Do you and your partner have strong interpersonal communication skills? Are you both active listeners? Or are you constantly disagreeing on important issues that affect your relationship?
Couples go into counseling for a variety of reasons, and some of these may have a more serious impact on the marriage than others. If one or both spouses has been unfaithful, for example, it’s been found that an affair tends to last for two years. That is quite a long time to be living with all of the emotions that can arise.
While an affair of any length may be grounds for divorce, many couples choose to work through the issues that led to it with therapy services. A psychotherapist may also recommend group counseling and other types of marriage intensives. Online relationship counseling has also gained in popularity, so it is another option when seeking guidance through a personally challenging time.
In some cases, couples that enter marriage counseling may also meet with a therapist for individual counseling sessions. There may be some issues, such as depression, that need to be addressed with individualized psychotherapy.
Studies show that therapy services can make a substantial difference when couples are willing to commit to the process. The Chicago Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy, for example, found that 50% of the couples that participated in this therapeutic program recovered after therapy. Furthermore, 70% of these couples recovered during the three months following the culmination of the program.
Research conducted by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists also found that couples therapy was successful. Over 98% of the couples surveyed said that they received good or even excellent help. Over 97% of these couples stated that they received what they needed to resolve their issues. .
One of the major benefits of engaging in couples therapy is to develop skills and learn tools for handling current and ongoing problems. In another study, 93% said they had more effective tools than before they worked with a marriage or family therapist. These individuals also claimed that therapy had assisted them with functioning better at work. Furthermore, they also claimed that their health had improved.
