Did you know that sixty-five percent of couples reported “significant” improvement in their relationship after going through couples counseling? If you and your partner have been dealing with various marital issues, now might be the time to mend your relationship! 

For some unfamiliar with couples therapy, going into their first session can often be a bit intimidating and overwhelming. While the concept of couples counseling may feel unfamiliar to you at first, you’ll find that the right therapist will be there for you to help guide you and your partner through your relationship. To learn more about the process of couples counseling, read on. 

Here’s how couples counseling tends to go:

1. Reveal Basic Relationship Info 
2. Dig Deeper into the Relationship
3. Develop Coping Tools, Goals & More
4. Skill Improvement
5. Outside of Session Work 
6. Marriage Counseling Services

Reveal Basic Relationship Info 

Have you ever wondered what couples counseling is like? In the first session, your therapist will look to learn more about each of you and your relationship as a couple. Your therapist or counselor should get to know each of you on an individual basis. The questions can range from how you met to how you spent your childhood. In spite of their insignificance to you, these facts are crucial to understanding your whole story. 

In many cases, people are discouraged after the first session is mainly questions and not a lot of therapy happening. However, there is no need to worry; this is just to make sure your therapist or counselor gets to know you both. As your sessions continue, they will be more of what you expect.

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

Dig Deeper into the Relationship

There can be a variety of different reasons why you and your spouse are trying couples counseling. Maybe you’re having the same arguments over and over. Maybe, you and your partner are having physical intimacy issues. Regardless of what you’re experiencing, if you and your partner feel the need to dig deeper into your relationship, then couples counseling is the best place. 

There are different types of problems for everyone, but identifying your specific issues is an essential step to take in mending any relationship. When you go into therapy, you may think your problem revolves around intimacy. However, your therapist may find that your relationship lacks trust and communication. A therapist will listen to your concerns and look for underlying, connected themes.

Develop Coping Tools, Goals & More

After you have pinpointed the underlying causes of your relationship problems, you can develop your treatment goals. The goals of every couple will be different. Keep in mind that your goals may change over the course of your therapy. Together, you and your therapist will develop a timeline after you have laid out your goals for therapy. Within this timeline, you, your spouse and your counselor will work together to build upon positive change within your relationship. This can take form in learning new emotional skills. These can include:

• Communication skills
• Patience and forgiveness
• Trust and honesty
• Stress-management

During your therapy sessions you will be reminded of the importance of these skills and shown how they can improve your relationship.

Reconnect with your spouse with the help of Dr. Phil Chanin!

Outside of Session Work 

As a couple new to couples therapy, you should know that working on your relationship doesn’t stop once your therapy session ends. In fact, a major part of couples therapy is what happens in between the sessions. You’ll have tasks, or out of session work to complete between each session. 

The ultimate goal of this work is to get your relationship to a point where you can work out your issues on your own outside of therapy. Your therapist will likely start you out with a few small tasks, but eventually you’ll be able to tackle any issues that arise together, on your own.

Marriage Counseling Services

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 helps to explain the choices we make, why we fall in love with the people we do and can 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!