All relationships experience ups and downs. No matter how good the relationship is, there are going to be moments of strife, disagreement and doubt. When this happens, it may be helpful to seek the guidance of a professional counsellor. For couples who are unable to resolve conflicts on their own, couples therapy is an excellent option.
Couples therapy can not only give you and your partner a foundation on which to build better communication, it can also help you gain a greater understanding as to how your partner thinks and behaves. This alone can make it easier to maintain the relationship down the road. When life throws problems your way - as it tends to do – you’ll be much better equipped to handle them.
Ideally, couples should seek therapy long before they think they need to. Most experts believe that therapy can be helpful as soon as both partners feel that there is something wrong in the relationship. Many of the issues a couple faces start small but grow in importance if they are not resolved.
This is where therapy can help. By giving a couple new tools and techniques to improve conflict resolution, a professional therapist can provide couples with a roadmap to get from problems to solutions. It is important not to wait until the issues in the relationship are overwhelming, or until irreparable damage has been done to the relationship.
Although every therapist is different, there are some common methods most employ. Couples therapy will usually begin with several standard interview questions that allow the therapist to get to know the couple and discuss the areas of the relationship they hope to improve.
The therapist will then typically assist the couple in identifying the issue causing problems in the relationship, creating treatment goals and planning a framework for treatment. During treatment, the therapist may assign homework for the couple to work on before the next session.
This allows them to apply the skills they have learned in therapy to their daily life. Practicing these new skills on a regular basis can help change behaviours and ways of interacting with each other. Over time, partners can develop the skills necessary to communicate and solve problems more effectively.
It is normal for couples to experience difficulties at times in their relationship. But the truth is that anyone who is serious about maintaining a relationship can also benefit from couple’s therapy. Therapy helps couples find new ways of resolving problems and conflicts that they haven't been able to handle effectively on their own.
If you and your partner are experiencing a conflict that you are having difficulty solving on your own, couples therapy can provide numerous advantages and benefits. Ultimately though, the success of couple’s therapy depends greatly on a couple's willingness to change. Both partners must be primarily motivated by love and a desire to do better for themselves and for their loved one.