The Best App for Couples in Therapy: What We Recommend to Clients
Most couples ask us the same question at some point during their time with us.
It usually comes up after a session that went somewhere real — a conversation that cracked something open, an insight that landed. They're leaving the office feeling motivated, and they want to know: "Is there something we can do between sessions to keep this going?"
Yes. There is.
After working with couples for years, we've tried recommending various resources — books, worksheets, conversation prompts. Some of them help. Some collect dust on nightstands.
But one app has genuinely impressed us: Connected.
Here's why we recommend it, who it's best for, and exactly how to use it alongside couples therapy.
Why Between-Session Practice Matters More Than Most Couples Realize
Couples therapy typically runs 50 minutes, once a week. That leaves 167 hours between sessions.
Research is consistent on this: the outcomes of couples therapy are directly tied to what happens outside the therapist's office. Homework completion, daily practice of communication skills, and consistent intentional check-ins between partners all significantly improve therapy outcomes.
A 2021 study in the journal Contemporary Family Therapy reviewed nine studies involving over 2,000 couples and found that structured relationship education and skills practice — including digital tools — showed meaningful improvements in relationship satisfaction, communication, conflict management, and emotional connection.
What this means practically: the work you do in our office is the foundation. What you do with it between sessions determines how fast and how far you go.
What Is Connected?
Connected is a relationship app built on Gottman method and emotionally focused therapy (EFT) research.
It has over 30 features, but the ones most relevant for couples in therapy are:
Daily questions and mood check-ins. A fresh conversation prompt every day, plus a quick emotional check-in. These create the daily habit of turning toward each other — one of the core behaviors Gottman's research identified in stable, happy couples.
10+ research-backed assessments. Love Language, Attachment Style, Communication Style, Conflict Style, Core Values, Relationship Satisfaction (using the validated CSI-4 scale), Stress Profile, and more. Both partners take each assessment independently, then compare results side by side with AI-generated interpretation.
Conflict resolution tools. Four separate tools — Conflict Replay, Guided Talk, Repair Toolkit, and Conflict Patterns — designed to help couples work through disagreements without escalating. These tools are built directly on Gottman's research around the Four Horsemen and repair attempts.
AI coaching. Personalized, therapist-quality guidance based on your actual assessment results and check-in patterns. Not generic relationship advice — specific recommendations for your relationship's dynamics.
How Connected Complements Couples Therapy (Without Replacing It)
We want to be clear about something: Connected is not therapy. It does not replace what happens in the room with a trained therapist.
What it does is keep the momentum going between sessions.
Think of it this way: if couples therapy is the intensive training session, Connected is the daily practice that makes the training stick. Without consistent practice between sessions, the insights gained in therapy tend to fade. With it, couples can apply what they're learning in real time — and come back to each session ready to go deeper.
Specifically, here's how we see couples using it most effectively:
Using the daily check-in as a temperature gauge. When both partners do the mood check-in consistently, they build a shared picture of how they're doing that doesn't require either person to initiate a potentially loaded conversation. "I noticed you've been marking that you feel disconnected — can we talk about that tonight?" is a much gentler opening than "What's wrong with you lately?"
Using assessment results as shared language. When one partner has an anxious attachment style and the other has an avoidant one, it helps to have a name for what's happening. Connected's assessments give couples that vocabulary. We've seen couples come into sessions saying things like "I think my attachment system got triggered at dinner last night" — because they now have the words for it.
Using conflict tools before arguments escalate. The Guided Talk feature gives couples a structured framework for hard conversations. It's not a replacement for in-session conflict work, but it helps couples practice what they're learning in therapy in lower-stakes moments so the skills become automatic.
Who Benefits Most From Using an App During Therapy
In our experience, Connected is most useful for:
Couples who are motivated but have trouble maintaining momentum between sessions. The daily structure keeps the work present, not just a once-a-week event.
Couples in the early stages of therapy. The assessments are particularly valuable early on — they give us a detailed picture of each partner's patterns before we've had many sessions together.
Couples managing busy lives. Parents, dual-career couples, people with demanding schedules — the five-minute daily habit is realistic even when life is full.
Couples who want to support a hesitant partner. One of the things we've seen is that partners who feel resistant to couples therapy are sometimes more willing to engage with an app first. The low-stakes, phone-based format reduces the emotional stakes enough that some partners open up more than they would in session.
It's less useful for couples in acute crisis — active betrayal processing, severe emotional disconnection, or situations that need intensive in-person support. In those cases, the app can still help, but it shouldn't be the primary vehicle for that work.
How to Get Started
If you're currently working with us and want to add Connected to your between-session practice:
Download it free at connectedcouples.app or on the App Store. The free tier includes daily check-ins, mood tracking, and starter questions — enough to build a genuine daily habit.
Do the assessments in your first week. Start with Love Language and Attachment Style — those two tend to generate the most useful in-session discussion.
Premium ($9.99/month, covers both partners) unlocks the full assessment library, conflict tools, and AI coaching. It's not required to start — the free tier is genuinely useful.
If you're not currently in therapy with us but are curious about couples counseling in Castle Rock or the South Denver area, we'd love to talk. You can learn more about our couples therapy services here or schedule a free consultation here.
