Most relationships go through natural ebbs and flows. When a relationship is experiencing a lull due to a conflict, marriage counseling (or couples counseling) is a great way to acquire the tools to get past the low point of the relationship and improve the relationship for both parties.
Couples counseling is a type of therapy where a psychologist or therapist focuses on addressing and assisting to resolve the problems or issues of a relationship at large, instead of the individual.
Marriage counseling can be a great asset for all kinds of relationships. There is a misconception about couples counseling that only relationships facing a severe crisis or conflict can benefit from counseling, which is simply untrue. Seeking counseling for minor conflicts or issues provides a relationship with the tools needed to prevent the issue from growing larger. No matter the relationship, couples counseling can provide aid.
To illustrate the benefits of marriage counseling, here are some of the ways that couples counseling can improve a relationship.
Learn to Improve Communication and Understanding
At the heart of a relationship is two individuals. Each individual has their own personality, needs, desires, and personal history. All people are unique in their personality, so naturally all relationships will have elements or issues where the two individuals do not agree or have the same stance. For a positive and enduring relationship, the two individuals in the relationship need to learn to come together for discussion, compromise, and negotiation.
Communication is the tool that allows individuals to accomplish these tasks. Counsellors are highly trained to recognize gaps in communication and to challenge patients to alter their current communication habits and tendencies so that each is able to effectively communicate with another.
Communication is a tool that requires each individual in the relationship to both learn to express themselves and to listen to their partner. Once this valuable tool is acquired, a therapist can then help the couple learn to understand their partners. Through communicating and understanding one another, a couple learns how to resolve problems both large and small.
Restoring Emotional Connection
It’s natural for a relationship to experience a more intense physical and emotional connection in the early stages than in later stages. Sparks are flying and everything seems easier is in the honeymoon stage. Through couples counseling, a relationship can learn how to rejuvenate itself and rekindle some of the excitement and energy of the honeymoon stage.
There are a lot of reasons that a relationship can lose emotional and physical connection. By working with a therapist, a couple can learn to identify the cause, or causes, for the lull in the relationship, which allows the individuals to work towards addressing the issues to renew the early-stage flame.
Create a Plan to Continued Improvement
As we touched on earlier, there are a lot of different reasons for a couple to seek marriage counseling. Whether they’re trying to address a particular conflict or strengthen a relationship in general, another great element of marriage counseling is that a couple can learn to create a blueprint to continue to improve their relationship in the long-term.
In many cases, couples counseling will identify particular tasks that each individual will need to work out to solve an issue or conflict. It could be anything from being more expressive, demonstrating love more often, creating more time to spend time with their partner, etc. As the relationship progresses beyond couples counseling, each person will know the causes of past conflict or issues, and know the tools to help prevent the issues from returning.
Marriage and Couples Therapy at Family Psychiatry and Therapy
Whether your marriage or relationship is experiencing severe turmoil that endangers the relationship, or if it is experiencing a series of smaller ripples and dust ups that you fear will lead to larger issues down the road, couples therapy is an excellent way to diagnose the issues you’re experiencing and create a strategy for repairing the relationship.
At Family Psychiatry and Therapy, our therapists provide a safe and confidential environment for couples to work on their relationship. Our therapists do not show bias or choose a side, they’re instead committed to helping and strengthening the relationship at large.
Through couples therapy, your relationship can learn to acquire the vital tools of communication and understanding, learn to restore emotional and physical connection, and to create a long-term plan for continued improvement.
To schedule an appointment for couples therapy, contact our office today.