How to know when to go to couple therapy? 5 reasons of weight
The couple therapy it is one of the most useful psychological intervention offers.
Contrary to what happens in other forms of psychotherapy, it is not necessary to have received a diagnosis of mental disorder to resort to it, because the nucleus in which couples therapy acts is not the individual, but the relationship.
Sometimes, couples need to go to the psychologist
However, this advantage is, at the same time, a small inconvenience. The fact that relationships are so variable and that several points of view coexist makes the problems there are not perceived in the same way.
Sometimes it seems that the relationship is very bad, but a little later there are very pleasant moments that make us rethink if what we thought was a serious problem really was. Sometimes one of the members of the relationship thinks about the marital breakdown, while the other does not even know that the other person is not satisfied. At other times, serious problems within the relationship are normalized and interpreted as normal, phases by which any couple passes.
Part of these inconsistencies are, in part, the reason why the following question is worth asking: How do you know when the time has come to attend couples therapy?
The time when it is worth going to couple therapy
Next, I present some indications.
1. When the relationship is affected by communication failures
Many problems of a couple are based on something as simple and as complicated as communication problems . Attending couple therapy sessions can be used to introduce new relationship dynamics in our lives in which the direct and honest expression of each person's points of view has a reserved space.
During the same therapy sessions, in fact, the first exchanges of important impressions that were not being done before will take place.
2. When going 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 very important. utility to make this painful experience 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, the one in which there is little harmony in intimate relationships and in the expression of affectivity . This involves a great variety of situations and goes beyond the scope of sexuality.
Things as simple as the caresses, the moments of looking into each other's eyes in silence or hugs can be a good that is scarce in some relationships, and it can be complicated to "break the ice" to begin to incorporate this type of behavior into the relationship.
4. When there is indecision about future plans
Relationships are in part the way in which the present is experienced, and in part they are also the way in which the future is planned 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 they will also have the right 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 also can make and not have the space necessary 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 you do not have to consider the possibility of going to therapy, and the most clear is that situation in which there is domestic violence and threats.
In situations like these it is very important that the abused party break the relationship immediately and take all necessary measures to be safe.
It may interest you: "The 30 signs of psychological abuse in a relationship"