Marriage counseling, also known as couples therapy and relationship counseling, helps couples work through their specific relationship issues. Thriveworks marriage counseling in Durham, NC 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 Durham, NC work with their clients to create goals, decide on ideal timelines, and establish treatment plans.
Relationship S.O.S. – Why To Seek Help?
People divorce for a variety of reasons and it is always a very individual decision on the part of the spouses. In many cases a conflict or an incompatibility will be so strong that divorce may prove to be the right step to take – therapists acknowledge that not all relationships can, or should, be saved. It is a fact, though, that a wish to end marriage will often be a consequence of conflicts which can actually be resolved – by means of improved communication and under the supervision of an experienced couples counselor.
Challenges In Relationships
Few relationships exist conflict free – there are many different challenges and struggles that arise during relationships and these may range from communication problems, infidelity or different sexual needs to conflicts inflicted by jealousy, financial disputes or work-related stress. These challenges can arise early on in a relationship and if not dealt with for years can ultimately give rise to a deep enough resentment to prevent any genuine reconciliation. For that reason, experts recommend that spouses or partners do not postpone for too long before accessing professional help in the form of marriage or couples counseling.
How Can Professional Counseling Help?
Marriage and couples counseling is not a quick fix method that will magically resolve any problems a couple might have. A good counselor will refrain from giving instructions or commands on what to do, but will help the partners find a way towards a solution to their problems themselves. He or she will work with the clients to equip them with the tools and mechanisms that should allow them to communicate constructively with one another.
They will become better listeners, be able to control their emotions and, ultimately, learn how to resolve the fundamental conflicts and repair their relationship. It might also be that a couple undergoing therapy decides to part ways, in which case counseling can continue to bring benefits – for example, facilitating an amicable separation and helping to reduce the damage to a family during the separation process.
Schedule your marriage counseling session with Thriveworks Durham to get started today.
