Couples therapy 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 couples therapy 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 couples therapy for 12 weeks. However, couples therapy may last longer or shorter, dependent on the couples' needs, the challenges they'd like to work through, and the pace of their progress.
In the reality TV show, Couples Therapy, viewers tune in to see if celebrity relationships can weather life’s storm or if the right way forward is to part ways. The partners work with Dr. Jenn Mann and a team of high-profile couples counselors. Each episode is a different relational exercise, revealing more tension in these relationships that needs to be addressed for the couple to be healthier. Because the show is reality TV, it highlights the drama that these couples are facing, but in reality, the show’s producers do not have a difficult task. Anyone who has been in a committed relationship knows how quickly the drama can escalate, whether you are celebrities or not, whether you are on a TV show or not. It is normal for couples to struggle. It is also normal for them to need help and to go to couples therapy.
“Nobody can predict the future. You just have to give your all to the relationship you’re in and do your best to take care of your partner, communicate and give them every last drop of love you have. I think one of the most important things in a relationship is caring for your significant other through good times and bad.” —Nick Cannon
Giving everything you have to a relationship, in good times and bad, often means asking for help. Couples therapy is a place where many life partners find safety and care so that they can see their relationship clearly. As Nick Cannon says, no one knows the future, but many couples are able to repair their relationship, making it even stronger. When the best path forward is to continue the relationship as friends, therapists can even help the couple make that transition when needed.
Thriveworks Jacksonville offers couples therapy, and our therapists, counselors, and psychologists have provided that safe space for many partners. We have worked with couples who are experiencing the strain and drama of being in a relationship, and our professionals have helped them find a better place, both as individuals and as a couple.
How Can Couples Therapy Help? Common Relationship Issues
When couples struggle, it is easy to think that they are the only partners who are facing that particular issue, but many challenges that strain relationships are common. Couples are rarely alone in their struggle. Many other partners have and are facing the same difficulty. When partners walk into couples therapy together, more than likely, their couples therapist has helped other partners who have faced the same issue, challenges like…
- Conflicting Goals:Partners can have very different expectations for their relationship, and when these goals are not communicated or respected, then each individual can be pulling the relationship in a different direction. This will inevitably cause tension.
- Difficulty with Intimacy:Many people associate intimacy with their sexual relationship, but intimacy can be any way that the couples connects in a meaningful way. It can be physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and more. Intimacy takes intentionality and care, and it is the glue that holds partners together. Unfortunately, intimacy is often the first aspect of the relationship to be neglected when life gets busy.
- Lack of trust:Being in a committed relationship means that partners can count on each other, but distrust can make that more difficult. Trust can be slowly broken down through little actions, like being inconsiderate or irresponsible. It can also be completely destroyed through betrayal, like lying, cheating, or addiction.
- Communication Trouble:Communicating well takes empathy, vulnerability, and openness, and utilizing these skills takes time. Additionally, some people have learned these skills, but many have not. The good news is that good communication techniques can be learned.
- Disagreements about Family:This common difficulty may sound like a stereotype, but even stereotypes are often based upon true experiences. Extended families can drive a wedge between partners and cause tension in the relationship. Couples may disagree about what role each other’s families will play in their lives.
What Might Happen at Couples Therapy?
These common relational problems are also opportunities for partners to grow individually and for their relationship to improve. Although growth and change are rarely easy tasks, they are usually worth the pain, and no couple has to face the growth process alone. Couples therapists are often able to guide the process of relational improvement by…
- Guiding a reasonable timeline for change.Certain behaviors are more toxic than others. Some changes need to be made now for the health of each partner and the relationship. Other changes can wait. Experienced couples therapists may be able to help partners know which adjustments to prioritize.
- Maintaining a neutral space for discussion.The natural trajectory of any conflict is to escalate. However, when conflict escalates, partners tend to attack each other instead of the problem. Skilled couples therapists may be able to keep the tone of conflict neutral and help partners solve the problem.
Scheduling a Couples Therapy Appointment at Thriveworks Jacksonville
If you recognized some of those common relational problems, you may be considering going to couples therapy. That may be the right next step for you and your partner. The couples therapists at Thriveworks Jacksonville have helped many couples. When you contact our office, a scheduling specialist will help you schedule an appointment on a day and at a time that works for you. We also take a variety of insurance plans. Call Thriveworks Jacksonville today for a couples therapy appointment.
