Making the decision to seek couples counseling is a big one. It can be hard to admit things aren’t working which is why many people put it off for too long. It takes courage to make that first appointment to share some personal struggles with a stranger.
Couples seek counseling for many reasons – sometimes it’s for a “tune-up” or for help with a particular situation. The four most common complaints I see in my practice are about communication, conflict, infidelity and physical intimacy. Regardless of the issue, couples counseling can provide the tools to help understand and share one another’s emotional experience within the relationship.
Communication
Failure to communicate effectively is the number one complaint most couples report when they seek couples counseling. Most clients say they’ve come to counseling because they don’t communicate well. Like one husband said, “we’re speaking two different languages” and it certainly feels like it when you feel your partner doesn’t hear or understand you. With multiple perspectives and realities in a relationship, the struggle to be acknowledged is real.
Conflict
“We love each other but are exhausted from having the same arguments all the time! We try to talk about it but we end up in the same hole.” Understanding the deeper emotions that drive the tango of conflict can help couples resolve and communicate their differences more efficiently.
Infidelity
Leaving a relationship after infidelity is not an option for many couples even when there’s been deep pain and betrayal. Recovery takes patience, hard work and a commitment to the process for both parties. Counseling can help partners create a stronger relationship in the aftermath.
Physical Intimacy
Sexual intimacy is a component of a healthy relationship. When it doesn’t happen, one or both partners feel frustrated, neglected or unloved. When couples seek counseling, exploring the causes and how emotional intimacy is tied to physical intimacy, can open the door for greater connection.
Therapy can provide a safe space to talk through a number of relationship issues offering each partner an opportunity to express their feelings, needs and desires. Learning effective communication skills and how emotions drive patterns is a key component of the experience at the Montfort Group.
Don’t wait for to hit crisis mode? Contact The Montfort Group in Plano to seek couples counseling.
