Introduction
Relationships play a central role in our lives. When we feel satisfied and secure, relationships can be a source of strength, comfort and meaning. When we experience difficulties in our primary relationships it can have profound effects on our daily lives. Often, romantic relationships can start out feeling organic. After time, this same relationship can feel rigid, vacant or combative.
Why do couples seek therapy?
Couples seek therapy for many reasons: to improve communication, feel more connected, seek help during a life changing experience (i.e., pregnancy, relocation), learn more about themselves and their partner, or address sensitive issues on neutral ground.
Most couples seek therapy to address a problem or problems that don't dissolve or become resolved by the couple. It is not uncommon for challenging issues and themes to resurface when they aren’t fully addressed and worked through. Most couples attempt to manage their problems in private, but this doesn’t always produce the desired results. Often times, well-meaning family or friends offer advice, but this can result in conflicting or bias opinions that aren’t very helpful.
Why can Therapy help?
Marriage Family Therapists (MFTs) are relationship experts who specialize in working with couples and other related interpersonal issues. MFTs are uniquely trained in multi-theoretical approaches to effectively assist couples with a wide range of issues.
Pre-Marital Counseling
Successful marriage is based on both partners having good skills to manage conflicts; express admiration and appreciation; to accept influence from the other person; and to nurture love and romance. They have realistic expectations of each other and understand how to interact to maintain the flow of love. Remember, Love is a verb!
A key component to ensure you beat the odds and sustain a long and satisfying marriage is to explore the issues and training necessary together; before you marry. Pre-marital counseling can help you prevent common marital traps.
Marriage Counseling
Since our personal approaches to relationships derive from our family of origin and what we learned as children, it's essential couples openly communicate about how his or her parents handled conflicts, showed affection, and child or household responsibilities.
My goal when working with couples is to begin with providing awareness. Speaking about feeelings and having a safe space to express resentments is part of the process of couples therapy. As a couples therapist, it is my job to provide a neutral space and make sure each individual feels heard. Ideally, after a few sessions, you and your partner should feel more connected and better able to manage arising stressors that are part of all intimate relationships.
