Relationships require work
Couples counseling can be a lifeline for a marriage in crisis, or a much needed opportunity to iron out feelings of disconnect before it’s too late.
Consider counseling if:
- You and your partner are not communicating, sharing, or interacting well.
- You and your partner are more like roommates than romantic partners.
- Conflicts are persistently unresolved and frustrating.
- You feel unheard and continually misunderstood.
- You miss the emotional and physical intimacy of your early days together.
- Fun and shared laughter have become rare occurrences.
- Your interactions are marked with unkindness, sarcasm, and disrespect.
- Neither of you place much trust in each other or the security of the relationship.
- An affair has done serious relationship damage.
Why couples counseling?
Couples counseling is not a last resort or a confirmation that your relationship really is too far gone.
Couples who have been together accept that relationships require a lot of work. If both you and your partner have been struggling and have tried everything to correct the problems on your own, it may be time to get help from a licensed mental health counselor. Couples counseling can be a safe way to explore and identify solutions for the issues that are standing in the way of a satisfying relationship.
How could a counselor’s help really change anything?
Love can get lost amid the responsibilities, emotions, and trials that come from internal stress and external pressure. All couples reach a point when times get really hard.
If those moments keep you and your partner stuck, counseling offers hope, direction, and a way to improve relationship skills.
If you are longing for the return of your loving connection, consider the ways couples counseling can make a difference:
- Couples counseling highlights problematic interaction and encourages healthy communication.
- Special attention is paid to conflict resolution, and learning how to disagree, without dishonoring your connection.
- Empathy, forgiveness, and cooperation is emphasized.
- Time is devoted to developing realistic expectations and healthy boundaries.
- You and your partner will strategize about how to deal with your changing needs, and the transitions in your life and relationship.
Still uncertain about scheduling couples counseling sessions?
What bothers you the most about seeking help for your relationship?
One of the most important lessons of couples counseling is that it helps you and your partner recognize that you are not powerless to get your relationship back on track, or make the changes you both deem necessary.
Your counselor is interested in helping you both take responsibility for your relationship, communicate meaningfully, and understand your perceptions and needs. You and your partner, healing not shaming, are the centerpiece of counseling work.
For some couples counseling feels like an admission of failure. It is your therapist’s job to help you confidentially and without judgment. Though he or she may challenge you, your counselor is not in the business of information sharing or holding you to his or her personal standards.
Why not give it a try?
Couples who have been together accept that relationships require a lot of work. If both you and your partner have been struggling and have tried everything to correct the problems on your own, it may be time to get help from a licensed mental health counselor. Couples counseling can be a safe way to explore and identify solutions for the issues that are standing in the way of a satisfying relationship.
You and your partner have come this far, don’t surrender hope without seeking help. Embrace the growth and insight therapy allows. Whatever the future holds, your connection is worth the work.