3 Fundamental Elements Where Couples Therapy Can Help

Couples often feel that the problems in their relationships are unique. However, chances are an experienced therapist has seen similar issues in other couples, come up with solutions and gauged the results. Relationships can suffer from poor communication, broken trust and damaging behavior, and this is where counseling can help.

1. Communication

Therapy provides a safe place outside the home where a couple can discuss issues that might otherwise be too difficult to broach. Couples generally need to feel confident while talking about feelings without fearing judgment. When each partner trusts that the other will actively listen, they each begin to feel valued and that their words are worth saying.

Therapists teach couples active listening and how to process what their partner is saying instead of reacting to the words. Couples can discover positive communication techniques and identify negative phrases often used in a conflict. They can then work to avoid using hurtful words and learn not to react.

2. Trust

The inability to trust one another can undermine any relationship. However, if there has been a breach of trust, it can be rebuilt over time. Often, addressing the issue that damaged the trust in a partnership can uncover more fundamental problems, such as mental/emotional disorders and past traumas.

If one partner has undergone trust issues in a past relationship, those experiences can return to haunt the current one. A therapist can help that partner unearth the cause of the mistrust and give them tools that may help separate the past from the present. Discussing internal difficulties with trust can also foster a sense of understanding and sympathy and strengthen faith in the relationship.

Sometimes, the cause for mistrust in a couple results from an incident in their relationship. Counseling can open the doors for discussion of both parties’ feelings and lead them to avenues that might rebuild the trust.

3. Damage Control

Most often, couples seek counseling after fighting over an unhealthy behavior, such as addiction or an affair. A therapist can help each individual identify past events that have led to unhealthy coping skills. When a couple explores what happened and why to build the bigger picture together, they can often find new ways to trust and rebuild the relationship.

Therapy can help a couple redevelop a strong feeling of love, trust and willingness to work together, thus eliminating the need to “act out.” A partnership can also learn to identify triggers and work together to avoid them or deal with them in healthier ways.

Couples therapy can improve almost any partnership if they are committed to spending time and doing the work. The right therapist, like a couples therapist in Palatine, IL, may also save your relationship if you start today.

Thank you to the experts at Lotus Wellness Center, for their contributions to counseling and therapy.