Relationships are not easy, all the lovey dovey feelings and chemistry notwithstanding. A romantic relationship needs work and regular servicing. Otherwise, just like a badly maintained machine, it will stall.
Oftentimes couples can make their relationships work with the usual maintenance tactics such as communications, honesty, affirmation, et al. Other times, they need a professional perspective from competent therapists such as the Wellness Counseling Center to help them figure out what needs fixing.
People rarely think of couples’ therapy as worthwhile. Many will consider it when the relationship has undergone irreparable damage. Research indicates that that the average couple will be together unhappily for a record six years before they consider counseling.
Misconceptions
Many people think couples’ therapy is for extremely serious issues affecting couples such as:
- Infidelity
- Addiction (to substances or habits)
- Communication issues
- Blended families
- Trust issues
- The end of the relationship
Others think going to therapy means the relationship is as good as over and you are making one final desperate move to try and save it. Others are of the opinion that therapy is a way to make your partner realize they are the problem and need to change.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Couples therapy does a lot of good for relationships, especially with regard to fixing a wide variety of relationship issues. It not only helps you enjoy a healthier, happier relationship, but it also helps in ensuring that even if you choose to go your separate ways, you do so amicably.
In addition, a healthy relationship leads to satisfaction, which has a very positive effect on mental health.
What is couples’ therapy?
It is a psychotherapy; a professional therapist works with people in a romantic relationship to help them gain insight into their union and resolve any issues they may be going through and improve their relationship. Couples’ therapy involves:
- Focus on a particular problem such as addiction
- Effort to treat the relationship not the individuals
- Focus on solutions and change within the relationship early into therapy
- Establishing the objectives of the treatment
Who qualifies for couples’ therapy?
Any couple that is involved romantically in whatever stage (dating, engaged, married) qualifies. An engaged couple may find premarital counseling useful as they prepare for marriage life. Many couples tend to get excited about the wedding and forget that there is marriage that follows the ceremony.
A couple that has been together for a long time may consider therapy in an attempt to rediscover the excitement of the early years or how to rekindle romance in their relationship.
Couples’ counseling plays the following roles:
- Helps resolve conflict in a relationship
- Prevents problems from getting worse
- Explores reasons for a stressful situation
- Provides a platform for couples to be vulnerable and air their problems
- Provides a platform for couples to safely address issues they may have been afraid of speaking out about
Seeing professional counselors such as the Wellness Counseling Center could give you the push you never knew you needed to make your relationship better and stronger instead of pulling the plug and letting a perfectly good union that may only be going through a small hiccup end.
