Relationships take work. In fact, one of the best ways to keep your relationship in good working order, you need to put in regular work to maintain (or even improve) it. When you notice issues start to pop up, that should be a signal that you need to fix whatever isn’t working quickly to prevent extra resentment from building up. Sometimes, we can work out our own problems. Other times, we might need a bit of extra help making sure we get back on track.
That’s where a good couples therapist can come in. Couples counseling can help you improve your relationship and work through issues that you’re having right now. It can also help you improve your conflict resolution skills, which can make it easier for you to work through your problems in the future without a therapist.
So What is Couples Therapy?
Couples therapy can best be defined as a type of talk therapy where a licensed therapist works with couples in romantic relationships to help improve the state of their relationship. Couples therapy can be a really insightful experience where you can learn about your relationship, resolve conflicts, and generally improve your satisfaction in the relationship.
Couples therapy can focus on specific problems in the relationship, or can just be used as a tool for maintenance. Whatever the case, couples therapy usually requires active participation from everyone in the relationship and often approaches the couple as a unit rather than as individuals.
Couples therapy is also very effective. Most couples find that they get the help they need from couples therapy and walk away with more effective tools for dealing with conflict.
What to Expect
Couples therapy is extremely effective and each person in the relationship can learn and grow from it. In case you’re curious on how the process can work, let me give you the rundown.
The First Session
Usually the initial session will involve an interview about your relationship and its history. There’s also a chance that you’ll get into your respective origins, family history, values, and general background. These questions will give your therapist a better idea of who you are, why you are the way that you are, and how it could impact your relationship. It can also help your therapist intervene in the case of a relationship crisis and identify issues that need to be focused on. All in all, in your first session you should be able to establish goals and the structure of your sessions moving forward.
Ongoing Sessions
Throughout future sessions, you will gain valuable insight into your relationship. This will help you learn what dynamics can be causing the problems in your relationship and help you identify your roles in these dynamics. With this new knowledge, your perception of each other can also shift into something new and more understanding.
Couples Therapy in the Real World
When you go through couples therapy, it’s important to change behaviors that are causing problems. One of the ways therapists can achieve this is by assigning homework to couples so you can improve your relationship at home, too.
Benefits of Couples Therapy
Couples therapy can change the course of your relationship and is extremely effective. So much so that I want to share some of the benefits of couples therapy with you.
- Couples therapy can help you improve your communication skills, leading you and your partner to communicate in healthier and more effective ways.
- Couples therapy can help you strengthen the bond between you and your partner. This can help you feel more supported by each other and empowered in your relationship.
- A part of strengthening your bond is also building trust. Trust is essential to a healthy relationship and a strong bond, so building (or rebuilding trust) can be truly transformative for your relationship.
- While you might be able to work through your relationship issues without outside help, it can be a longer, harder, more painful process. Working with a licensed therapist can help you improve your relationship struggles in less time (and hopefully in a less frustrating process).
I hope this article gave you some extra clarity on what couples therapy really is. I want to make sure that you understand that couples counseling isn’t just for couples that are having problems. Like individual therapy or counseling, couples counseling can be a part of regular maintenance to maintain your relationship and prevent issues from arising. If you need any help finding a couples therapist, reach out to us at https://thattherapyspace.com/, by phone at (509) 800-7129, or by email at [email protected]. We are located in Liberty Lake, Washington, just minutes from Spokane, WA, and Coeur D’ Alene, ID. We offer both in person and virtual therapy options and would love to support you, no matter where you’re at in your relationship.