How Couples Therapy Can Help: Finding Support Before You Need It
I am a firm believer in the benefits of therapy. Regardless of how compatible you and your partner may be, issues will arise. Some of these issues may be difficult to resolve without an outside mediator. Whether dating, engaged or married, it can be helpful to have a therapist involved in your relationship, as there are many advantages that couples therapy can provide.
Improving communication
We all communicate in different ways. Often when we feel that our partner isn’t understanding what we’re communicating, it’s because we’re not communicating in a way they understand. Going to couples therapy can help both you and your partner learn how to communicate with each other in an effective and caring way, thus helping you both resolve problems more quickly.
Unpacking problems
Issues within a relationship can get tricky. More than likely the real issue is buried so deep that it can be difficult to isolate. A couples therapist can help you and your partner peel away these layers and discover the root cause of the issue. Though it may still be difficult to fix, identifying it is half the struggle.
Growing as individuals
Couples therapy not only helps you and your partner as a couple but can also benefit each of you individually. It is an opportunity to learn about yourself, which can translate to other parts of your life.
Preventative measures
No one goes into a relationship hoping it will fail. Relationships take hard work, and a couples therapist can help you and your partner isolate your goals and work towards them together. Many assume that couples therapy is only useful when there are problems in the relationship. In reality, couples therapy can be used as a preventative measure to work through issues that may become bigger problems later. It can also provide you both with strategies for a happy relationship.
Couples therapy can be beneficial for the health and happiness of your relationship. It doesn’t matter where you are in your relationship, couples therapy can help improve communication, resolve problems and prevent issues from becoming larger, more serious problems. Though it can be hard to take the first step and find a therapist, the benefits therapy can have for your relationship are worth it.
Kaitlynn Toay is a senior
English major from
Edgeley, N.D.