All About Couples Counseling
Do we need couples’ counseling?
Almost every romantic relationship starts off on a positive note – joyful, intoxicating – that sense of cherishing and being cherished.
And yet, so many couples find themselves growing more and more distant over time. As conflict and argument become more frequent, many couples find themselves feeling frustrated, stuck and overwhelmed.
Do you and your partner constantly fight and argue? Have the two of you grown apart? Has cheating or infidelity led to a loss of trust and confidence?
It doesn’t have to be this way!
Couples counseling helps people overcome some of the most common relationships problems:
- Poor communication
- Frequent fighting or arguing
- Major life decisions
- Family stress
- Sex and intimacy
- Financial stress
- Differences in beliefs
- Difficulty with childrearing and fertility
Couples counseling is different from traditional psychotherapy – you and your partner meet together with a counselor to help you overcome whatever struggles your relationship is facing.
I launched the ‘Your Growth Counseling’ practice because I believe that every relationship deserves a second chance. I provide couples counseling services for people from all over Los Gatos, San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara – people just like you.
Research has uncovered that the average couple is unhappy for six years before taking the necessary steps towards couples counseling.
How will couples counseling help our relationship?
Every healthy romantic relationship is founded on three things: trust, intimacy, and commitment.
Trust is all about reliability and confidence in your partner. Healthy partnerships have high levels of trust in one another, which makes the relationship feel secure, safe, and steady. When the relationship experiences a violation of trust, such as an affair, the feelings of trust, security, and safety disappear.
Intimacy includes both physical and emotional closeness. It is common for romantic relationships to struggle with physical and sexual intimacy – the relationship may lack the old spark. Or, perhaps there are barriers to being vulnerable and open with one another. Therapy can provide insights into issues with intimacy and help couples discover a deeper connection.
Commitment is the level of dedication and investment each partner brings. Relationships with low levels of commitment can feel shaky and uncertain. This can lead to partners acting in selfish or self-centered ways. Therapy can help you overcome difficulties with commitment by engaging in important conversations about your goals as a couple.
While trust, intimacy, and commitment are key, they all depend on effective communications to keep things going.
Communication is at the heart of relationships – which is why couples counseling can be so effective. Couples counselors observe patterns of communication, identify problems, and offer solutions to help you and your partner work as a team.
If you and your partner have issues with commitment, trust, intimacy, or communication – don’t wait! Contact me today to learn how together we can get your relationship back on track.
What does couples counseling look like?
Each session is completely confidential. As we work together, you will learn how to communicate better, identify disruptive patterns, and work as a team.
In our first meeting we’ll discuss your hopes, wishes and goals. My job is to build safety, make sure you are heard, and start to develop a view of what is going on under the covers. Often, deep emotions and longings drive our behaviors. That last fight may not be about his family or what you said. It may be about whether you feel you are still loved, that you matter to your partner, that you are cherished. These roots go deep.
The approach I use, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), has over 30 years of research showing it works. 75% of couples who complete the sessions say their issues were resolved. Of these, over 90% say things are still as good, or better, two years later. EFT is powerful.
As you and your partner begin couples counseling, you will learn how to:
- Be vulnerable and honest with one another
- Provide empathy, compassion, and comfort
- Use self-care tailored to each member
- Work through difficult feelings of hurt and confusion
- Communicate needs and have those needs met
- Discuss goals for the family and make practical decisions together
- Establish new rules and norms
Check this out to decide – is this the time for us to get help? signs-you-and-your-spouse-could-benefit-from-couples-counseling/
Whatever your struggle, whatever your goal, I want to help you succeed.
Contact me today and, together, we can make it happen.
Interested? Let’s Connect! Click here to contact me!