Couples therapy is a therapeutic process that focus on the relationship of the people involved in the process. It aims to recognize, better deal with, and reconcile some differences and repetitive patterns that cause conflict in the relationship. We all know that romantic relationships are hard work. They are like cars or houses that need maintenance to keep working smoothly. If there’s a problem, it’s best to address it immediately to avoid bigger complications down the road. It’s interesting how quickly and easily we take steps to fix and prevent further damage in our vehicles, but when it comes to relationships, we often avoid doing something until the situation becomes more serious. Unfortunately, many couples seek therapy when a significant amount of damage has already been done or when inappropriate relationship patterns have become deeply ingrained. In this case, the emotional bond between the people involved has already been severely weakened, and there is already a high level of resentment due to unresolved past conflicts.
Research in the field indicates that, on average, couples have been unhappy for six years before they finally seek couples therapy. This doesn’t mean that couples therapy isn’t effective for couples who have had problems for a long time, but it will certainly be a much longer, harder, and more challenging process, requiring a high degree of commitment and effort from the parties involved.
Misconceptions prevent couples from seeking help sooner. Some believe that couples therapy is only for serious problems affecting the relationship, including addictions or infidelity. Others believe it to be the last resource before deciding to end the relationship. Some also think that couples therapy is a way to “force” the partner to change because he/she is “the problem”. Many people don’t realize the benefits of couples therapy in resolving a wide range of relational issues. Couples therapy is a powerful tool for enhancing satisfaction in the relationship, directly impacting the mental health of the individual.
Couples therapy is a type of psychotherapy where the therapist helps two people involved in a romantic relationship to better understand their relationship and resolve conflicts, thus improving the satisfaction and quality of the relationship through the use of various therapeutic interventions. Couples therapy involves identifying relationship problems, the dynamics that maintain each problem, and understanding the role of each in dysfunctional interactions. It helps the couple change how the relationship is viewed and how each perceives the other. Changes in behavior and how to interact with each other are also part of the goals of couples therapy.
Couples therapy is beneficial for any type of relationship, whether heterosexual, homosexual, of different races, different ages, dating, or married. For example, an engaged couple may find couples therapy an excellent opportunity to explore their relationship expectations before getting married. Or another couple, together for over 30 years, may discover in couples therapy an effective way to revive a sense of enthusiasm and romance in their relationship.
Couples therapy can address a current problem, prevent the exacerbation of problems, or simply provide a “check-up” for a happy couple going through a transition or stressful time.
As in individual and family therapy, the number of sessions varies depending on the severity of the problems and the couple’s commitment to therapy. The duration of sessions is usually 50 minutes (unless agreed otherwise with the therapist). Couples typically finish therapy with a better understanding of relationship patterns, greater emotional expression capacity, and having developed the skills necessary to communicate and resolve their problems more effectively.
.
“We present more conflicts in the areas where we have been most deprived.
And it is precisely the person most deprived of love
who presents greater difficulties
related to giving and receiving love ”
Eagle, 1984