Relationships can be tough. Managing our emotional struggles and feelings can be a challenge on it's own but, it can become even more challenging when we find our own difficulties impacting our relationships. Like individual therapy, attending couples therapy doesn't always mean there is something wrong within the relationship. Couples attend therapy for healthy maintenance and continuation of a healthy bond. However, there may be areas of difficulty that can bring you and your partner to couples therapy. These things can include, unrealistic expectations of the relationship, substance abuse, addiction, emotional difficulties of one or both partners, difficulty with assimilating into one another traditions and culture difficulty with communication, or blending a family. When couples begin to struggle, they often try to mend things on their own. This can cause maladaptive coping strategies and patterns within the relationship. This is a typical report that couples make after reaching out for treatment, so there is no reason to be ashamed. Have you tried mending things in your relationship and find that you both feel like you are living in an unhealthy cycle? Do you find that the same behaviors take place along with the same arguements or disagreements? It's normal for couples to have disagreements, but once the relationship feels toxic and unhealthy it may be time for some guidance and help. In couples therapy, you will gain insight into the issues at hand, develop a treatment plan, and implement problem solving skills that will help develop healthier coping strategies. If you are looking for a healthy, stable change in your relationship, couples therapy may be helpful for you and your partner. Treatment for couples include those struggling with:
Infidelity
Blended families
Mixed couples
Nontraditional relationships (ex. polyamory, open relationships, etc.)
Parenting
Communication
Addictions
Intimacy difficulties
Trust
Premarital counseling
Digital age issues (ex. social media impact on relationship)