Relationship Counseling

Relationship counseling is a form of therapy that is designed to help romantic partners. Each and every long-term relationship will experience turbulence and conflict at some point. No matter how it appears from the outside looking in, no couple is perfect. Sometimes, the couple can resolve and manage their relationship issues on their own, but other times, they may need help figuring it out. This is the most common reason couples decide to start going to relationship counseling.

Relationship counseling, sometimes referred to as couples counseling, was first developed in the late 1920’s, but would not see great success until the 1960’s. For a long time, relationship counseling was not recognized as a form of therapy, but was considered a form of individual therapy concerning romantic relationships. Since then, hundreds of studies and literature have been published supporting the effectiveness and need for relationship counseling.

There are many different reasons couples decide to start going to relationship counseling. It is a common belief that only couples who are dealing with high levels of conflict should attend relationship counseling. This is not true, as any couple, no matter their relationship dynamic can benefit from counseling. Many couples who are engaged or have recently gotten married seek the guidance of a relationship counselor for preventative measures. They learn how to avoid getting in the cycle of ineffective disagreements or heated arguments. Couples who are not experiencing relationship problems can also learn methods to manage their future conflict and make it into a positive situation.

Most of the time, people seek out the help of a licensed counselor to help them manage recurring issues faced in their relationship. According to Dr. John Gottman’s research, 69% of problems in relationships are unresolvable and perpetual. This means each couple will have to learn to manage their problems, rather than trying to resolve them. Knowing that many of your problems are unresolvable may help you understand that your relationship is not “broken” or “doomed”, but that it is normal. A relationship counselor is very beneficial to help guide their clients through effectively managing their unresolvable problems.

One of the most helpful aspects of relationship counseling are the resources that clients receive when attending. These resources could be practices to control emotions, communication techniques, books, charts, and much more. The goal of relationship counseling is to send a couple home feeling equipped to manage their conflict and communicate more effectively. We know we will not be by your side when you experience conflict at home, so we provide helpful resources to help you remember what you learned in our sessions.

While it may seem like your problems will never be fixed, relationship counseling is usually a short-term process. Depending on the situation, couples attend counseling anywhere from a few sessions to a few months. Despite the short time they go, most couples find that attending relationship counseling was exactly what they needed to be successful. This is why we recommend relationship counseling to any couple, no matter what their relationship dynamic is like.