Being in a relationship can be life-changing in many ways. We share our day-to-day with another person, build dreams and goals with them, and our decisions are based around their interests, not just our own.
When relationships are going well, it might feel like a dream. But when communication breaks down and arguing, fighting, and frustration becomes commonplace, couples therapy and marriage counseling could be the solution. If you think that you and your partner could benefit from couples therapy or marriage counseling, consider scheduling a session at Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Round Rock.
What Is Couples Therapy?
Couples therapy, also known as couples counseling or relationship therapy, is a therapeutic approach that helps couples to better identify and work through the unique relationship issues that they’re struggling to overcome.
Couples therapy sessions are typically led by a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). They’re experts who are equipped to help couples work through unique challenges and better understand one another.
Couples therapy often works to improve both partner’s communication skills, which means tough, yet productive conversations about the relationship and what is going wrong (and right) will occur. In exercises such as these, the therapist will ask for both partners to communicate honestly but respectfully.
What Is Marriage Counseling?
Marriage counseling aims to help married couples work through their issues and improve their relationship strategically. Marriage counseling also assists in re-igniting sparks that may have gone dull over the many years of married life—a normal experience for married couples. With the right marriage counselor’s guidance, partners can reinforce and recall the reasons that brought them together in the first place.
As with couples therapy, counselors who specialize in addressing relationship issues (typically LMFTs), lead this type of therapy. They may interchangeably be called marriage counselors or couples therapists.
It’s important to remember that there’s no difference between marriage counseling and couples therapy. When the couple is married, couples therapy might also be referred to as marriage counseling—it depends on the status of the two partners attending therapy or counseling together.
At Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Round Rock, our mental health professionals meet with domestic partners, new couples, co-parents, couples with open marriages, and even long-term friends. We also have therapists who specialize in LGBTQ+ couples, couples from different cultural backgrounds, and more. All relationships deserve care – and all relationships require work.
Do I Need Relationship Counseling?
Many couples can benefit from relationship counseling. Couples therapy and relationship counseling methods often seek to resolve negative emotions such as jealousy, codependency, or sexual dissatisfaction and dysfunction, along with many other specific relationship issues.
That being said, there are many other problems, big and small, that may be troubling a marriage or relationship. That’s why couples therapists and marriage counselors are expert problem-solvers—and they share their experience and expertise with each couple.
Your relationship may be in need of relationship counseling if you and your partner are experiencing any of the following issues:
- Trauma
- Differences in parenting styles
- Lack of trust
- Repeated conflicts
- Different visions for the future
- Life transitions (empty nest, new parenthood, the death of a parent or child)
- Substance use
- Allocation of household responsibilities
- Mental health conditions that affect either of your mood and/or ability to function
- Financial distress or disagreements
- Internal or external boundaries
- Lifestyle differences
- Infidelity
- Opposing values
- Emotional distance/detachment
Change-oriented interventions guide both partners toward a more satisfying relationship. A clear outline of treatment objectives is used to track progress and to offer the couple a road map or guide of where they’re headed, and where they’ve been.
Couples seek the skilled and compassionate guidance of marriage counselors and couples therapists for a wide variety of issues in the realms of life and love. You don’t need to have an acute problem to benefit from counseling, however. Many married couples come to therapy sessions in order to strengthen or maintain what’s already working for them.
Do I Need Marriage Counseling?
If you’re continually experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, then it’s possible that couples therapy or marriage counseling could help improve your relationship. But it’s essential that both partners are willing to move forward together as a team; this might require talking about whether you’re both willing to give it your all in couples therapy or marriage counseling.
At the first couples therapy or marriage counseling session, a mental health professional will establish their understanding of what situations and issues are affecting your relationship. It gives both you and your therapist a chance to get to know each other better and determine if you’d work well together.
During this time, your therapist will ask you and your spouse about your treatment goals—this may also include checking to see whether both partners want the same outcome out of the sessions. It’s a good time to disclose any challenges or reservations you have about the marriage or relationship; honesty is the best policy. This will help Thriveworks your counselor to determine the best course of action.
As sessions continue, you can give your counselor ongoing feedback about the process. This will help your therapist refine your individual therapy experience so it meets your specific needs. An LMFT might utilize a variety of therapeutic approaches, including emotionally focused couples therapy (EFT-C), solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and/or the Gottman method.
Marriage therapy sessions will include exercises meant to improve communication, build trust, and help you and your partner get to know each other better as individuals—not just partners.
Is There Marriage Counseling Near Me?
At Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Round Rock, TX, we have marriage counseling services available regardless of what your relationship is going through. Sharing your relationship’s struggles with an objective third party who isn’t a friend or family member offers clearer insight and better understanding of your relationship’s problems.
If you and the one you love feel at odds, then you might benefit from seeking couples therapy and marriage counseling at Thriveworks. A therapist’s job is to help both of you see each other more clearly, and learn to:
- Communicate clearly and effectively
- Establish healthier boundaries for yourselves
- Recognize the need for compromise and empathy
- Find new ways to connect and continue to grow in and outside of your relationship
- Manage the effects of mental health conditions, that may be affecting the relationship, or to check for undiagnosed conditions
Marriage counseling and couples therapy can lead to increased understanding and, as a result, reveal potential avenues for positive change and restoration of trust in your relationship. A few beginning steps that you might choose to take with your Thriveworks marriage counselor or couples therapist’s assistance include:
- Recognizing that help is needed in order for things to change and improve
- Learning how to communicate more effectively
- Acknowledging the imperfections within your relationship
- Acknowledging that neither spouse is without fault or flaw
- Learning active listening techniques
- Anger management
- Teamwork techniques
- Being more intentional about including one another in decisions, however small
- Increasing the frequency and quality of the time you spend together
Marriage counselors and couples therapists are trained to deal with the exact problems you and your husband or wife are facing. In marriage and other types of romantic relationships, it’s easy to fall into repeated behavior patterns. Our relationship counselors and marriage therapist can offer support and assistance in relieving tension, working through arguments, and rediscovering intimacy in your marriage or relationship.
How to Find Relationship Counseling
There’s no need to delay if you believe that your relationship could benefit from talking with a marriage counselor or couples therapist – you’ve already found the right place to begin relationship counseling. You can reach out to our office in Round Rock office to get started. Our providers are ready to talk with you and your partner and to get your relationship moving in the right direction once more.
Our marriage counselors and couples therapists are here to help. With the assistance of Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Round Rock, TX, you can finally get the personalized attention and care your relationship deserves. Give us a call or book a couples therapy or marriage counseling session online.
