Marriage counseling, also known as couples therapy and relationship counseling, helps couples work through their specific relationship issues. Thriveworks marriage counseling in Cleveland, OH is led by licensed professionals — often licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) — who are experts in their field and best-equipped to help couples. Some examples of common focuses within Marriage counseling include:
- Jealousy
- Trust issues
- Infidelity
- Opposing values
- Different visions for the future
- Disagreements in parenting
- Lack of trust
- Financial distress
- Sex issues
Marriage counseling works by helping couples identify and better navigate their unique challenges. Following an initial assessment of the couple in terms of strengths and needs, the therapist would then discuss their therapeutic goals and any possible approaches or ways of working together as therapist and couple.
Couples attend sessions together, whether they meet in person or by video. In addition to regular marriage counseling sessions, each partner may also be asked to attend a few individual sessions to supplement their progress. This will allow their counselor to get to know each individual better, assess each of their personal needs, and develop the very best treatment plan moving forward.
On average, couples attend marriage counseling for 12 weeks. However, marriage counseling may last longer or shorter, dependent on the couples’ needs, the challenges they’d like to work through, and the pace of their progress. Marriage counselors and therapists at Thriveworks in Cleveland, OH work with their clients to create goals, decide on ideal timelines, and establish treatment plans.
The couples therapists and marriage counselors at Thriveworks Counseling in Cleveland, OH have worked with many couples who want to make their relationship better but may not know how. Our professionals can help them find that next step and the way forward for their marriage.
Learn more about whether couples therapy or marriage counseling could help resolve the roadblocks you’re both facing.
How Does Marriage Counseling Work?
Marriage counseling and couples therapy refers to a set of therapeutic methods designed to help partners and spouses learn to share a relationship more effectively. Any couple can benefit from talking with a therapist in marriage counseling or couples therapy—because any couple can always improve their existing relationship.
Some of the most common and successful marriage counseling and couples therapy approaches include:
- The Gottman Method: This style focuses on addressing the four horsemen of a failing relationship, which includes behaviors related to criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.
- Emotionally-focused therapy: This approach aims to repair emotional wounds and damages caused by negative actions and words. It also can help both partners learn to prioritize emotional intimacy, learning to express their feelings and desires effectively and respectfully.
- Narrative therapy: This type of treatment involves separating both partners from their behaviors and failures, and insteads takes a more birdseye, objective view of “where” the relationship has gone wrong—and why. Narrative therapy can help encourage empathy, renewed commitment, and forgiveness.
- Solutions-focused therapy: This technique can help couples to identify the goals they’ll need to accomplish personally and as a team in order to grow closer together. This style is often employed to assist both partners in understanding and resolving the deeper dynamics and mechanisms causing their arguments, disdain, and emotional distancing.
Common Relationship Issues
Many couples wonder when or even if they should go to couples counseling or marriage therapy. Is now the right time? The only people who can answer that question are the couples themselves.
There are many ways that marriages can struggle, just as there are many ways that marriage counseling may be able to help. Just a few of those struggles that have led partners to couples and marriage therapy include:
- Constant arguments
- Avoidant communication styles
- One or both partners have cheated
- Each partner is trying to change the other
Is There Relationship Counseling Near Me? Schedule in Cleveland, OH
Marriage counseling is not a magic formula, but it is help and guidance for the journey. When you contact Thriveworks in Cleveland, know that you’re receiving industry-leading care from experienced, empathetic relationship therapy and marriage counseling experts.
Choosing Thriveworks Cleveland, OH also offers you additional benefits that other companies might struggle to match, including:
- Personalized mental health care for your unique needs
- The ability to meet with your therapist quickly and easily via video — or, meet with them in person
- Affordable mental health care covered under many different insurance plans
- Therapy that delivers results—receive evidence-based treatment options from expert relationship counselors
Many of our providers also offer evening and weekend sessions and are ready to work with your and your partner. Reach out to book online, or give us a call at Thriveworks Cleveland, OH. When your relationship is in need of repair, Thriveworks has the tools you need to start rebuilding.
