Relationships aren’t always smooth sailing. You will face days where it might feel like it’s all falling apart. And it is during these times that your bond with your partner will be put to the test.
Building a strong relationship requires a lot of work by both you and your partner. Weathering the stormy times together can help forge a stronger, and more resilient, connection.
Things are certainly easier if you’ve got a partner who is willing to walk the extra mile with you, but, sometimes, your relationship might need an extra nudge. On rough days such as these, you may consider seeking professional help. Here’s what couples counseling can do for you and your partner.
1. Improve Communication
Sometimes it’s difficult to voice everything you wish to say to your partner in an everyday setting. In couples’ counseling, the therapist will hold space for you to communicate freely with your partner by utilizing communication exercises. What this does is allow you to explore topics that may be uncomfortable to discuss in a different setting.
You and your partner will then be able to discuss not just what works for you but also what doesn’t. This will give you both an idea of what could be done differently to strengthen your relationship.
Just like therapy for depression and counseling for any other mental health concern, talking to a therapist can help you and your partner connect and come to terms with the root cause of your conflict, and explore the best course to work through it.
2. Develop Emotional Intimacy
Intimacy is a key element in a healthy relationship. Both physical and emotional intimacy determine the quality of a relationship. Opening up in a couples counseling session can help you connect emotionally to your partner and develop a deeper intimacy with them.
To rekindle the warmth between you two, you must be honest to yourself and your partner. The counseling session should become a space where you can express yourself with utmost honesty to be able to forge a sincere connection with your partner. Being honest about your thoughts and feelings is essential if you want your partner to understand you at an emotional level.
Emotional intimacy will also translate to physical intimacy which, in turn, will help improve the bond you and your partner share. Once you are comfortable with your partner you will be able to build a happier and healthier relationship.
3. Resolve Conflicts Faster
Couples counseling will allow you to engage in constructive arguments and work towards finding solutions together. This involves listening actively to what your partner has to say and following your counselor’s suggestions to approach arguments diplomatically and with a calmer demeanor.
What is important to resolve conflicts is a willingness to accept that there are problems, identify the root cause, and take steps to remedy the situation. You must remember to be patient and calm during the whole process, especially if it takes an unexpected turn. Your therapist will guide you on how you can stay in control of your emotions and think rationally even when you feel overwhelmed.
If the cause of conflicts between you and your partner involves other family members, then you might want to consider family therapy as well. It allows families to detect fault lines, communicate their apprehensions to each other, and take active steps to work on their mutual ties.
4. Build Trust And Understanding
Trust is the foundation of every relationship. For a relationship to be successful, the partners must wholeheartedly trust each other and understand each other intimately. Often trouble brews between couples when trust is breached or lost.
Most conflicts in relationships arise from mistrust and suspicions about your partner’s true intentions. Couples counseling provides you the opportunity to understand how your partner thinks and behaves so you can determine what is the motivation behind their actions and learn to trust them better.
The safe space of therapy is the right place for you to be vulnerable and give your relationship a second chance. Your counselor will teach you how to listen to your partner, give them space to express themselves, and try to work on building the relationship to nurture understanding between you two.
5. Grow As An Individual
While you mend your relationship with your partner in the safe space that couples counseling provides, you are bound to notice changes in your own individual self as well. Relationships are a coming together of two individuals, so it is natural that you will feel positive growth as an individual during the course of therapy.
It is important for the partners to continue to grow and reinvent themselves as individuals and bring this self-awareness into the relationship. Once a couple is open to challenging themselves to become better, it is easier for them to work on their relationship too.
Use your learnings from couples counseling sessions to not just improve your romantic relationship with your partner but also other interpersonal relationships in your life. You can apply some of the lessons in your personal and professional life to grow as an individual.
Take The First Step
Taking the first step towards improving the well-being of your relationship can be challenging as it requires the cooperation of both parties involved. Both of you must be willing to acknowledge the elephant in the room to work towards addressing it. What you need to remember at such times is that it is absolutely fine to need external help and reach out for it.
Be sure to work closely with your partner while you schedule your therapy so that both of you are comfortable with the sessions. Remember that this would be a learning experience for both of you, individually as well as as a couple.