Once you begin looking into couple’s counseling, you will be awed by the endless benefits that are gained over the course of treatment, such as increased intimacy and displays of affection, improved communication and rebuilt trust. Counseling is indeed a meaningful step towards improving your bond with your partner, which can be strained for a variety of reasons. Regardless of the reason(s) why your relationship could use “TLC,” couple’s counseling can help. However, you may be wondering what to expect in a couple’s counseling session in order to determine whether it’s right for you.
In your couple’s counseling sessions, you and your partner will be given the opportunity to decide how to proceed. For instance, if there is a recent issue of which you are both in disagreement, your session is a safe space to explore that conflict and discuss possible solutions. Typically, when the average couple disagrees, emotions take control of the conflict. To promote effective communication, your therapist will lay ground rules on how to discuss a conflict without offending your partner, such as by using the pronouns “I,” “me” and “my.” Learning how to resolve conflicts in the healthiest way possible is the groundwork for improving any relationship.
Commonly, there tends to be certain negative patterns of behavior, interaction and thought processes that lead to dissatisfaction in a relationship. During a couple’s counseling session, you and your partner will be asked to describe your relationship, your feelings about the relationship and how you feel your partner feels about you. Through this discovery process, your therapist will get to know you, your partner, and your relationship and help you set mutually-agreed upon realistic relationship goals.
To realize the greatest benefits from couple’s counseling, you and your partner will meet with your counselor once a week for one hour. If your partner does not wish to attend sessions with you, your counselor can still teach you tools that you can use to improve your relationship and provide you with tips on how to approach the topic of couple’s counseling with your partner.
Don’t let your relationship disintegrate to a point that you want to walk away – Dr. Benjamin Wolf, MSW, LICSW, a licensed and highly experienced couple’s counselor, can help you recapture the closeness you once felt with your partner. Email or call Hope and Healing for Life today at 612-643-1920 to learn how Dr. Wolf of St. Paul, MN, can teach you and your partner the proven techniques to putting the fire back into your relationship.