Our therapists provide couples & marriage counseling in Joliet, IL

The philosopher Lao-Tzu once stated, “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Strength and courage are definitely traits that you need in large amounts if you want to make your intimate relationship work. You also need a host of other qualities, like persistence, patience, and compassion. And that’s because love is challenging, especially over the course of many years. Love requires maintenance and perseverance. It also requires great skill and wisdom. You have to be understanding of your partner, but you also have to understand yourself. 

The licensed couples therapists and marriage counselors at Thriveworks in Joliet, IL are trained to help couples get the most out of their partnerships. They might be licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), psychologists, counselors, or social workers. Their job is to help improve relationships through honest feedback, healthy behaviors, and effective communication. Whether you’re a married couple, a couple who’s thinking about marriage, long-term partners, or past partners who are coparenting, relationship counseling at Thriveworks might be the avenue for problem solving that you’ve been looking for. 

Uninsured residents of Joliet can access Thriveworks’ mental health services here, while residents with insurance can schedule an appointment here (where any out-of-pocket expenses will be covered).

Why Is Relationship Therapy Important?

Relationship therapy is important to help couples deal with crises, problems, and life transitions, but it’s also important just for relationship maintenance. When partners feel ignored or undervalued, relationships can suffer. When partners have a hard time speaking up about their own needs, relationships can suffer. When couples mistreat each other, or cheat on each other, or don’t spend enough time together, fissures can begin to appear. There are countless occurrences that can weaken relationships, and they don’t all have to come from the outside. Sometimes the deepest problems come from within, as when someone doesn’t feel that they can be their true self in a relationship.

Couples counselors at Thriveworks in Joliet, IL can help couples address all of these issues and more. Sometimes people need a kind, compassionate ear to help them work through their problems. Sometimes they need professional insights into what’s really going on beneath the conflicts and the confusion. Marriage therapists can act as arbiters, mediators, guides, supporters, and cheerleaders, depending on what’s needed in a specific relationship. Their key objective is to help couples achieve their own goals.

Does Couples Counseling Really Work?

Most couples who try a few licensed marriage and family therapy sessions to address their problems leave counseling with enhanced relationship satisfaction. They might seek marriage counseling for help with a single issue, and after a dozen sessions or so walk away with extensive knowledge about the following topics in relationships:

• Healthy boundaries
• Anger management
• Emotional regulation
• Positive coping skills
• Rapport building
• Intimacy
• Conflict de-escalation
• Alcohol abuse or addiction recovery
• Infertility issues
• Parenting or blended family issues
• Trauma
• Depression and anxiety
• Grief and loss

Exceptional marriage counselors always seek to learn more about their clients, but they also important useful information that can be applied to oneself and often to all one’s close relationships, not just romantic ones.

What Is It Like to Go to Couples Therapy?

Couples therapists at Thriveworks in Joliet, IL work with couples at their own pace, meeting them where they are, so couples therapy isn’t the same for everyone. In time, you might increase your understanding of your relationship issues through discussion of real life elements like the following:

• Financial concerns
• Sexual expectations
• Attachment styles
• Traumatic backgrounds
• Parenting philosophies
• Financial goals
• Mental health conditions
• Individual values
• Underlying beliefs

Professional counselors can use a variety of approaches to help couples achieve their goals, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), emotionally focused therapy, the Gottman method (pioneered by John Gottman), collaborative couples therapies, and a variety of couples exercises and games that can help break the ice during in-person therapy or online couples therapy. 

Achieve Your Relationship Goals with Couples Therapy at Thriveworks in Joliet, IL

The licensed couples counselors and therapists at Thriveworks in Joliet, IL are available to help new clients with their relationships needs. 

Great therapy is never a one-size-fits-all solution. Counselors need to tailor their approach to each individual, couple, and family who walk through their door. At Thriveworks, you and your partner will receive individualized treatment that will directly address your issues and help resolve your problems. You and your partner can find ways to reconnect and be real with each other through counseling at Thriveworks. We look forward to helping you.

Uninsured residents can access Thriveworks’ mental health services here, while residents with insurance can schedule an appointment here (where any out-of-pocket expenses will be covered).