Any couple can benefit from couples counseling, and it doesn’t matter how serious or simple your problems as a couple are. In many cases, couples counseling has helped couples improve communication in their relationship, and it has also helped couples revitalize their connection and re-negotiate or strengthen their commitment to one another. No marriage or relationship is perfect, and we all know this. Sometimes the issues are present from the beginning, and at other times, the problems surface when the couple has already been in the relationship for a long time. But whatever issues you have as a couple, couples counseling can help you make the best decision for yourself and your partner. Are you thinking of counseling but are not sure how it can really help you? Here’s your essential guide to couples counseling.
What it is
Couples counseling is when a professional therapist or counselor focuses on helping you resolve whatever problems you have which are causing arguments, disagreements, or distress. In some instances, the problem can be substantial, such as constant or chronic fighting, dealing with an affair, or trying to cope with a change in sexual attention or desire. But in other situations, couples can go through counseling in order to make a big decision about a particular case, such as getting married, deciding where to live, or having a baby. Many of the couples who attend counseling also do so as a way to help themselves through a difficult period or phase.
How it can benefit you
There are three main advantages you can get from couples counseling, as confirmed by the specialists in counseling McHenry offers, from The Lodestone Center for Behavioral Health. For one, counseling can help improve the way through which you communicate with your partner, reducing the intensity (and number) of arguments and helping you understand each other’s reactions and needs. Secondly, it can help you revitalize the intimacy you have lost in your relationship and restore a sense of bonding or connection. Thirdly, counseling can help you re-negotiate (or negotiate) your commitment to each other.
- How couples therapy or counseling can improve your understanding and communication
Relationships are made up of two individuals – two individuals who each have their personal history, needs, hopes, desires, and personalities. Because of this, even the best couples may never completely agree on every situation or issue. For two people to come together and share their lives, there will always be a need for compromise, negotiation, and discussion. This is why it’s essential to be able to communicate properly with your partner and to share your fears and needs and listen to what they fear and need as well. Qualified counselors or therapists can recognize your challenges in communication as a couple and teach you how to better communicate with each other. Often, even if you are just encouraged to engage in a discussion in a calm manner during couples counseling, this already helps you become more open with each other.
- How couples therapy can rejuvenate your bond and connection
Early in our relationships, we are often excited and thrilled and filled with intense emotions for our partner. But as the relationship grows and goes on, these feelings can wane as you become more familiar with each other and get caught up in the daily grind and responsibilities of being together. Some couples who have been with each other for a long period can lose their connection and intimacy, and this is where couples counseling can help rejuvenate your bond. Counselors understand that there may be phases where a couple needs to spend time apart or have different pursuits, and this is a period of transition. But counselors can help couples deal with this transition period and recognize it for what it is.
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