Relationship Counseling
Enter your text here...
What is Relationship Counseling?
One common misconception about relationship counseling, in general, including couples counseling and marriage and family therapy, is that it’s only for people who have serious, immediate problems or it is something to do as a last resort before dissolving the relationship. Another is that it is only for romantic relationships. Much like marriages and intimate relationships, friendships also experience similar dynamics. All relationships go through change and adjustments must be made. Having children, moving, getting married, losing loved ones, affairs… all of these changes, can often trigger stress and struggle. Through relationship counseling you can increase intimacy, work through conflict, and learn new patterns of relating to improve your relationships. You can get through this together or discover a peaceful way to end your relationship.
Many people try their best to avoid conflict, but conflict can also present an opportunity to improve a relationship. The key is to improve communication so you can learn to fight constructively in a way that leaves you feeling better about your partner. Communication is “the most frequently reported conflict topic” for surveyed couples in the United States. Many couples who have attended counseling have found this to be true. Even if they came in with a different idea of what their key challenge was, the core of that problem often ended up being rooted in communication—or rather, miscommunication. A trained therapist can help couples learn healthy communication skills and strategies such as speaking for oneself rather than for the other person, listening more than speaking, asking open-ended questions, using mutually respectful time-outs, understanding the communication style of oneself and one’s partner, and more. Many couples are surprised at how many of their problems can be improved when they enhance their communication skills together.
Some positive side-effects of better communication include increased respect for each other, greater understanding, more compassion, a wider array of solutions to problems and a larger view of the relationship and its possibilities. One of those possibilities being personal growth. Relationships also are often how we recognize when we are carrying old unhealthy patterns within us and in these painful times, we can discover ways to transform ourselves and create healthier patterns of relating both with ourselves and others. Through relationship counseling, you’ll explore `answers to questions such as: How much has being with your partner resulted in your learning new things? How much has knowing your partner made you a better person? A deeper awareness of how the interplay of individual growth and the growth of the relationship can not only help you to avoid the pitfalls that come with change, something that every relationship will go through; but will also lead you to a place of mutual happiness, even in the face of challenges and stressors to the relationship.
We are here to help you navigate these challenges. Contact us to see how we can help.
Get started with Relationship Counseling
© 2021 Mindscape Counseling. All rights Reserved