About Couples Therapy:
Most couples experience fluctuations in their emotional intimacy throughout the course of their relationship. It is common for stressors that are external to the relationship such as careers, finances, children, and extended family to impact relational satisfaction. Couples therapy provides couples with a safe, neutral space, to resolve conflict and heal emotional wounds. Throughout the therapeutic process, couples will develop conflict-management skills, learn to express their needs to one another, and restore their emotional connectedness.
What is the purpose or goal of couples therapy?
The purpose of couples therapy is to help partners deepen their knowledge about one another, their needs, and develop healthy problem-solving skills. For most therapeutic sessions, both partners will be present. Although, at times, I may ask to meet with each partner individually if I determine it would be most beneficial to your healing as a couple. The couple will set therapeutic goals with my guidance, as we develop a treatment plan to best suit your needs.
How long are couples therapy sessions?
Couples therapy sessions are 50 minutes.
How often will a couple need to go to therapy?
The frequency of therapy sessions may vary from couple to couple, although, it is best practice that we meet once a week at the beginning stages of therapy. I encourage my clients to maintain open and honest communication with me throughout the therapeutic process, in order to ensure that I am providing you with the tools and support you and your partner need.
Couples typically “graduate” from therapy once they feel they have reached their relational goals. It is my pleasure to provide you with help each step of the way.
What to expect during couples therapy:
The first session of couple’s therapy is often referred to as the “information gathering” session. During this session, you and your partner will share the relational concerns that are bringing you to therapy. The assessment phase of therapy can last 2-3 sessions, as it is my goal to develop a solid understanding of your concerns and therapeutic goals. I will tailor our sessions in order to best meet your needs as a couple. In order to create lasting change in your relationship, I encourage couples to practice the tools we discuss together in session, outside of session each day.
Atlanta Couple’s & Marriage Therapy
Maintaining an atmosphere of love and intimacy is often difficult for people in relationships. There are many external factors that can place undue amounts of stress on the couple. Each person in the relationship has a different background and set of expectations, for example. In addition, the tools people use to communicate with each other might be inadequate for the challenges faced by the couple. Pressure can come via extended family members, unhealed traumas, career expectations and financial difficulties.
Couple’s Therapy, Goals and Expectations
During therapy, the partners learn to resolve differences with each other in a way that is respectful and nurturing. This leads to a deepening of intimacy and knowledge about how to fulfill the partner’s legitimate needs without neglecting one’s own needs. These sessions will usually involve both people, but there could be times when each partner may be asked to attend an individual counseling session.
Treatment plans are highly customized because each couple has a unique dynamic. Relationships are incredibly dynamic, and this requires the therapist to apply flexibility to each situation. However, the couple might also notice that the skilled therapist has a lot to offer. For example, the therapist's professional guidance is often helpful when one or both of the partners lacks the necessary communication skills to participate fully in the process.
This can happen when a partner is unfamiliar with the therapeutic model, for example. There can be many other reasons, and these are explored during the initial sessions. The methods for communicating within the therapeutic space can be developed over time. This is one of the most common goals for therapy. Once the couple's communication abilities improve, they can practice and develop these skills at home. In other words, improvement in the couple's interpersonal communication often leads to other benefits within the domestic sphere.
Couples Relationship Therapist in Atlanta
Is Therapy Effective?
The most effective therapy sessions occur when both partners feel confident that the therapist has something to offer to improve the relationship. This can include a neutral and supportive way of framing difficult situations, for example. However, it could also involve coaching on how to use new skills for dealing with conflicts in a different way.
Each couple has a unique situation, and success is largely defined by the individuals who are involved in the therapy. There are many surprising benefits that can come out of therapy, and this is also a part of defining success. Many couples experience the therapy session as an opportunity to learn how to communicate openly with each other, for example. In some cases, this is the first time the couple has attempted this form of communication, and it can take some adjusting to internalize the benefits. After putting these skills into practice, it's often possible for couples to restore trust, intimacy and emotional connection within the relationship.
Frequency of Therapeutic Sessions for Couples
Every couple faces a unique set of challenges. This is why there is no uniform method used to determine how frequently the couple should come to therapy sessions. However, most new couples will start their journey by coming into the session one time per week. Each session usually lasts for 50 minutes.
Expectations for Therapy
Couples tend to set certain goals for the relationship, and therapy will often end once these goals are met. The first session is an opportunity for the therapist to establish the neutral therapeutic environment while gathering necessary information about the overall situation. Subsequent sessions will help the couple to refine their expectations.
Meeting these objectives is a process that could happen within a short amount of time, but it could also take more time than expected. During all stages of the therapy, couples are encouraged to actively practice using the skills and techniques learned within the therapy session. Regular practice will eventually turn these new ways of interacting into a pleasant habit that can continue into the future.
LAUREN ENDER
