The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once stated, “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” Sometimes it seems as if anyone can fall passionately in love, but it’s much more difficult to sustain that love over time through kindness, compassion, and mutual respect. For example, the first year of marriage can test most relationships. So can the seventh year of marriage…and the tenth year of marriage. In fact, there’s essentially no stage of a romantic partnership that is “safe” if significant others stop trying to love each other in the best way they can.
Thriveworks Counseling Cleveland (South) can help couples in Ohio find their strengths and work through their differences in the company of a compassionate, expert therapist. Couples therapy is an incredibly rewarding way to gain insights into yourself, your partner, and how you interact with each other.
What Is the Success Rate of Couples Therapy?
Research shows that the vast majority of couples who attend marriage counseling sessions find them effective in achieving their goals. When significant others go to couples therapy, they might arrive with specific objectives, or they might just have a vague idea about strengthening their relationship. At Thriveworks Counseling Cleveland (South), couples therapy is often short-term and solution-focused, meaning that romantic partners have specific issues that need resolving. These issues might include the following:
- Financial concerns
- Sexual expectations
- Different attachment styles
- Traumatic backgrounds
- Conflicting parenting styles
- Untreated mental health issues
- Substance abuse issues
- Infidelity
- Household division of labor
- Individual values
A great couples therapist helps individuals unravel these issues and can help connect small grievances to larger patterns in the relationship. A licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) at Thriveworks Counseling Cleveland (South) helps couples improve their relationships by listening closely and offering insights through nonjudgmental therapy sessions. Partners often feel more safe discussing their intimate issues in this healthy, reciprocal, secure environment.
What Do Couples Do in Therapy?
In couples counseling, individuals have a chance to express their feelings, thoughts, and desires in ways that can lead to individual growth as well as relationship growth. Partners can learn how to communicate effectively with each other so they can get their needs met in the relationship. They learn how to empathize with each other and truly listen when the other person is talking. But every couple has different needs, which is why therapists at Thriveworks Counseling Cleveland (South) tailor their treatment plans to each unique married couple or romantic partnership. Some of the relationship issues that are commonly discussed in marriage therapy or premarital counseling include the following:
- Healthy boundaries
- Anger management
- Emotional regulation
- Positive coping skills
- Rapport building
- Sexual intimacy
- Conflict de-escalation
- Alcohol abuse or addiction recovery
- Infertility issues
- Parenting or blended family issues
- Trauma and/or PTSD
- Depression and anxiety
- Grief and loss
Thriveworks therapists may use different methods to talk about these common issues, including emotionally focused therapy and the Gottman method.
How Do You Know If Your Marriage Needs Counseling?
People seek marriage counseling for a variety of reasons, not all of them rooted in conflict. Some couples who have secure, healthy relationships talk to their marriage counselor routinely, just to maintain and strengthen what’s already working well. But specific symptoms might bring you to marriage counseling as well. For example, if you and your spouse feel that you’re growing apart, or not communicating effectively, or having the same argument again and again, it may be time to talk through these problems together in the company of a third party who can offer valuable insights into your relationship.
Achieve Your Relationship Goals with Couples Therapy at Thriveworks Counseling Cleveland (South)
It’s okay to admit when you need help working through something with your partner. Sometimes we are too close to a situation to understand it. Emotions run too hot. There’s too much history there. Someone doesn’t fight fairly. At Thriveworks Counseling Cleveland (South), partners communicate more effectively because they’re in the presence of someone who accepts them without judgment and can uncover deeper meaning in their conflicts.
Thriveworks therapists can meet with new clients quickly, usually within 24-48 hours of their initial booking. They can hold full sessions in-person at the modern office in Cleveland, or securely online through virtual counseling. Online therapy can remove a lot of the obstacles to seeking mental health treatment by allowing couples to meet with their counselor on evenings or weekends from the comfort of their own home. Thriveworks Counseling also accepts many major forms of health insurance coverage and offers competitive rates for couples paying out-of-pocket.
If you’re concerned about your relationship with your spouse, or just want to take preventative measures to avoid trouble in the future, call Thriveworks Counseling Cleveland (South) for a full couples therapy session. We look forward to helping you and your partner reconnect!
