As about 80% of therapists in private practice offer couples therapy, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t count out this option for you and your partner! Oftentimes, in new relationships or after years of a partnership, you and your partner can learn bad habits and have a hard time dealing with a variety of issues. If that’s the case for your relationship, couples therapy can become a huge benefit to the long term success of your marriage or partnership. 

As all couples experience some form of conflict, any little thing can create a crack in the foundation of your relationship if left unresolved or un-communicated. With the help of an unbiased third party therapist, you and your partner can seek the healthy communicative space you’ve been looking for. 

Here are 4 reasons why you and your partner might want to consider couples therapy:

1. You’ve Grown in Different Directions 
2. You Can’t Agree on Finances 
3. One of You had an Affair
4. Your Arguments go Nowhere

You’ve Grown in Different Directions 

When it comes to your long term relationship, if you and your partner have been living together for years or have experienced the birth of a child, your partnership may begin to feel more like a lifelong roommate rather than a partner. If you and your partner are beginning to feel as though you’ve grown in different directions, or maybe you’ve forgotten why you fell in love in the first place, couples therapy could be your next step. 

With the help of a certified therapist, you and your partner deal with these blockages in your relationship. Couples therapy is meant to create open, safe spaces for partners to explore all their marriage still has to offer— strengths, weaknesses and all in between. 

You Can’t Agree on Finances

Are you a married couple in your 40’s experiencing mortgage related money issues, or a couple in your early 30’s learning to manage life full time with a partner— couples therapy can help you get a handle on all your turbulent emotions surrounding cash. 

For many, therapy can help patients understand their relationship with money and how it can shape their thoughts. The way we view and handle our finances is likely different from that of our partner. As our financial habits are linked to past experiences and childhood, if you have a harder time dealing with money related issues in your relationship, seeking couples therapy can help you get a jumpstart on these issues. Before any major decisions are made or any arguments continue, a therapist can mitigate relationship risk.

Looking to understand the inner workings of your spouse? Connect with Dr. Phil Chanin today!

One of You had an Affair 

Have you or your partner had an affair? Infidelity can mean many different things to many different people and if you haven’t had this discussion with your partner, you may want to do so before any issues occur. However, if an affair has already happened, you may want to seek couples therapy services to repair the damage or create a resolution plan.

Relationship affairs and infidelity affects about 20-25% of marriages. However, these breaches of trust don’t have to be the end of your relationship. With couples counseling services, you and your partner can lay everything out on the table to regain trust and reignite that spark in your own relationship.  

Your Arguments go Nowhere

Every relationship experiences minor, unproductive arguments. As you and your partner are two different people who have differing life experiences, you’re bound to have some sort of disagreements here and there. However, while arguing in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, unhealthy screaming matches, or inflammatory situations are not how a healthy relationship is handled.  

Everyone has different ways of handling conflict, and if you’re not someone who thrives in confrontational settings, couples therapy could benefit the longevity of your relationship. Therapy services can teach you and your partner to diffuse disagreements in a healthy, respectful way.

In seeking couples therapy, you and your partner can troubleshoot areas of friction as they come in a safe, healthy environment. Often, having the ear of a third party professional can give you the reassurance you need in your relationship and keep you and your partner on top of your emotions.  

Dr. Phil Chanin’s work in couples therapy and marriage counseling utilizes the theory and practices of Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT), developed by Harville Hendrix. Imago theory helps to explain how the choices we make, in whom we fall in love with, almost guarantee that we will eventually find ourselves in difficult and painful power struggles with our partners. 

If you and your partner are looking for couples counseling services to re-energize your relationship, contact Dr. Phil Chanin today!