Maintaining a healthy long-term relationship takes more than love. It also requires good communication skills, empathy, and at times, brutal honesty. Rough patches arise in every couple’s journey. When they do, getting help from a couples counseling program can strengthen a couple’s bond.
Call Illumination Mental Health today at 747.285.7504 for an effective couples counseling program in Los Angeles.
What Is a Couples Counseling Program?
Couples counseling goes by many names. You may hear it referred to as marriage therapy, couples therapy, or relationship counseling. Whatever the term, the goal is the same: to assist people in an intimate, committed relationship with meeting their relationship goals.
With the support of couples counseling in Los Angeles, you and your partner can address a variety of issues. Couples who seek out counseling often want to:
- Resolve disagreements
- Prevent divorce
- Improve communication
- Express emotions better
- Heal after an affair or other betrayal
- Address sexual dysfunction or lack of desire
- Feel closer or more connected
A couples counseling program can take many formats, depending on each couple’s needs and their ability to communicate effectively. Generally, counseling begins with discussing a specific problem or reason for seeking help. Your counselor may meet individually with each partner in addition to regular couples appointments.
Therapeutic techniques used to strengthen a relationship may include talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, role-playing, and other strategies designed to improve communication and problem-solving skills.
Counseling vs. Therapy: What’s the Difference?
The two terms, counseling and therapy, are often used interchangeably. Generally speaking, the process is the same. However, a couples counseling program may be thought of as a short-term process, lasting several weeks or several months, while therapy may continue for a year or more.
Whether you’re seeking professional counseling or couples therapy in Los Angeles, working with a fully trained and licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) is recommended.
Benefits of a Couples Counseling Program
Most couples don’t seek professional counseling unless and until their relationship is experiencing an emergency crisis. Counseling has helped millions of committed couples pull themselves back from the brink of divorce or break-up. But it has also helped many more who aren’t in crisis and want to improve the quality of their relationship.
No matter the status of your marriage, professional counseling can improve your overall relationship satisfaction in the following ways.
Personal Growth
As the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. For a relationship to thrive, both partners need to grow individually as well as together. But personal growth can sometimes be seen as a threat to a relationship.
Counseling allows partners to explore different aspects of their solo lives and express desires to pursue interests or activities within the safe space of a therapist’s office.
Communication Skills
The inability to communicate effectively causes many couples to drift apart. Through our couples counseling in Los Angeles, partners learn how to speak and listen without yelling, anger, or other unproductive communication habits.
Every relationship—romantic, platonic, or professional—relies on effective communication. The communication skills couples learn in counseling will help them in every aspect of their lives.
Resolving Old Issues
Constantly bringing up old wounds is destructive to a relationship. But when those old issues are never fully resolved, it’s only natural they will come up again and again. Your therapist will help you and your partner understand the roots of recurring problems and provide strategies for resolving them once and for all.
Illumination Mental Health Offers Couples Counseling in Los Angeles
If your relationship isn’t as satisfying as you hoped it would be, or if a major crisis has led you to consider divorce, our understanding professionals are here to help.
Call Illumination Mental Health today 747.285.7504 for proven couples therapy in Los Angeles.
