FAQ
Common questions.
Everything you might want to know before reaching out.
About the practice
What is Gatewood Therapy?
Gatewood Therapy is a private-pay telehealth practice serving individuals and couples in California and Montana. The practice is led by Bart Kovacs, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and certified Emotionally Focused Therapist. The focus is on depth-oriented work for high-functioning professionals, couples, and gay men navigating emotional complexity and relationships.
Who do you work with?
The practice primarily serves executives, founders, and tech and finance professionals; couples caught in cycles of distance or conflict; and gay men navigating intimacy, identity, and attachment. Many clients are analytically oriented, high-achieving people who have found that understanding their patterns hasn't been enough to change them.
Are you LGBTQ-affirming?
Yes. Gatewood Therapy is a fully LGBTQ-affirming practice. I work with gay men individually and as couples, and I bring both clinical training and personal understanding to that work. The practice welcomes clients of all gender identities, sexual orientations, and relationship structures.
The approach
What is Emotionally Focused Therapy?
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based approach developed by Dr. Sue Johnson in the 1980s. It is grounded in attachment science and works by helping people identify and transform the emotional patterns and relational cycles that keep them stuck. EFT has one of the strongest research bases in psychotherapy, with outcome studies showing that 70-75% of couples move from distress to recovery and that gains hold over time.
How is EFT different from CBT or other approaches?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy works primarily at the level of thoughts and behaviors. EFT works at the level of emotion and attachment — the deeper experience underneath the pattern. For people who already understand their patterns intellectually but haven't been able to change them, EFT often reaches something that insight-based approaches have not. It is process-oriented and relational rather than skills-focused.
I've tried therapy before and found it too slow or unsatisfying. Is this different?
Possibly. The clients I work with most often are analytically sophisticated people who have found conventional therapy frustratingly gentle, intellectually thin, or disconnected from what they're actually carrying. I come from an engineering and science background, which shapes how I work: I take rigor seriously, I don't traffic in platitudes, and I'm interested in what's actually driving the pattern rather than managing its surface. Whether that's different enough is something the consultation is for.
Do you work with individuals or only couples?
Both. Individual therapy and couples therapy are both significant parts of the practice. Some clients begin individually and move into couples work later. Others come specifically for couples therapy. The approach adapts to what you're bringing.
Practical questions
Do you accept insurance?
No. Gatewood Therapy is a private-pay practice. This allows the work to be shaped entirely by what you need rather than by diagnosis requirements, session caps, or insurance authorization processes. I can provide a superbill for clients who wish to seek out-of-network reimbursement from their insurance provider.
How do sessions work?
Sessions are 50 minutes, conducted weekly via secure video. Most clients begin with weekly sessions for at least the first several months. The pace of the work is determined by what you're bringing, not by an arbitrary timeline.
Where are you licensed?
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California (LMFT #123896) and Montana (BBH-LMFT-LIC-71399). I work with clients throughout both states via telehealth. I am also certified by the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy.
Do you offer in-person sessions?
Gatewood Therapy is a telehealth practice. All sessions are conducted via secure video. For many professionals, this removes the friction of commute and scheduling, and research consistently shows that telehealth therapy produces outcomes equivalent to in-person work.
How long does therapy typically last?
It depends on what you're working on. For couples, EFT research suggests meaningful and lasting change typically occurs within 8-20 sessions, though some couples engage longer. For individuals, the work often runs several months to a year or more. I don't keep people in therapy longer than is useful, and we revisit goals regularly.
Getting started
What happens in the free consultation?
The consultation is a 15-minute conversation to talk about what you're looking for and whether this practice is a good fit. It's not an intake or an assessment — it's a chance to get a sense of each other. There's no pressure and no commitment.
How do I know if this is the right fit?
The consultation is the best way to find out. That said, clients who tend to do well here are people who are ready to go beneath the surface, who want a therapist who will take their intelligence seriously without colluding with it, and who are willing to be uncomfortable in the service of something they actually want.
How do I get started?
Use the link below to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. If none of the available times work, reach out directly at bart@gatewoodtherapy.com and I'll get back to you within one business day.
Still have questions?
The consultation is the best place to get them answered. Free, 15 minutes, no commitment. If none of the available times work for you, reach out directly at bart@gatewoodtherapy.com.
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