPC | Austin & Round Rock TX
512-677-7329 tsavener@seekthesun.net
Free Consultation
Couples Therapy Austin · Round Rock · All of Texas

Your relationship can
survive this — and become
stronger for it.

Betrayal, infidelity, and trauma don't have to be the end of your story. Trauma-informed couples therapy creates a safe, structured space where both partners can be heard, begin to heal, and rebuild something real — together.

Schedule a Free Consultation Or call: 512-677-7329

You don't have to come in with answers

Couples therapy isn't about blame — it's about healing together. Many couples arrive feeling hopeless and leave with tools, understanding, and renewed connection.

Gottman Method — Research-Backed

My approach is grounded in the Gottman Method, one of the most studied and effective models for healing relational trauma, infidelity, and deep emotional disconnection.

PhD Clinical Psychology LPC-Associate #93330 Gottman Level 1 & 2 Treating Affairs & Trauma EMDR Trained
Free First Consultation
In-Person: Austin & Round Rock
Online Across Texas
Nonjudgmental · Both Partners Heard

Is This You?

Trauma and betrayal can look
many different ways.

Couples therapy can help whether you're in acute crisis after a betrayal or slowly drifting apart after years of unaddressed pain. Here's what brings many couples in:

What Brought You Here

  • Infidelity, emotional affair, or sexual betrayal
  • Ongoing fights that never truly resolve
  • One partner shuts down; the other keeps pursuing
  • Emotional or physical intimacy has faded
  • Deep loss of trust and growing resentment
  • One or both partners carries trauma from their past
  • A major life event has shaken the relationship
  • You feel more like roommates than partners

What You're Hoping For

  • To feel safe and truly heard by your partner
  • To stop having the same fight over and over
  • To rebuild trust — slowly, honestly, durably
  • To feel close again — emotionally and physically
  • To understand each other's wounds, not just triggers
  • To know whether the relationship can be saved
  • To break cycles you don't want to pass to your kids
  • To feel like a team again

What Healing Can Look Like

Couples who do this work
often experience:

🤝
Fewer explosions & shutdowns
Conflict becomes less reactive and more constructive as both partners develop new communication tools.
🔓
Rebuilt trust & safety
A gradual, honest rebuilding of trust — not forced, but earned — so vulnerability no longer feels so dangerous.
💬
Feeling understood
Both partners feel genuinely heard — often for the first time — about what they needed and what they experienced.
🌿
Renewed intimacy
Emotional safety creates the foundation for physical and relational closeness to return naturally over time.
🧭
Shared values & vision
Rediscovering what you both want — as individuals and as a couple — and building toward it together.
⚡
Reduced resentment
Processing what happened — not just moving past it — so resentment doesn't quietly erode the relationship.
🪞
Self-awareness as partners
Understanding how your own histories shape your reactions — and how to communicate from that awareness.
🌅
Hope & forward momentum
Many couples describe finding moments of genuine relief, insight, and even lightness in the process of therapy.

What to Expect

A clear, structured
path forward.

I know it can feel daunting to start. Here's exactly how we work together, so nothing catches you off guard.

1
Initial Session — Together
We meet virtually or in person to talk about what brings you in. A safe, nonjudgmental space from the very first conversation.
Virtual: both partners in the same room for session 1
2
Research-Based Assessment
You'll each complete a Gottman-based questionnaire to surface strengths, patterns, and areas for growth.
3
Individual Sessions
I meet with each of you separately to hear your full story — what you've experienced, what you need, and what you hope for.
4
Feedback & Roadmap
We review what we've learned and build a personalized therapy plan focused on your specific goals as a couple.
5
Ongoing Couples Sessions
The ongoing work: building communication skills, processing trauma, restoring emotional safety, and deepening connection.

A note for hesitant partners

"It's very common for one partner to be reluctant about therapy. I work hard to ensure both people feel heard, respected, and safe — not ganged up on."

— Tiffany Savener, PhD, LPC-Associate

Therapy can help even if…

  • → You're not sure the relationship can be saved
  • → One of you is more committed than the other right now
  • → You've tried therapy before and it didn't help
  • → The hurt feels too big to ever move past
  • → You don't have time for long-term therapy

My Approach

Research-backed methods for
real relational healing.

I draw on several of the most rigorously studied approaches in couples and trauma therapy, combining them to fit your unique situation.

Gottman Method Couples Therapy
The foundation of my couples work. John and Julie Gottman's research-based framework helps couples understand the patterns that erode relationships and build the tools — communication, repair, emotional attunement — that sustain them. I am trained through Level 1 & 2, including the specialized protocol for treating infidelity and trauma.
Gottman Level 1 & 2 Treating Affairs & Trauma Restoring Trust After Infidelity
Trauma-Informed & Attachment-Based Work
Relational trauma — whether from infidelity, childhood, or cumulative stress — shapes how we connect and react. I bring EMDR, Emotion-Focused Therapy, and somatic awareness into couples work to address what's happening beneath the surface, helping both partners feel safer with each other and with themselves.
EMDR Emotionally Focused Therapy Somatic Awareness Attachment Theory

About Tiffany

A couples therapist
who understands the whole picture.

I earned my PhD in Clinical Psychology from Texas Tech University in 2005 and have spent years specializing in trauma, relational healing, and complex family dynamics. I am trained in Gottman Method Levels 1 & 2, including the specialized protocol for treating affairs and trauma, as well as Emotion-Focused Therapy, EMDR, and attachment-based approaches.

My background in individual trauma therapy shapes everything I do with couples. I understand that each person in the room carries their own history — and that healing the relationship often requires tending to both people's wounds, not just the conflict between them.

I provide couples therapy at my Northwest Austin and Round Rock offices, and I offer secure virtual sessions for couples throughout Texas. I am supervised by Mark Cagle, MA, LPC-Supervisor (#71799).

🎓
PhD, Clinical Psychology
Texas Tech University, 2005
💑
Gottman Method — Levels 1 & 2
Including Treating Affairs & Trauma, Restoring Trust After Infidelity
💚
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
Attachment-based interventions for couples in crisis — Sue Johnson, EdD
🌿
EMDR & Trauma-Informed Care
Complex PTSD, betrayal trauma, and relational trauma
🏅
LPC-Associate #93330
Supervised by Mark Cagle, LPC-Supervisor #71799

Take the First Step

Reaching out is the
hardest part. We've got it from here.

Your first consultation is free. We'll talk about what's happening, whether couples therapy is right for you, and what a path forward could look like. No pressure, no judgment — just a real conversation.

Book Your Free Consultation

Call or email anytime: 512-677-7329 · tsavener@seekthesun.net

Common Questions

You may be wondering…

Can therapy help if my partner is reluctant or skeptical?
Very common — and yes. I work hard to create space where both partners feel genuinely heard and respected, not put on trial. Many hesitant partners find the first session very different from what they feared.
Can we work through infidelity and still stay together?
Many couples do. I use a specialized Gottman protocol for treating affairs and betrayal trauma that addresses both the immediate wound and the deeper patterns underneath. Healing is possible — and so is a stronger relationship on the other side.
What if one partner's trauma happened before our relationship?
Past trauma impacts both partners and the relationship itself. Couples therapy can address how individual trauma shapes your dynamic and help both of you support each other's healing more effectively.
How long does couples therapy typically take?
Every couple is unique. Some see meaningful shifts within a few months; others benefit from longer-term work. We create a personalized plan around your goals, timeline, and what you're navigating.
Do you offer virtual couples therapy in Texas?
Yes — I provide secure, HIPAA-compliant virtual sessions for couples anywhere in Texas, from major metros to rural communities. For virtual sessions, I ask that both partners be in the same room for the first meeting.
Is couples therapy only for crises?
Not at all. Many couples come in for emotional distance, communication breakdowns, life transitions, or simply wanting a stronger relationship. You don't need to be in crisis to benefit from this work.

Office Hours

Mon–Thurs · 8 AM – 5 PM

Friday · 8 AM – 12 PM

Evening appointments available by request

Locations

6850 Austin Center Blvd, Bldg 2, Suite 320
Austin, TX 78731

3000 Joe DiMaggio Blvd, Suite 1
Round Rock, TX 78665

✦ Virtual sessions available statewide

Get in Touch

📞 512-677-7329 ✉ tsavener@seekthesun.net

Tiffany Savener, PhD, LPC-Associate

License #93330 · Supervised by Mark Cagle, LPC-Supervisor #71799

Couples Therapy · Austin · Round Rock · Statewide Texas