Every relationship takes time and effort, and some are easier than others. It doesn’t matter if the union is in its early stages, if it’s many years down the line, or even if it is a decades-old marriage.
At some point in every relationship, there might be instances where both you and your romantic partner will encounter conflict. The fact is that these types of challenges are mostly unavoidable.
At Overcomers Counseling Aurora, our couples counseling experts specialize in helping couples work through relationship conflicts.
While relationships are characterized by happy moments, there can also be moments of stress and differences. When dealing with these issues, working with professionals can help struggling couples identify problem areas in their relationships and make meaningful changes.
The terms “couples counseling” and“couples therapy” are often interchanged when, in fact, they mean different things. On the one hand, therapy is a treatment used to treat numerous types of mental health conditions or dysfunctional thoughts, patterns of behavior, or emotions. Couples therapy, thus, involves addressing various conditions, such as depression or anxiety, which either one or both partners in a relationship may be experiencing.
On the other hand, counseling focuses on exploring difficulties which may include the emotional feelings of the person in question. Couples counseling, thus, is a type of counseling for intimate partners. It involves the process of exploring any conflicts between partners, and it focuses on specific problems in a relationship. Generally, couples counseling aims to improve interactions and communications between couples and strengthen relationships.
While both Couples therapy and couples counseling are focused on improving and strengthening relationships, they have some other key differences. Couples therapy, for example, can be long-term, while couples counseling tends to be short-term. Counseling also tends to be centered around present issues and making adjustments to overcome current problems, while therapy may explore topics from the past to make adjustments to benefit the present as well as the future.
Nonetheless, there is an overlap between couples therapy and counseling because, for instance, mental health experts offer both therapy and counseling services.
All couples, at one point or another, face issues in relationships. For some, it might be minor; for others, it might be severe. Either way, challenges can arise in any union. While counseling can help couples overcome such issues, it is good to understand the different factors that can cause couples to need counseling. Here are some reasons why couples seek counseling services.
Growing apart is one of the common reasons why couples seek counseling. After spending years in a relationship with one person, there are situations where couples no longer interact or engage each other like they used to earlier in the relationship. In this case, they are merely coexisting as roommates. This may not be a result of underlying conflicts; in some cases, it is just that they have grown apart.
This is another common reason why couples seek counseling. In this case, there has been a breach of trust, and without trust in a relationship, there are bound to be problems. This breach of trust is often related to one person cheating on another. However, this type of issue doesn’t always mean physical infidelity; it can be a case of one partner hiding or being secretive about something.
While one parent might choose to be more liberal in their parenting style, the other parent might want to be more strict about how they raise their kids. Finding a middle ground is necessary for this type of issue to avoid a conflict of interest that will affect the relationship between the couple. Couples might choose to seek counseling to solve such an issue.
A significant change or transition can shake things up even when a couple gets along well. A big change can come in retirement, an illness, or having a child. When one partner feels overwhelmed or stressed out and feels the other partner isn’t supporting them enough, this can lead to conflict.
Some other examples of the reason why couples opt for counseling include a lacking love life, unproductive/hurtful arguments, trying to avoid a divorce, difficulties in communication, etc.
Keep in mind that the decision to try out couples counseling is one that both partners need to choose to do. Working through problems between two people is easier when they are committed to solving and moving on from their problems. Our couples counseling at Overcomers Counseling Aurora can help you kick-start your journey to resolving conflicts and challenges in your relationships.
While challenges and conflict may be inevitable in relationships, numerous tools can help couples get their relationship back on track. Some of these tools include:
This is a valuable tool where couples take turns listening to what the other partner is trying to express. This builds communication in relationships.
This method is often used by couples counselors to help couples truly deepen their understanding of each other while managing any conflicts in their relationship.
This is another tool often used by couples’ counselors. This counseling tool helps couples heal and grow together.
This tool is a type of questionnaire that can help couples find out more about each other.
At Overcomers Counseling Aurora, our couples counseling strategies are designed to suit the requirements and needs of clients.
