Marriage counseling, also known as couples therapy and relationship counseling, helps couples work through their specific relationship issues. Thriveworks marriage counseling in Fredericksburg, VA 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 Fredericksburg, VA work with their clients to create goals, decide on ideal timelines, and establish treatment plans.
Drawing a line between conflicts that can be dealt with in the privacy of your own home and those which require professional support in the form of therapy for couples can prove tricky. Some people might feel that relationship counseling is a desperate solution only for those partners who are facing a pending threat of a divorce or separation. Many fear that a decision to go to couples or marriage therapy is ultimately an acknowledgment of one’s relationship’s failure. These factors undoubtedly feed into the fact that numerous couples choose to persist in their conflicted situation for years before they decide to seek the support of a professional relationship counselor.
It is important to recognize that marriage and couples counseling is nothing that should instigate our fears or shame – many couples choose to seek this kind of support and very often they do it to improve, rather than save, their relationship. Although therapy might not always be as successful as one has hoped for, it is always a step forward and a proof that you and your partner want to work together towards a happier future.
Is It Time To Seek Help?
A decision to go to couples or marriage therapy is ultimately very personal and there are no universally recognized guidelines which will tell you when is the time to do so. Professionals do, however, notice a number of indicators which could suggest the right moment has come. These include:
- The enduring conflict within your partnership has started to seriously affect your and/or your partner’s happiness, as well as physical and mental health.
- The situation in your relationship has come to a deadlock – any progress towards a conflict resolution seems to have stalled permanently.
- You and your partner are no longer capable of communicating in a constructive fashion – every conversation or exchange results in further conflict aggravation.
Where To Seek Help?
Many couples find that conflict resolution is easier to achieve under the guidance of a therapist who has no connection and no preconceived ideas about their relationship. As a result, couples or marriage counseling allows them to take a fresh look at their situation and improve their communication.
This is exactly what we strive to provide to our clients at Thriveworks Fredericksburg, VA – objective, nonjudgmental and discrete counseling based on the depth of experience our therapists have gathered whilst working with people at different stages of their relationships, confronted by diverse problems. We understand how to best help our clients – no matter who they are or what problems they approach us with. We believe that change is possible – so please, reach out to us today to arrange your first couples or marriage counseling session. 540-322-5424
