Relationships are all about balance. When life is good for you and your partner, maintaining this balance can feel effortless. Sometimes, however, we go through difficult times, and communicating our feelings and giving or receiving support can get complicated. In other words, finding and maintaining balance can feel next to impossible.
People often believe that working through trying times with a partner is a testament to a relationship’s strength. But when communication breaks down, it can be difficult to move forward without support. This is where working with a relationship counselor or therapist can help.
Arguments or struggles don’t mean that a relationship is doomed to fail. When you and your partner feel like you need help, consider working with a mental health professional from Thriveworks Counseling in Grand Prairie, TX. Call our office today to schedule your first appointment.
When Is the Right Time To Pursue Couples Counseling?
Due to the misconception that couples with stronger relationships shouldn’t need the help of an outsider, people often hesitate to consider counseling. However, this can be counterproductive — discussing your issues in counseling or therapy sessions before they start to boil over can help prevent them from becoming contentious.
Ultimately, an issue does not have to be dire for it to be worth bringing to a professional. There are many reasons that a couple might decide to pursue couples counseling, including:
- Communication struggles
- Financial difficulties
- Parenting differences
- Opposing values
- Lack of trust
- Codependency
- Infidelity
- Lack of intimacy
Sometimes, couples who are generally satisfied with their relationship will come into counseling or therapy for a “check-up” similar to a yearly physical. There are many valid reasons you and your partner might be interested in sessions together, including ones that aren’t on this list.
Relationship therapy or counseling can be beneficial for young couples, long-term marriages, and everything in between. The mental health professionals from Thriveworks Counseling in Grand Prairie, TX, want to help their clients work through their conflict in a way that improves their relationships.
How Relationship Therapy Sessions Can Help
Couples generally seek out support to resolve conflict. The specific techniques they learn to do this depend on a counselor’s approach and the issues you’re facing as a couple. Some common types of talk therapy include:
- The Gottman Method
- Imago relationship therapy
- Emotion-focused therapy
- Solution-focused therapy
- Narrative therapy
While each of these approaches has its own emphasis and lens it uses to view a relationship, therapists and counselors can use more than one approach to provide clients with the care that best suits their needs.
While this is not a necessary step, coming into sessions with some goals can help your provider develop a treatment plan. However, it’s completely normal if you are unsure of your goals for treatment. Your provider will work with you to help you come up with our treatment objectives so you understand the trajectory of your therapy or counseling sessions. This timeline of most relationship counseling sessions is typically short-term, lasting around nine to twelve sessions.
The content of your sessions will be directly related to these goals and your needs as a couple, so it’s impossible to say exactly what sessions will entail. However, there are some general therapeutic frameworks you might encounter. Your counselor might decide it’s best to meet with you and your partner individually for some sessions to best understand your issues. You might receive some “homework” to practice skills outside of sessions. Such skills can include:
- Conflict resolution
- Stress and anger management
- Communication skills
- Empathy
- Listening skills
- Love languages
Many couples struggle in their relationship for months or years before they finally decide to try couples therapy. But taking the problems between you seriously and resolving them before they become severe can make it easier to overcome them.
No matter what your treatment involves, our team at Thriveworks in Grand Prairie, TX, wants people to come out of each session with a better sense of their needs, who they are in a relationship, and their newfound confidence in valuable interpersonal skills. Consider reaching out if you want to set up an appointment with a mental health professional.
Schedule Couples Counseling Sessions at Thriveworks in Grand Prairie, TX
Our relationships are significant parts of our lives that can benefit from support. If you and your partner are ready, you can call our office at Thriveworks Counseling in Grand Prairie, TX, or use our online scheduling tool to schedule your first appointment.
For your convenience, we offer in-person and online sessions at times that work for you, including weekend and evening appointments. We also accept most major health insurance plans to help make our care more affordable and accessible to as many people as possible.
Do you think working with a mental health professional could help you work through something with your partner? Consider calling our office today to set up an appointment at Thriveworks Counseling in Grand Prairie, TX. We can’t wait to help you thrive.
