“For better or for worse.”
It’s a tall order. And as time goes on many couples struggle to fill it.
According to the numbers, more than half succumb to “worse” and let it go.
Some couples just coast along, more like roommates than lovers.
But what if you could actually get “for better” with time?
Couples counseling could provide the marital boost you need.
Consider the following 9 ways couples counseling can improve your relationship:
Renewed commitment.
Just agreeing to sessions with a couple’s counselor says something powerful. Couples commit to be there for each other even if it’s uncomfortable. They agree to talk, listen, and receive guidance for the sake of a better connection. That willingness to persevere and understand each other goes a long way toward deepening a couple’s bond.
Improved coping skills.
If a couple needs anything, it’s coping skills. Couples counseling provides tools for living and sharing life with another adult. You and your spouse are in each other’s space. You have different personalities, points of view, and comfort levels. Improving the way you manage and accept those differences is a powerful relationship tool.
Dedicated time and space.
Love can get lost, lose its spark, or start to fade without a safe place to breathe life back into it. Sometimes date nights aren’t enough. Married and long term couples are often pulled away from each other by responsibilities, unattended emotions, and unpredictable circumstances. Internal stressors and external pressure can wear heavily on a marriage. A counselor’s office can be both a quiet place to decompress and a nonjudgmental place to express what matters in your relationship.
Loving communication.
Couples counseling helps identify problematic communication styles or habits and encourages healthy interaction and supportive connection. Compassion, respect, and deeper understanding are primary goals. Learning how to speak to each other so your meaning is clear is emphasized. The ability to listen so that you both feel heard is also made possible through counseling work.
Compassionate conflict.
Fights don’t have to dishonor your connection. Learning to fight fair, resolve disagreements, and even agree to disagree, are conflict resolution skills a couples therapist can introduce and help guide. Counseling is an extremely beneficial and helpful way to learn how to embrace conflict as an opportunity for growth rather than a barrier to love and intimacy.
Relationship reboot.
Sometimes relationships stall. There are times when marriages get stale or stuck. You and your partner may feel out of synch. Time with a counselor can help you peel back the layers of your interaction and get to the heart of the tension, indifference, or boredom before they create bigger problems.
Reignited intimacy.
Couples often don’t know how to productively or comfortably address the sexual side of their relationship. This is unfortunate and unnecessarily painful for both partners. Physical intimacy is an extremely important part of a committed relationship. Your counselor can provide the tools and language that will help you identify underlying issues and restore this vital part of your connection.
Acceptance and forgiveness.
Couple’s counseling can show partners how to handle hurt. Lifelong relationships come with some measure of pain and disappointment. Emotional awareness, acceptance, empathy, and forgiveness are encouraged in couples counseling as a process that fully addresses and helps neutralize resentment or contempt to help you restore your love.
Empowered Love.
Couples counseling helps you develop the full relationship package. Realistic expectations, healthy boundaries, and strategies for dealing with the transitions of your life are practiced and discussed on a regular basis. Together the three of you will ensure “for better” becomes part of your best future.
by Counseling Wise on July 28, 2015