Most of the time, couples counseling is the last thing on a couple’s minds when they are on the verge of a break-up or when one partner is just “done” with the relationship. Some couples will just decide to end it, without even looking at other possible options to save the marriage or relationship. You do have an option, let Dr. Tiffany Sanders, PhD, tell you why you must attend couples counseling.
In This Article:
- Couples Counseling Might Be Your Saving Grace
- Enhance Communication
- Increase Intimacy
- Work Through Infidelity
- Let Go of the Past
- When You Think You Might Be Happier with Someone Else
- Disagreements in Raising Children
- Money Management
How Can Couples Counseling Save Your Relationship?
Couple Counseling Might Be Your Saving Grace
Many hesitate to undergo the marriage counseling process because they don’t want to be told what to do in their relationship. Also, they believe they can fix the problems on their own. However, relationships are hard work and a licensed counselor can help you learn how black family counseling can weather a storm threatening your marriage.
1. Enhance Communication
Unreliable strategies such as the “silent treatment,” shouting, or using disrespectful words can damage a relationship. In marriage counseling, you can discover effective, healthy communication strategies to ensure that both of your wants, needs, and frustrations are heard in a respectful manner, while still learning how to create a relationship that encourages sharing, talking, and connecting.
2. Increase Intimacy
Ignoring your partner’s pleas for intimacy and/or sex can lead to a lack of connectedness, foster feelings of insecurity and rejections, and increase the likelihood of infidelity. Couples counseling cannot only help you discover your partner’s language of love, but it can also provide you with tips and strategies to keep the spark in the relationship.
3. Work Through Infidelity
Relationships can recover and be saved when rocked by infidelity. In counseling, married people can learn what factors contributed to infidelity, how to safeguard your relationship from future occurrences of infidelity, and learn ways to forgive, trust, and be trusted.
4. Let Go of the Past
Baggage from past issues of abandonment, trust, or lack of follow-through can fracture a relationship. Also, your partner may be unaware you are still stewing over those issues from the past. In couples counseling, learn to become unstuck, find ways to move on, forgive, and focus on your happiness and the future.
5. When You Think You Might Be Happier with Someone Else
If you have been with your partner for many years, things can become boring. Attention from a past lover or coworker has you wondering if you could be happier with someone else.
However, the grass is not always greener on the other side. By seeing a marriage counselor and attending sessions, you can learn how to reconnect with your partner and regain the excitement to create a lasting relationship.
6. Disagreements in Raising Children
The way you parent, discipline, and nurture your children anger or frustrate your partner. Counseling can help you agree on effective strategies to raise your children and reduce inconsistencies in parenting, which can breed children who misbehave.
7. Money Management
He loves new gadgets and electronics, recklessly spends money, and pays the bills late. On the other hand, you are frugal, saving money for a rainy day, purchase of a home and retirement. Working with a counselor can get at the root of the financial problem or reckless spending. It can also outline financial goals for the family to save and to enjoy the pleasures of life.
Dr. Tiffany D. Sanders, Ph.D., is a relationship expert, licensed psychologist, owner of Sanders & Associates, a group counseling practice based in Naperville, IL, and author of the book My Purpose is For Real: 7 Simple Steps to Get Back on Track to Achieve Your Dreams.
Find out more about couples counseling by checking out this video from The Doctors:
May this article by Dr. Tiffany Sanders, PhD help you understand what to expect from marriage counseling. Hard work and team effort between you and your spouse are the main ingredients of a healthy and happy marriage. Just communicate properly with each other and don’t be afraid to seek help from a licensed marriage counselor for the betterment of your relationship.
Have you ever been to couples counseling? What was your experience? Tell us in the comments section below!
Up Next: 4 Things You Need To Know Before You Go To Marriage Counseling
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on February 21, 2012, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
This is a good list. If possible, I think it’s good to get recommendations when looking for a couple’s counselor. Our premarital counselor wasn’t so great, in my opinion.
Marriage counseling can be helpful. I have also had some marriage counseling that was totally one sided. It’s a delicate balance. Teamwork makes the dream work and a great coach can make all the difference in the world. Pray for guidance for who is best to guide you.
I agree that many people wait too long to seek counsel. I am one of them. My spouse wasn’t interested in seeking advisement, so I tried everything in my power I could think of. Unfortunatly it wasn’t enough to keep us together. I feel deep down inside if we had given it a chance we would be in a much better place. I dont know how others who say they salvage a relationship solo accomplish that because in my relationship I prayed, did surveys, queationaires, became quiet, talked, wrote letters, and I now see that it was way too big for me to handle alone.
We went through a great pre-marital counseling that helped us to work together to build a solid foundation for marriage. I think it was the best thing we could have done. It really helps to have an objective 3rd party and someone who wants to help your relationships grow. Desiree http://www.thelovejourney.com
Finding a good counselor is like finding a good mechanic. You have to ask around a bit, and pay attention to what people say about him or her. The profession has both stars and bad eggs, so you have to do your homework if you want a good outcome.
The reasons included in this post are quite convincing and true. These are few reasons which can affect a healthy relation and make it broken. I want to pay my sincere regards to author for this research.
counselling in melbourne
It’s difficult to find a counselor who doesn’t take sides, or play the blame game.
marriage counseling can be very helpful when both parties “listen intentively”. you have to be open to really hearing the concerns of your spouse and not merely be there to try to have a mediator tell them what they need to work on. this is also a good way to “check in” with one another when issues come up before they become too serious so you don’t want to wait until one of the parties is talking or has filed for divorce to get the help you need. issues like money management and infidelity are two big issues that marriages end over and counseling can help both parties to remember what they promised in their vows and what made them fall in love with each other in the first place. remembering the grass isn’t always greener is a very good point. don’t be so quick to write your spouse off because if your motives aren’t right to begin with you will end up repeating the same mistakes.
It takes two people to want to go to counseling and to make it a priority before anything else.
Thanks for mentioning that marriage counseling can help us develop effective and healthy communication strategies that ensure both of our wants, needs, and frustrations are effectively communicated. My husband and I have been married for almost fifteen years, but we haven’t been effectively communicating for the past year, which has caused a lot of fights and disagreements. Hopefully we can find a great counselor in our area who can help us work through our issues!
This post beautifully explains why couples should opt for couples counselling. All the mentioned reasons are convincing. As a therapist, I can assure couples that they will notice some good changes once they start working with a professional counsellor. Couples counselling is a great way of strengthening your bond with your spouse.
It’s good to know that couples counseling can help you understand any financial problems that could be occurring in your marriage. My sister has been telling me about how her husband has been spending too much money on things that aren’t essential, and she wants to know why. I’ll share this information with her so that she can look into her options for marriage counseling in the future.
I am really glad to know that couples counseling has so many potential benefits.
Recently, I got married off. We believe, show respect for each other’s emotions and feelings. In a word, We lead a healthy and happy relationship.
Do we still need to start marriage counseling?