What is couple’s counseling? It’s a question we get asked all the time – especially in this time of coronavirus and the pandemic and sheltering in place orders we’ve been living under for the past six months.
Romantic relationships require work and attention. For some couples, being in the house together 24/7 is not something they are accustomed to and it can be a big change in their relationship – especially if it was already on rocky ground.
Repairing a relationship, in its early stages of unrest, can help avoid further complications or deeper rifts. Sometimes to repair a relationship, the individuals in that relationship need to look inside themselves and perhaps work on their issues so they can better address the relationship issues.
Consider this: If the washing machine starts to make odd noises or doesn’t work well we will call a repairman. But when it comes to our romantic relationships, we don’t put in the time in the beginning when we know “something isn’t right.”
Studies show that, “the average couple is unhappy for six years before they seek couple’s counseling.” That is a staggering statistic and honestly, do you want to live unhappy? Do you want to see your romantic relationship wither away? Chances are, you don’t.
Couple’s therapy can resolve long-standing issues, if the couple is willing to work on it. Couple’s therapy can also help a couple address minor irritants that could turn into long-term issues.
Couple’s therapy isn’t just to address major issues like addiction or infidelity. It doesn’t have to be – and shouldn’t be – a last ditch effort to save the relationship.
Couple’s therapy isn’t a way to “force” your partner to change. It’s not to “fix” the other person whom you see as a “problem.” It is a way for both parties to understand one another more deeply and to work on a variety of relationship issues they are facing.
What is couple’s therapy?
When working with a counselor the couple will:
Your counselor will usually ask standard interview questions about your relationship history, family values, cultural background and the reasons you’re seeing therapy.
As part of the treatment plan, your therapist will help you both gain insight into the dynamics of the relationship that are leading to the problem at hand. The counselor will also help each individual understand the role they are playing in the issue at hand. Each partner needs to be committed to the therapy and to making changes in the way in which he or she interacts and the behaviors that lead to the therapy.
You may be assigned “homework” that each partner will work on and apply the skills they learned during their therapy session.
Couples in therapy may find they walk away with gaining insight into their own actions and the way in which they react to a situation, relationship patterns and will have developed better communication skills.
Could your relationship benefit from couple’s counseling?
Here is who couple’s therapy is for:
An engaged couple may seek couple’s therapy to address any expectations from their upcoming marriage. A long-time married or couple in a long-term unmarried relationship may be looking for ways to rekindle that romantic feeling they may have lost.
Couple’s therapy can:
We are providing couple’s therapy via tele-therapy and have been providing this service since the coronavirus pandemic started. Please contact our office today and schedule an appointment to work through any issues you’re having or potential issues you want to avoid.