Sometimes couples run into a rut filled with stressors and conflict that can be difficult to navigate on their own or resolve themselves. Couples ask themselves, “When should we start couples therapy?” When these become a frequent stay in the relationship, many will debate if therapy is the right answer and look to see if it’s effective.
How Couples Counseling Works
As therapy sessions are private and few people openly discuss whether they’ve pursued marriage counseling or couples counseling, many wonder what it entails. Most couples therapy is conducted with your partner, meaning both are present in sessions. While some therapists will hold separate sessions with each person for specific reasons, this is occasional and not most sessions. In some cases, one partner may seek therapy because the other is unwilling to participate, but we will focus on joint therapy sessions where both people in the relationship have agreed to counsel.
How long have you been together?
What attracted you both to each other?
When did problems begin?
How did you both first meet?
From there, therapy can be fairly individualistic. While there are common techniques and methods, such as Emotionally-Focused Therapy and Imago Relationship Therapy, the majority of sessions will focus on improving the couple’s functioning, breaking conflict patterns, and tackling the hurdles identified.
The Effectiveness: What Do the Statistics For Couples Who Go to Therapy Say?
The survey also uncovered some other interesting responses from couples:
37% of people cohabitating have been in couples therapy at one point or another.
68% of couples that live together recommend going to therapy before serious problems arise.
Only 1 in 5 couples who went to therapy did so before problems began.
71% of couples with experience in therapy recommend it to others.
What these statistics tell us is that not only does couples counseling help people and their relationships, but that those who’ve done it recommend going before conflicts become serious divides.
Benefits of Couples Therapy
The numbers show that couples therapy is effective, but what benefits do those translate to? Here are some of the top benefits to seeing a relationship therapist:
Deeper understanding of your relationship dynamic:
A neutral third party
Seeing each other's perspectives
Learn effective coping skills
Deepen intimacy and connection
Overcoming the Stigma of Relationship Therapy: Get Helps When You Need It
Earlier, you saw that 1 in 5 couples don’t seek therapy until well into conflict and the number of couples who regretted that was very high. There are a number of reasons people don’t seek help, even for their own mental health, but it’s important to remove the stigma and do what’s right for your relationship.
Some common reasons people don’t seek therapy include:
Their partner doesn't want to.
Therapy is too expensive
They don't think the problems are serious enough
Couples counseling is convenient
Not wanting someone to know their busines
Couples Counseling in San Diego: Meet Estes Therapists
Our therapists work with many couples of all marital statuses, genders, and sexualities, as well as monogamous or consensually non-monogamous persons in Oceanside or Mission Valley San Diego, CA.
