How can Couples Therapy Help My Relationship
Does your marriage or relationship look a lot different than it did at the beginning? Have you left the “honeymoon” stage and can’t seem to find the same joy, passion, or excitement with your partner? Do you and your partner seem to argue more, or even just co-exist as roommates? Well, couples therapy may be a way to help!
It is natural for relationships and couples to experience obstacles and challenges as they mirror the unpredictability of our unique, individual lives. Regardless of what life throws our way, as humans we have a need to feel loved, connected, valued, and heard by others – especially by our partners. However, we sometimes lose touch with our own intrinsic needs and those of our partner’s, and may lack the ability to communicate or understand these needs. Instead of directly addressing our concerns, insecurities, or needs with our partner, we may internalize them and begin emotionally distancing ourselves from the relationship.
The idea of attending couples therapy can seem intense, like it is only meant for couples that are experiencing very serious issues affecting a relationship such as infidelity, domestic violence, or substance abuse. However, many individuals are not aware of all the potential benefits that couples therapy has to offer. Couples therapy can be helpful in addressing a wide variety of relational issues including improving overall relationship satisfaction that may also impact an individual’s mental health and well-being.
Here is a list of some of the potential benefits that couples may experience when attending therapy together:
- Address underlying issues that may be unresolved within the relationship
- Improve communication skills and ways to interact with partner
- Learning new ways to address interpersonal conflict and problem solve collaboratively
- Rebuilding connection and intimacy with your partner
Ultimately, couples therapy can help individuals within the relationship to better understand their own needs, as well as the needs of their partner in order to help restore connection as a pair. It is important for both individuals in the relationship to gain clarity on previous negative patterns, so they can be aligned and better equipped to address conflict and stress as it arises.