If you’re feeling unhappy or discouraged in your relationship, you may be wondering whether you need marriage counseling. Maybe you keep having the same arguments over and over again, and you wonder if it’s possible to come to a compromise or resolution. Perhaps things have been tense for a while, and you feel ambivalent or overwhelmed about having a future with your partner. 

All relationships have ebbs and flows, but consistent relationship stress can undoubtedly affect your quality of life. Relationship counseling can help you work through challenging issues between you and your partner. It can even restore a sense of hope and friendship within the partnership.

What Is Marriage Counseling?

Marriage counseling offers a supportive environment for couples to process feelings, improve communication, deepen their emotional intimacy, and even part amicably if needed. Therapists work with clients to implement new ways of understanding, communicating, and embracing one another.

Marriage therapists don’t take sides or determine who is “right” within a relationship conflict. This process isn’t about finding winners or assigning blame. Instead, counseling is about finding common ground, implementing compromise, and harnessing individual strengths for the collective improvement of the relationship.

Couples therapy can help couples deal with a variety of issues.

Premarital Counseling

Premarital counseling can help you prepare for the long-term commitment associated with marriage. It might include processing different belief systems, family roles, parenting choices, and communication styles. Pre marriage counseling is something that all couples will benefit from regardless of the current state of their relationship.

Many people struggle with sharing their feelings, asserting their needs, and defining their personal boundaries. Additionally, unhealthy communication can lead to one or both partners feeling misunderstood, lonely, angry, and resentful. Fortunately, couples therapy can provide healthy tools for strengthening your relationship and improving healthy communication. 

Trust Issues in Marriage

Trust is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. When trust feels shaky or nonexistent, both partners find it hard to connect. Therapy can help you and your partner process the roadblocks that may be causing trust issues between you. 

Making Serious Decisions

Some couples find it difficult to make crucial life decisions, like having children or relocating for a job, together. You might have some difficulty making crucial life decisions. Things like whether you want to have children or relocating for work can put a lot of pressure on any relationship. 

Sex Therapy

Problems with sex and intimacy can lead to resentment and frustration. Many times, the physical issues. It often happens that physical issues related to sex are related to emotional problems like vulnerability or past trauma. Sex therapy can help address these dynamics. 

Mental Illness

If you or your partner struggle with a mental illness, the relationship may feel strained or tense. Therapy can help offer practical solutions for coping with symptoms related to conditions like depression or anxiety. It is typically recommended that the couple also each has their own individual counselor.

Family Therapy

Children, in-laws, and other family members can impact the quality of a relationship, especially when partners don’t see eye-to-eye. Family therapy which may or may not involve other family members is important in order to restore equilibrium in the home. Couples can learn to establish appropriate boundaries and guidelines for navigating family dynamics. 

Significant Life Transitions

Even positive changes in life can be stressful whether you are moving in together, having your first child, or contemplating retirement. Therapy can help couples transition more easily and confidently when they need to. 

Your therapist will begin your treatment by exploring the nature of your relationship, your current concerns, and your intentions for therapy. Together, you will all collaborate on setting effective counseling goals.

Marriage Counseling: Does it Work?

Many couples can benefit from relationship counseling. It doesn’t matter whether you just started dating or you’ve been married for decades. Additionally, it doesn’t matter how old you are, what your sexual orientation is, or whether you’ve tried counseling in the past.

Unfortunately, people often wait until the relationship has completely deteriorated before asking for help. You don’t need to be in an immediate crisis to receive support. In fact, it’s easier to make necessary changes before your relationship is on its last leg. 

Marriage counseling requires openness. People need to be willing to examine both your partner and yourself. People often focus on how they want their partner to change rather than taking responsibility for their behavior. They have identified what’s wrong in their relationship, and they think that everything would be better if their partner behaved differently.

Couples therapy isn’t about pitting a couple against each other. It’s about finding solutions for growth, change, and mutual satisfaction. Therefore, it places emphasis on what you need to change as well.

Not all couples are suitable for couples therapy. If you are in a physically or emotionally abusive relationship or if your partner struggles with a drug or alcohol addiction, seek individual support first. A licensed professional can help steer you in the appropriate direction for tools related to codependency and moving forward in your relationship. 

What If Your Partner Doesn’t Want To Attend Marriage Counseling?

Even if you believe that you need relationship counseling, your partner may not be on board. While this can be frustrating, it’s important to consider their needs and feelings. 

Don’t assume you know their reason for refusing therapy. Instead, try to talk about it. Some people believe that it’s inappropriate to talk about personal issues to a stranger. Others may feel that it’s too expensive or time-consuming. By understanding their rationale, it might be easier to decide if you can work through these issues.

You might consider an alternative approach. For example, can they commit to trying just one or two sessions before dismissing the idea altogether? Would they be more interested in the process if they chose the therapist themselves? If they are in their own therapy, would they prefer to discuss couples counseling with their individual therapist first? 

Finally, although it may seem counter-intuitive, you don’t need your partner to benefit from counseling. Seeking individual therapy can help you learn more about yourself, your needs and expectations, and your relationship satisfaction. As you begin to make new changes in your life, you may notice that your partner’s behavior also changes. 

How to Find Marriage Counseling Near Me 

You may be wondering: “How can I find marriage counseling near me?” If you know someone who’s had success in couples counseling, you might want to consider asking them about their therapist. If you’re already in therapy, ask your individual therapist if they can provide you with a referral to someone they trust. 

Online Couples Counseling 

If you and your partner have busy schedules, online therapy is a viable and flexible option. Regain offers couples counseling anytime and anywhere; it’s currently the only mainstream online therapy service that provides services catered towards couples. 

Marriage Counseling Near Me: Final Thoughts

Give your relationship a fresh new start by going online and googling: “Marriage therapist near me.” You’ll be surprised at how many hassle free marriage counseling solutions you can find online. 

Do what is best for your relationship and find each other again!