When communication as a couple seems to be difficult or even no solution is seen; Couples therapy comes to the rescue as one of the most effective treatment options to identify and resolve what generates conflict, distancing and rejection.
Brief couples therapy It is one of the couples therapy approaches that is applied to help those who, being in a courtship or marriage, feel that the relationship is going through a stage of crisis, either due to the worsening of that bond or due to the stagnation of this . Now, this type of couples therapy has several characteristics and advantages that are useful to know; Let’s see what they are.
Brief Systemic Therapy is a form of psychological intervention developed by the Palo Alto Mental Research Institute in the 1970s, and is applied to individual patients as well as couples, families and work teams.
As its name indicates, this therapeutic approach It is based on the principles of Systems Theory , and that is why it does not focus on understanding the problems or needs to be covered as isolated and singular elements, but as the result of an interaction of dynamic elements in constant movement. Likewise, it also has its roots in the theory of cybernetics, and that is why it gives great importance to the transmission of information.
On the other hand, Brief Systemic Therapy intervenes on the problem as it is expressed in the present moment, assuming that it is not the sequel of something that happened in the past, but a reality that is underway in the here and now. It is for this reason, in part, that can lead to very positive results in less time than other forms of psychotherapy
In Brief Systemic Couple Therapy, strategies are applied to transform the interaction between both people, allowing both people to have a more global vision of their role within the relationship and the other’s point of view. What it is about in these cases is to ensure that, by modifying the patterns of interaction between people, they see beyond the dysfunctional, rigid and limited perspective to which they had been clinging, understanding that they are part of a relationship that transcends as individuals.
The benefits of brief couples therapy
These are the main beneficial aspects of brief therapy in couples therapy.
1. Prevent one member from feeling all the pressure
Although all forms of couples therapy try to ensure that one of the members of the courtship or marriage feels much more pressure to change than the other, this is especially easy in brief couples therapy, since, as we have seen, seen, here we intervene not in individuals, but in interactions
2. Generate positive results in a short time
As we have seen, brief couples therapy is designed to last relatively short; It takes place in a few sessions. Thanks to this, Problems and conflicts are resolved in a matter of weeks something that contributes to generating that experience of opening a new cycle for the relationship.
As the results arrive quickly, this serves as a source of motivation for both members of the couple to get involved in the change process and Don’t fall into the trap of abandoning therapy early (which would cause all the progress made to be lost).
4. Generates dynamics of mutual support
As you intervene in the relationship and encourage change in two people at the same time, in this process you achieve that one supports the other and vice versa, something that makes the transition to that new way of living and loving each other easier
Sometimes it becomes common to pay more attention to the bad than the good. It helps enormously to learn from the dysfunctional ways of interacting as a couple to understand it and begin to focus on improvements through small changes.
In the relationship; Brief Therapy provides practical solutions; focusing on balance and strengthening the sense of reciprocity in the relationship.
How do some couples come to this type of therapy?
More and more couples are opting for brief therapy, and this is the case of “Sinha” and “Johary” who, when they came to care, had been sharing their lives for 12 years. They were going through a crisis due to situations that could not be communicated and that led to deterioration. The difficulty was centered on what each person personally expected and sometimes he even demanded or claimed in a way that the other felt hurt. What was once love, now seems to be a battle of egos.
In recent years, communication had become increasingly scarce; when they spoke to each other, they did so in a way that was not pleasant for the other; Coupled with this, trust was severely damaged. On the verge of almost giving up, the moment comes when Sinha holds on to the idea of not continuing in the relationship anymore but Johary wants to save their relationship and asks Sinha to look for alternatives, and after reviewing several options, they decide. by Brief Couple Therapy.
From their first therapy session, they noticed changes that allowed them to release tension, feel understood, accept and tolerate ; Thus, communication becomes more fluid and assertive. Therapy helps them assess and identify what unites them and what they seek to achieve both individually, which had been affected, and together.
Even though it is possible to visualize a relationship in which you enjoy being together; No therapeutic approach has magic solutions that solve everything that causes discomfort. There are situations in which the brief therapy approach raises the possibility that it is better to be separated; Everyone allows themselves considerate and kind communication that offers a better solution without causing more suffering. Why think about “bad together or bad apart”? We know that the possibility exists, either together or separately; Sometimes when this last option is visualized, it turns into solutions and many more things are rescued than initially expected.
Do you want to go to couples therapy?
If you are interested in starting a couples therapy process, I invite you to contact me and my team of professionals.
My name is Victor Fernando Perez Lopez I have a degree in Psychology with a specialty in Brief Systemic Therapy from the Milton H. Erickson Institute of Guadalajara, and from ENDI En Directo I offer psychological assistance and coaching.
