No relationship is ever done growing, and every marriage is always going to face challenges down the road. It doesn’t matter if you are a new couple or have been together for years, struggles within a relationship are a normal part of life.
That’s why couples counseling exists. To help you learn how to build a stronger foundation, develop better strategies for communication, and improve intimacy for you and your partner.
Relationship Issues Couples Counseling Can Help With
There is nothing to lose by reaching out for couples therapy. Couples in all stages in their relationship -from the happily married to those on the brink of divorce – find that the skills they learn through couples therapy benefit them and their relationship in the short and long term. In an ideal world, all couples would proactively attend couples therapy to further their skills and grow in their relationships before any problems arise.
But, for most couples, there are signs and issues that occur that lead people to seeking out couples therapy. These include:
- Trust Has Been Broken – Trust can be broken in relationship for a variety of different reasons. It can be little lies that damage trust over time, or a life event like infidelity or financial discoveries. Whatever the reason, developing that foundation of trust again is something that couples counseling can support. It can lead to many hard conversations, but in a situation where a couple is struggling to trust one another, those conversations are absolutely vital.
- A Lack of Intimacy – There are relationship counselors that are specifically educated in intimacy and how to help when passion begins to fade in a relationship. This can be an uncomfortable topic to speak about with a professional, but going that extra mile can create a lot of healing and help develop an even stronger relationship than before.
- Destructive Arguments Over Solutions – A healthy argument in a relationship is not one against another, it is two partners working together to find a solution to a problem. When arguments become consistently destructive, or end up repeating the same topics over and over, this usually means that one or both members of the relationship are not using the proper skills for healthy communication. Couples therapy is a great way to practice these abilities.
- Broken Communication – To develop the support that you need to keep the relationship healthy, both you and your partner need to invest in solid communication. If you’re noticing defensiveness or consistent criticism, it may be a sign that there’s been a breakdown in your communication styles. Couples therapy is a fantastic way to build that back up with interpersonal techniques and solid therapy.
- Traumatic Life Events – This is a less common reason for relationship counseling, but if you and your partner have had a traumatic life event, such as financial issues, a loss in the family, or something else, counseling can be an important next step. Relationships can be altered by exterior forces if they are not acknowledged or dealt with properly. That is why marriage counseling and relationship therapy are focused on developing the mental health of two people together, rather than focusing on the coping mechanisms of the individual.
Still, the truth is that couples therapy is for any couple that feels that they’d benefit from therapy. It is designed to provide skills training, communication, and so much more – benefits that are effective for any couple that feels that they have room to grow. If any partner feels that couples counseling is right for them, then both partners should consider the many benefits that it has to offer.
