Sometimes couples are reluctant to seek help to try and resolve conflicts and restore the relationship’s dynamics. Couples counseling is not just for those with big issues or problems, even the happy ones need assistance in life to be able to navigate through its bumps.
When we are in a committed relationship, it’s common to face ups and downs throughout the love journey; it’s completely normal and healthy to experience difficulties and challenges. What’s more important is how you react and resolve the issues.
Couples therapy has many benefits for those struggling in the relationship. It’s a form of counseling or psychotherapy that helps partners recognize their conflicts and resolve problems that weigh down on the relationship.
Let’s see how couples can benefit from counseling.
Table of Contents
1) Resolve Drawbacks
While major decisions like buying a house, having a child, or relocating can influence your rational thinking and prevent the relationship from moving in the right direction, it’s not just about these major decisions. Sometimes, the root of the conflict lies deep within the person’s inability to process the little things, share emotions or communicate feelings.
Having a neutral third party in resolving the relationship issues can improve the dynamics and help you overcome any drawbacks that have imposed fights and disagreements. The therapist will play the role of a sounding board where both of you can get off what weighs on your chest and try to find potential solutions.
You can find the best experts for couples therapy in San Francisco. They can help you understand what you really want from the relationship and how to start the healing process. Make sure to check them out and book a session!
2) Work On Self-Growth
The root of many issues is the discontent with how we’re living life or how it turned out to be different from what we imagined. By attending counseling, you will, in turn, be able to understand yourself on a deeper level and explore the areas of your life that are not fulfilling you. Thus, you will learn more about yourself and boost self-growth.
3) Create a Safe Space
Often when both partners are in the heat of the moment, they struggle to open up, be vulnerable, and be honest. Creating a safe space for both is crucial in resolving the issues, setting boundaries, and communicating effectively.
One of the partners might be worried about hurting the other one, so that’s where the safe space comes into play.
Do not include friends and family in the conflicts since they often tend to take sides and make things worse. Couples therapy can create a safe space, and the therapist will be able to oversee the process and intervene when necessary. The key is to address the issues in the therapist’s office where both of you feel safe, secure, and heard.
4) Determine What You Want From The Relationship
Sometimes couples go to therapy just to understand what they want from the relationship and see if it's salvageable. The therapy can help you explore, clarify and express your feelings, letting the other partner know your concerns and struggles. It can help you reach your relationship goals by figuring out how to make things work and finding a common ground.
Once you’ve determined the relationship goals, it’s time to restore trust. Trust issues arise from lack of honesty, infidelity, and financial struggles among others, so recognizing the weaknesses in the relationship can help you rebuild the trust.
People often seek help to explore the root of the trust issues and work on forgiveness. Building back trust is difficult, but not impossible. With the right tools, you can go back to your old selves and form a solid foundation for what will be the future of your relationship.
5) Improve Communication
The first step in improving your communication is to recognize the cause of poor communication and to look for warning signs and areas to improve. Signs that show you and your partner are struggling with lack of communication include passive-aggressive behavior, shutting off completely, dishonesty, not showing interest, etc.
To improve the quality of your communication, first, you need to process your feelings and take quiet time to think of your next steps. Choose the right time to talk about what bothers you so that both of you can find a solution to fix the problem.
Instead of using the “You” statements, try incorporating sentences like “I feel hurt when…”. The way we communicate with our partner and the tone of our voice plays a big role in how the communication will continue. Do not start pointing fingers or blaming your partner and expect to have a healthy discussion about the issues that are bothering you.
Enjoy The Benefits of Couples Therapy!
The benefits of couples counseling can help you fix your relationship and solve conflicts. Book a session and save your marriage or relationship now!
To learn more about what couples counseling is, the common strategies therapists use in solving issues, or how therapy helped many couples read our blog.
3 Responses
Relationships can get complicated when marriage is added into the mix, so I can see how counseling can help with that. Learning what my partner would want to expect and what I expect will help us manage our images of each other well. I’ll focus on that for sure when I find a counseling expert that offers consultations for couples.
I like that you talked about how relationship counseling has many benefits for those struggling in the relationship. I was talking with my best friend earlier and I heard that he is having some issues with his current relationship. Getting help seems like the best bet, so I think they should consult with a counselor.
I was always told that communication was an important part of marriage. Reading this article and seeing how couples counseling can help with that was really helpful, as I can see this as something my wife and I would appreciate. As early as now, I’ll help us improve the way we talk to each other by looking for a couples counselor we can be regulars at.