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.
The author Charles Dickens once wrote, “A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” Through our intimate relationships, we learn not only how to love and support another person, but also how to grow wiser as individuals. The challenges that we face in marriage can make us look inward for knowledge about how we can strengthen our interpersonal bonds. But sometimes we need a little guidance in achieving that wisdom. The psychological insights of a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) can be invaluable in helping people achieve their goals as individuals and partners.
If you and your spouse or loved one need help to resolve conflict or manage stress, relationship counseling at Thriveworks in Tigard, OR can help. Marriage and family therapy is a way of confronting problems and obstacles in a safe place where all stakeholders can speak openly about their perspectives. Thriveworks couples therapists and marriage counselors don’t seek to pick sides or assign blame. Therapy sessions are about seeing issues from both points of view, and finding practical solutions to problems.
Is Marriage Counseling Really Effective?
Marriage counseling is one of the most proven effective therapies in the field of psychology. In fact, over 90% of people who do marriage and family therapy clients report the service as good to excellent. And of course, Thriveworks couples therapy is the most premium service on offer, nationwide.
At Thriveworks in Tigard, OR, the exceptional counselors and therapists work comfortably with couples to improve the following:
- Communication skills
- Conflict resolution
- Negative sexual cycles
- Anger management
- Addiction issues
Therapists can also offer clients support during serious life changes like marriage, the birth of children, or loss. Relationship issues don’t have to be acute or conflict-driven. Some clients come to marriage therapy because they want to:
- Feel more loved.
- Feel more appreciated.
- Model a healthier relationship for their kids.
- Reignite their spark.
- Blend families after a second union.
- Identify relationship strengths as well as weaknesses.
- Stop repeating the same fight.
- Have better sex.
- See where one partner may need additional support (perhaps through individual therapy for depression, anxiety, or substance abuse).
- Learn how to openly and accurately express feelings and desires.
- Develop a language for emotions.
- Create a “safe zone” where they can speak honestly.
- Heal from an affair.
- Stop feeling stagnant.
- Cope with empty nest syndrome.
What Is the Best Marital Therapy?
When couples seek marriage counseling, they may have preconceived notions about how couple therapy works. They may already be familiar with some of the following evidence-based, effective approaches to couples therapy:
- Emotionally-focused couples therapy (EFCT), which centers emotional bonds and works on strengthening them. Emotionally focused therapy looks at attachment and connection.
- Gottman method, which employs love maps to help couples increase their mutual respect and admiration, and build shared meaning.
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT), which looks at how relationships can affect mental health.
- Narrative therapy, which seeks to achieve psychological insights by telling and retelling stories.
Therapists at Thriveworks in Tigard, OR may favor one approach over another, or they may use a hybrid method. Often it’s client personality and feedback that helps shape the treatment.
How to Find a Couples Therapist or Marriage Counselor
It can sometimes be hard for spouses to agree on what they’re looking for in a couples therapist or marriage counselor, and they may need to compromise on their ideal attributes. But spouses can probably agree on the following basic criteria:
- The counselor should be fully licensed to treat couples in Oregon. (All the mental health providers at Thriveworks are fully licensed, nationwide.)
- The therapist should be affordable. (Thriveworks mental health providers accept most forms of major health insurance plans and offer affordable self-pay rates.)
- The therapist should be able to meet with you and your spouse in a way that’s convenient and comfortable for both partners. (Thriveworks counselors can meet with clients virtually through secure, video conferencing software, or in-person at the modern office in Tigard, OR. Some clients even choose a hybrid mode of online counseling and in-person counseling.)
- The therapist should have experience treating the particular issues that partners face. (Thriveworks marriage counselors in Tigard, OR have worked with a diverse array of clients like LGBTQ, Christian, interracial, and engaged couples.)
Reconnect with Your Spouse with Marriage Counseling at Thriveworks in Tigard, OR
Whether you and your spouse are trying to rebuild trust after an extramarital affair, or you just need some guidance to prevent small misunderstandings, the couples therapists and marriage counselors at Thriveworks in Tigard, OR can help. When clients call for an appointment or book online, they can often meet with their provider within 24-48 hours. As an added benefit, Thriveworks clients can also email and phone their counselor between sessions.
Don’t wait to nurture your relationship with your spouse. Call Thriveworks today!
