How Do You Know When To Go To Couples Therapy? 5 Compelling Reasons
The couple therapy It is one of the most useful psychological intervention offers.
Unlike what happens in other forms of psychotherapy, it is not necessary to have received a diagnosis of a mental disorder to resort to it, because the core in which couples therapy acts is not the individual, but the relationship.
However, this advantage is, at the same time, a small drawback. The fact that relationships are so variable and that several points of view coexist means that the problems that exist in them are not perceived in the same way.
Sometimes it seems that the relationship is going very badly, but a little later very pleasant moments occur in it that make us reconsider whether what we thought was a serious problem really was. Sometimes one partner in the relationship thinks about the marital breakup, while the other does not even know that the other person is not satisfied. On other occasions, serious problems within the relationship become normalized and are interpreted as normal things, phases that any couple goes through.
Part of these inconsistencies are, in part, why it is worth asking the following question: How do you know when it is time to attend couples therapy?
The moment when it is worth going to couples therapy
Below I present some indications to know when to go to couples therapy.
1. When the relationship is suffering from communication failures
Many relationship problems are based on something as simple and as complicated at the same time as communication problems Attending couples therapy sessions can serve to introduce new relationship dynamics into our lives in which the direct and honest expression of each person’s points of view has a reserved space.
During the therapy sessions themselves, in fact, the first important exchanges of impressions that were not taking place before will occur.
2. When you go through a specific crisis
If it is very clear that the problems experienced in the relationship are due to a more or less serious crisis that has to do with a specific event, such as a dismissal from work or the death of a loved one, couples therapy can be of great help. useful to ensure that this painful experience does not also extend to the private sphere of the relationship.
3. When there are problems in intimate relationships
The time to attend couples therapy is also that in which there is little harmony in intimate relationships and in the expression of affection This involves a wide variety of situations and goes beyond the area of sexuality.
Things as simple as caresses, moments of silent looking into each other’s eyes or hugs can be a commodity that is scarce in some relationships, and it can be difficult to “break the ice” to start incorporating this type of behavior into the relationship.
4. When there is indecision about future plans
Relationships are partly the way in which we experience the present, and partly they are also the way in which we plan the future together.
If discrepancies and conflicts are perceived in this second aspect couples therapy can offer a space in which each part of the relationship will find new tools to express expectations that they did not know how to express before, and will also have the appropriate context to establish an honest conversation about what each one wants to find in the relationship.
5. When children disturb the peace of the home too much
The appearance of sons and daughters is usually a very happy event, but sometimes it is also It can mean that there is not enough space available to make the relationship have its moments of intimacy In couples therapy, effective strategies can be discussed so that the relationship adapts to this situation.
When not to attend couples therapy
There are certain situations in which the problems in the relationship are so serious that there is no need to consider going to therapy, and the clearest is that situation in which there is domestic violence and threats.
In situations like these it is very important for the abused party to immediately break off the relationship and take all necessary measures to be safe.
