Is Individual or Couples Therapy Right for You?
It’s a very good question, particularly if you find that your relationship with your partner is a large part of what you want to address.
Cultivating fulfilling relationships is integral to our work at The Montfort Group. According to Dr. John Gottman, founder of The Gottman Institute, unhappy couples wait an average of six years before seeking couples counseling. This is six years of chronic conflict, resentment, criticism, contempt, defensiveness, drift, fantasies, and negative bias. These negative impacts are not that surprising. None of us like to take time out of our schedules to discuss our problems, especially our relationship issues. We all would love to believe we can handle things independently, but unfortunately, we wait until there is a “crisis.” We wait until we have exhausted every other available resource and feel exhausted.
As couples’ therapists, we are keenly aware of these complexities when you walk into our office. We know you are frustrated, somewhat desperate, and perhaps even slightly hopeless. We also know how complicated the “answers” can be. None of it is easy. Not only have we been through our share of complex relationships as professionals, but we are completely fascinated by how they work to repair and deepen. We have always felt that healthy relationships directly correlate with your quality of life.
*Couples counseling includes any form of relationship counseling, marriage counseling, premarital counseling, and counseling for partners dating or living together. Every counselor at The Montfort Group brings a holistic understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation to her practice. All of our counseling services apply to LGBTQ+ relationships and communities.
It’s a very good question, particularly if you find that your relationship with your partner is a large part of what you want to address.
What I’m telling you is, sometimes, it’s okay to choose yourself. In fact, I encourage you to do so. Let’s chalk it up to self-care. Setting boundaries is a form of self-care.
Aside from taking personal responsibility, the most effective and immediate thing you can do to improve your sexual functioning is to talk about it.