Few things in life are quite as stressful as being in a troubled relationship. You and your partner may constantly argue about anything and everything. You may feel like you always have to walk on eggshells around them. Alternatively, they may do things that totally irritate you or that leave you shaking your head in disappointment. Perhaps the two of you want different things out of life and can’t seem to agree on the direction your relationship should take.
No matter what the problem is, when you are having relationship problems, it can be difficult to think about anything else. You may find yourself spending your days worrying about what to do next or wondering how to fix the problems you are facing. The stress can keep you awake at night, preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep. It can also make you distracted and irritable, affecting your life in numerous ways.
If you are currently struggling to get your relationship back on track, it can be hard to know how best to proceed. Trying to have a conversation with your partner can feel like you are spinning your wheels since both of you might be set in your ways.
Can couple therapy help your relationship when there are persistent problems? The answer is yes. Of course, success with counselling depends a lot on how much effort both you and your partner are willing to put into the process. The counsellor can provide advice and recommendations. However, it is entirely up to you and your partner to put in the necessary work to fix your relationship.
Having said that, however, there are many ways that counselling can help. For one thing, it provides you with a new perspective on your relationship. Because your counsellor is an outside observer, they often can see both sides of an issue. This makes them the perfect go-between, allowing them to help each of you understand your partner’s perspective. This can make it easier to have empathy for each other’s viewpoints, allowing you to come to an agreement on issues that may have previously been triggers in your relationship.
Couples counselling provides you with a safe place where you can openly talk about your feelings. This makes it possible to communicate how you are feeling to your partner. Likewise, they can communicate their feelings to you. Sometimes, outside of a counselling session, this is more difficult. You may wind up getting into an argument or blowing each other off before you have a chance to fully express your views.
Can couple therapy help make it easier to talk to one another? In most cases, the answer is yes. In a counselling session, your therapist can act as a moderator, making sure that no one’s emotions get too far out of control. This can make it easier for each of you to really hear what the other person is saying instead of just responding negatively right out of the gate.
It is also important to remember that the primary purpose of couples counseling is not necessarily to save your relationship although this can certainly be the goal. Instead, it is to help you work through your problems to decide whether or not your relationship is worth saving or whether the two of you would be better off splitting up. Either way, your counsellor should be able to help the two of you come to a mutually satisfactory agreement about the best course of action for your relationship. Ultimately, whether you stay together or split up, attending counselling together can help make both of you far happier and work towards a resolution.
In the end, the ultimate goal of counselling is to make it easier for the two of you to understand each other’s viewpoints. This, in turn, can help create harmony in your relationship. In most cases, counselling is very effective at doing this.
Sometimes, however, the problems are simply too large to fix. The two of you may have very different ideas of how a relationship works or of where your relationship is heading.
When your opinions are too far apart, or sometimes when the problems have accumulated over time and one person has fallen out of love, it can be impossible to find a way to compromise. In that case, you may be better off splitting up and finding a way to adjust. Your counsellor can help you work through these issues so that you can make a smart, informed decision about the future of your relationship. Best of all, you and your partner can do this together, making it a mutual decision.
Ultimately, what it really boils down to is that if you want this type of therapy to work, you and your partner both have to be fully committed to the process. That means being willing to open up and share your thoughts and feelings. It also means being open to the idea of compromise. You may have to make some personal sacrifices in order to help your relationship work. Just remember that your partner will also have to do the same.
Can couple therapy help save your relationship? The answer is yes, as long as you are willing to do the work. Before you begin attending counselling, make an agreement with your significant other that the two of you will fully commit to the process, giving it your all. That way, you have the best chance of being able to get a favorable outcome from therapy. This can be particularly important if the two of you have children together. Figuring out how best to proceed with your relationship can help ease household stress, making your home a far healthier and happier place to live.