About couples therapy
Couples therapy helps partners improve communication, handle conflict, rebuild trust after a crisis or make decisions together, including separation. Sessions are usually joint, sometimes with individual meetings. It is not about deciding who is right but about understanding the patterns between you.
Family therapists work with the whole family or several of its members to improve communication, resolve conflicts and go through changes such as separations, losses or a child’s difficulties. They look at relationships rather than at one person alone.
Getting mental health care in Burkina Faso
Public health system · Public health system - psychiatry services at CHU Yalgado Ouédraogo (Ouagadougou) and CHU Souro Sanou (Bobo-Dioulasso)
Specialist psychiatric care is concentrated in the university hospitals of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso; about 42 public facilities, mostly district medical centres staffed by psychiatric nurses, offer some mental health care. The public sector has only around nine to eleven psychiatrists and a handful of psychologists. Care is not free: the official public tariff for a consultation with a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist is 2,000 FCFA, and patients also pay for medicines and hospital stays.
How to check that a professional is licensed
- Ordre National des Médecins du Burkina Faso. Under Law No. 028-2012/AN the Order groups all doctors authorised to practise in Burkina Faso, and health facilities require registration on its roll. Ask for the doctor's registration number.
Insurance and coverage
Universal health insurance (RAMU) began operating in 2023 but covers only a small share of the population; outpatient and inpatient mental health care is generally paid by the patient or family.
Urgent help in Burkina Faso
If your life or someone else's is in danger, call the emergency number now. These services can help at any time:
- 17 · Police secours
Information reviewed in November 2026 · Sources: fluechtlingshilfe.ch, apps.who.int, ordremedecinsburkina.bf, extranet.who.int
Signs to look out for
All couples argue. It may be time to seek help when the same arguments repeat without resolution, conversations quickly turn into criticism or silence, you feel lonely within the relationship, affection or sex have faded and that worries you, trust has been broken, or a big change such as a baby, illness or a move has unbalanced things. Considering separation is also a reason to talk.
What helps: treatments and professionals
Couples therapy approaches with good evidence include emotionally focused therapy, integrative behavioural couple therapy, cognitive-behavioural couples therapy and the Gottman method. Couples therapists, psychologists and psychotherapists with couples training usually lead the work, and a sex therapist can help when sexual concerns are central. Therapy can help couples reconnect, or separate with less damage, especially when children are involved.
When to seek urgent help
If there is physical violence, threats, sexual coercion, or you feel afraid of your partner, your safety comes first: contact your local emergency services if you are in immediate danger, and seek specialised support for domestic violence. Couples therapy is not recommended in these situations. Seek urgent help too if anyone has thoughts of suicide or harming others.
What you can do in the meantime
Choose calm moments to talk about difficult topics, rather than in the middle of an argument. Try to describe how you feel and what you need, instead of criticising. Take a break if things escalate and agree to come back to it. Make time for small moments of connection. Reading reliable information on relationships together can also open useful conversations.
What does a family therapist do?
A family therapist works with families as a system, seeing several members together or in different combinations. Day to day they help families improve communication, manage conflict, adapt to changes such as separation, illness, migration or the arrival of a child, and support a member who is struggling. They look at roles, rules and patterns in the relationships rather than blaming one person.
When to see a family therapist
Family therapy makes sense when tension at home is constant, when a child or teenager’s difficulties affect everyone, after a separation or blended-family transition, during a loss or serious illness, or when communication has broken down between generations. If one person has a severe mental health condition, family therapy can complement, not replace, individual treatment. Couple-only problems may suit couples therapy better.
How to choose
When choosing, check the licence and training, the approach they use and whether they have experience with what you need. Consider practical aspects too: language, price, location or online sessions and availability. The relationship with the professional matters a great deal; if after a few sessions it does not feel right, it is fine to change.
Frequently asked questions
Does the public health system in Burkina Faso cover psychological care?
Specialist psychiatric care is concentrated in the university hospitals of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso; about 42 public facilities, mostly district medical centres staffed by psychiatric nurses, offer some mental health care. The public sector has only around nine to eleven psychiatrists and a handful of psychologists. Care is not free: the official public tariff for a consultation with a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist is 2,000 FCFA, and patients also pay for medicines and hospital stays.
How do I check that a family therapist is licensed in Burkina Faso?
Ordre National des Médecins du Burkina Faso: Under Law No. 028-2012/AN the Order groups all doctors authorised to practise in Burkina Faso, and health facilities require registration on its roll. Ask for the doctor's registration number.