Marriage Counseling

Marriage Counseling

What Is Marriage Counseling?

Commonly known as couples therapy it is a form of psychotherapy that helps couples of all types resolve conflicts and improve their relationships. Through counseling, you can make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding and strengthening your relationship or going your separate ways.

Counseling can help couples in all types of intimate relationships — regardless of sexual orientation or marital status.

Some couples seek counseling to strengthen their partnership and gain a better understanding of each other. It can also help couples who plan to get married. Premarital counseling can help couples achieve a deeper understanding of each other and iron out differences before marriage.

In other cases, couples seek marriage counseling to improve a troubled relationship. You can use marriage counseling to help with many specific issues, including:

marriage-counseling

What Should I Expect?

Here are some things to keep in mind when considering marriage counseling:

  • It might be hard to talk about your problems with the counselor. Sessions might pass in silence as you and your partner remain angry over perceived wrongs — or you might yell or argue during sessions. Both are OK. Your therapist can act as a referee and help you cope with the resulting emotions.
  • You can go by yourself. If your partner refuses to attend marriage counseling sessions, you can still attend. It’s more challenging to mend a relationship this way, but you can benefit by learning more about your reactions and behavior.
  • Therapy is often short-term. Some couples will only need a few sessions of counseling, while others, such as dealing with the aftermath of an affair, need it for several months. Sometimes, marriage counseling helps couples discover that their differences truly are irreconcilable and that it’s best to end the relationship. Sessions can then focus on skills for ending the relationship on good terms.
  • You will have homework. Your counselor will suggest communication exercises at home to help you practice what you’ve learned during your session. For example, talk face-to-face with your partner for a few minutes every day about nonstressful things — without any interruptions from TVs, phones, or children.
  • You or your partner might need additional care. If one of you is coping with mental illness, substance abuse, or other issues, your therapist might recommend individual therapy in conjunction with marriage counseling or will make referrals to other professionals.

If you are interested in exploring treatment, please contact me today at (317) 754-0808. I would be happy to speak with you about how counseling can help your marriage.