You’ve heard about the benefits of couples therapy and you know that it can help.
Perhaps, the relationship between yourself and your partner isn’t where you would like it to be. Things feel off, and it’s been hard to really communicate with each other.
In fact, there may have been times when discussions have quickly turned into shouting matches.
Despite these problems, there is still something that’s holding you back and keeping you from taking the next step to improve your relationship—couples counseling.
Before you dismiss the idea, consider these three benefits of couples counseling.
1. Learning to Interpret Your Partner’s “Love Language”
Everyone has their own ways of showing how they love others. This “love language” includes what you say and what you do.
It may be that both of you just haven’t learned yet how to interpret each other’s love language. This can be one of the benefits of couples therapy. By attending couples counseling you both can learn about your love languages.
Once you begin to understand each other, you have gained the ability to “read between the lines” so-to-speak. This can make a big difference in how each of you communicates.
When you know what the other person is really trying to communicate, that understanding alone can already bring you both closer together.
2. Finding Practical Ways for Conflict Resolution
Just about every couple that has ever existed has had disagreements and arguments. It’s a simple reality that you can’t get along with someone all of the time. However, for some couples, it can seem as if they need professional mediators to parachute in!
Continual conflict only escalates tensions between the two of you. Also, it hardens your heart towards the other person. Which, in turn, makes it much more difficult to have empathy for your partner.
Therefore, conflict resolution is another one of the benefits of couples therapy.
A therapist can help guide a conversation and teach you both the appropriate language you each need to settle disagreements while preserving your relationship.
3. Holding Onto and Expanding the Positive
When you go to couples counseling, it’s easy to think that it’s all about focusing on the bad or negative aspects of your relationship. However, this is far from the case.
In fact, the benefits of couples therapy include addressing and celebrating the positive things in your relationship. This can be a healthy reminder of the things that you appreciate about your partner and what you value in your relationship.
Creating that awareness is helpful for when things get difficult in couples counseling. That way you can keep in mind what it is you’re working towards and how important that is.
Taking the Next Step Towards Couples Counseling
Now it’s time to take a closer step towards couples counseling. Even if one of you is struggling with the idea of going to therapy, try to have an open mind about it.
Remember that the point of therapy is not to assign blame or root out a villain. Instead, the point of therapy is to make things better for both of you and your relationship. It’s all about improvement and building a strong and close relationship together.
There are many benefits of couples therapy. Some of these are more obvious than others.
However, the ultimate goal of couples counseling is to ensure that both of you are in a more satisfying and emotionally close relationship.
With the support of a caring therapist, you have the ability to clear up misunderstandings, resolve conflict, and learn each other’s love language in a way that supports your relationship for a long time to come. If you would like to learn more about my approach to couples counseling, please click HERE.
