Couples Counselling

First, let’s look at the reasons partners or spouses attend couples therapy:
It is a common myth that couples counselling is only needed when a couple have decided to seperate or are in the process of separating. It is true that couples counselling can help a couple to ‘seperate with love’. Attending couples therapy is however helpful for a lot of reasons including: communication difficulties, sexual difficulties, emotional distance, stress placed on the relationship after the birth of a baby, difficulties with blended families, financial difficulties, difficulties with children or stepchildren, domestic violence, or infidelity.

Interpersonal conflict is usually the precursor for a couple deciding to go to therapy. None the less, couples may also attend therapy to strengthen a good relationship or to gain a deeper understanding of your spouse or partner. One significant issue that can be explored in couples therapy is the way that each of your parent’s relationships have affected your expectations of each other. Likewise  you can examine how your past relationships have affected your expectations of each other.

Secondly, I introduce you to two popular Couples Therapy approaches:
The Gottman Method is a popular and highly effective style of couples counselling that advocates for reducing negative responses and replacing them with positive ones.                                                                                                                             A Psychodynamic approach to couples therapy is very helpful for looking at the relational dynamics between spouses, including what a couple projects on to each other in their relationship.

Our relationship with our partner or spouse is our greatest source of both joy and pain. Attending to the relationship that has the greatest impact on our mental health is always helpful.