24 Mar Couple Therapy: How does it work
Are you considering couple therapy but not sure what it’s about? Whether it will help? If it’s worth your time and money? You are at the right place.
What is couple therapy?
We all know that romantic relationships require a lot of effort. They are like any appliance in our house that requires proper care and servicing by a technician occasionally for them to function optimally. The couple therapist is the technician that helps your relationship function better.
Couples therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps couples recognize and resolve conflicts thereby gaining an insight into their relationship. Couples therapy is not just for married people, it can help couples in all types of intimate relationships — regardless of sexual orientation or marriage status.
The therapist helps people involved in a romantic relationship to make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding and strengthening their relationship or going their separate ways.
How does couples therapy help?
Couples therapy starts with an interview of the couple by the therapist. He/she asks some standard questions regarding the relationship history while simultaneously exploring the client’s family-of-origin, values and cultural background. Usually both partners take couples therapy, however, sometimes one or both partners choose to work with the therapist alone in individual sessions.
What do you do in couple therapy?
After the initial interview the therapist assists the couple in identifying the issue that will be the focus of treatment and how this will be worked along the sessions.
During the treatment, the therapist helps the couple gain insight into the problem, while helping both partners understand each of their roles in what is causing the issue. This helps them change the way they perceive each other and their relationship.
The most crucial aspect of therapy is changing behaviours and ways of interacting with each other. Most couples gain awareness into their relationship, they learn better ways of emotional expression and develop the skills required to communicate in an effective manner and learn essential problem-solving skills to be implemented in their daily lives. Thus, leading to better relationship dynamics and mental well-being.
When is the right time to seek couple therapy?
The right time to seek therapy is long before couples think they “need” to. Most of the times, couple’s issues are initially very small, however they grow over a period of time into relationship threatening issues as couples don’t seek help. This is where therapy can help, by providing the necessary tools and techniques to improve conflict resolution and communication skills.
Therapy can help partners to improve mutual understanding and is considered an effective tool in managing a relationship and leading to better emotional health. Couples should take preventive measures to maintain the health of the relationship, thereby strengthening the bond which might be tested over the course of time.
How long should you go for couple therapy?
Couples therapy is often short term; however, there’s no one-size-fits-all in answer to this question. It usually depends on the couple and the issues they’re working through. Some couples may require only a few sessions to mend their relationship, while others may remain in therapy much longer.
This may interest you: What is the Empty Nest syndrome and how Couples Therapy can help
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