Is Couples Therapy Right For You?
Are you looking for a psychotherapist because you're in a relationship which seems like it's dead or seems as though it provides only irritation and rage?
Few experiences feel more agonizing than choosing to spend a lifetime with another person and later finding that you're struggling to interact with them in a pleasant way.
If you happen to feel like your significant other isn't the individual you fell in love with; when it seems the communication gap gets larger day after day; when it feels like your relationship is beyond hope after discovering an affair… chances are you may start to feel that it's too late to attempt something to save your marriage and save the love you shared in the past.
Having said that, as you're reading this article, you probably still care enough about your spouse and your relationship to want to help by any means you're able. If that's so, your marriage is probably well worth saving and should be given a chance to be a success.
Couples counseling and psychotherapy can make it easier to recover the trust and intimacy you enjoyed in the past. Couples therapy can offer a safe space as well as the techniques and resources you'll need to allow your relationship a chance of success. Couples therapy can help you and your spouse:
- Put an end to never-ending quarrels
- Sort out past wounds and unpleasant memories
- Rise above parenting differences
- Transform your intimacy and sex life
- Overcome an affair
- Grow closer together
- Become actively interested and engaged in the life you've created together
When thinking about couples counseling and therapy, it is far from uncommon to ask yourself if going to a couples therapist will actually help.
Considering this, recently research has been carried out to determine the effectiveness of couples counseling.
In an article posted by the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, clients of marriage and family therapists in 15 states noted their experiences with couples therapy. The answers indicate that marriage and family therapists can effectively resolve many types of couples issues in a relatively brief stretch of time and that patient results and levels of satisfaction are very good.
Nearly all couples counselors would acknowledge that a couple's commitment to help their relationship succeed is the most critical element in determining the success of couples counseling. Even the best couples counselor is unlikely to rescue a relationship where one partner has already decided to get out, and even a mediocre couples therapist is likely to help a couple who are utterly invested in helping to make their relationship work..
What kind of couples make the most of couples counseling? Besides those who're ready to do whatever it takes, the answer appears to be reasonably young, non-sexist couples who continue to be in love and are determined to be honest and genuine with each other.
Which kind of couples don't benefit from couples counseling? Couples counseling is apparently significantly less successful for couples who procrastinate too long before looking for assistance, and when one partner is already set on leaving and is closed to any suggestions that can help save the relationship.
Having said that, if you and your partner want to create the best relationship possible, couples counseling and couples therapy can offer a safe place to explore your relationship, help you expose and address any detrimental habits in your interactions with one another, and provide you communication resources and skills to restore trust, generate intimacy, and rediscover the joy, surprise, and closeness in your relationship.