Can couple therapy help unhappy couples, or is it just an excellent idea? The idea is that you want to work things out. If only a wise, professional third party could set some rules and give great advice. Even though couple counseling isn’t a magic fix, most couples who go through the process can get back together.
These and many other issues can be overwhelming if you don’t have the right tools to deal with problems like fighting too much, growing apart, or job stress. Couple counseling is meant to give you and your partner the tools you need to talk to each other and work through these problems. Most people were asking if couple counseling works and want to know if it will save their relationship.
The numbers don’t need to be said. 97.1% of clients polled by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy said they got the help they needed. Nearly 80% of those who went to couple counseling said it helped. But the relationship can only work if both people are willing to put in the work. With the help of a counselor, you can work through the problems together and give your relationship a much stronger base on which to grow.
Couple counseling that works well should help you and your partner understand your relationship better and help you learn skills that support healthy relationships. This could mean learning how to talk to each other better, solve problems with a focus on listening, and make your relationship more harmonious and full of good things.
Don’t think of couple counseling as “divorce counseling” or as something your partner has to go through to show how much they love you. Remember that you can only change yourself. You can affect other people, especially close ones, but you can’t choose a path for your partner or tell them what to do. So, even in couple counseling, you will succeed most if you focus on your thoughts, attitudes, intentions, and actions. This is a simple but very effective way to make the counseling process work better.
We humans are usually not very open to change. We are more comfortable with how things are now, no matter how painful or dysfunctional. This isn’t because we like pain; it’s because what we’re used to is usually the most comfortable and takes the least amount of work. This is one of the most complex parts of counseling, whether you’re going alone or with a partner.
As was already said, for couple counseling to work, both people must want to change. Some partners know that things are so bad that they won’t listen to counseling. It’s not unusual for one partner to agree to couple counseling to say they tried to save the relationship. Even though both partners can get more out of the relationship than they expect, real change will only happen if both partners are sincere, intentional, and put in the work.
Couples who are dating face the same problems that married couples do. Couple counseling can help you and your partner find ways to deal with these problems and improve your relationship, no matter how long you’ve been together or how long you’ve been married. Premarital counseling is another name for counseling for a couple before they get married. Studies have shown that couples who get counseling before marriage are more likely to stay together for a long time. This is because counseling helps the team build a strong marriage by discussing issues like children, money, and shared responsibilities.
Your relationship can have a significant effect on both your and your partner’s mental health. A healthy relationship can reduce stress and improve your health as a whole, while a bad relationship can make you more likely to get depressed. Bad relationships can also hurt your body by making your immune system weaker, giving you high blood pressure, and so on. If you and your partner are having trouble in your relationship and can’t figure out how to fix it, going to couple counseling can help reduce the adverse effects of a bad connection on your mental and physical health.
Here are four things you can do to help improve your chances of success in couple counseling.
Before you go to counseling, you should consider what you want to get out of it and where you want your relationship to go. Be ready to accept your flaws and your part in the way things are now, and be prepared to do the work you need to do on yourself for your counseling to work.
Having the support of friends who know their limits can help you work through the problems that counseling brings up. But you won’t get anywhere if your friends tell you to leave your partner instead of giving you space to make your own choice.
Counseling needs you, your partner, and your counselor to work together based on your personalities and beliefs. It would be best to find a counselor you and your partner are both comfortable with. If your current counselor doesn’t work out, you should be ready to move on to the next one.
If you wait too long to get help, problems can get worse and make you and your partner grow to hate each other and the relationship. Getting help as soon as you notice issues can help you and your partner work through them and strengthen your relationship.
Often, they will ask you many questions to help them figure out what you want and how it makes you feel. They won’t put you under pressure to make decisions or make you do things you don’t want to do. Your life belongs to you. You can control it both outside and inside the counseling office. Our psychiatrist and psychologists will help you in long distance relationship counseling and face to face counseling as well. You can visit our licensed professional counselor in Homer Glen for the best couple counseling therapy.
The licensed clinicians at GGPA work together to help ensure collaborative teamwork and excellent communication, bringing you the best possible experience.