MARRIAGE THERAPY or COUPLES COUNSELING – WHEN DO YOU NEED IT?
Couples go through lots of changes and transitions in their relationships. Sometimes they are small and manageable, sometimes they are large and troubling, other times they are huge, traumatic, and devastating. When you’re feeling stuck, and want things in your marriage to be different, but can’t figure out how to make them be different, then it’s probably time to call for some assistance.
DO ANY OF THESE SITUATIONS SOUND FAMILIAR?
- Taking each other for granted to the point that neither person feels appreciated or valued
- You’re “bored”
- Feeling like you are competing with drugs, alcohol, pornography, or sex chat rooms
- Wondering where that great woman or man you married went
- Feeling displaced by the children
- Feeling displaced by someone’s work
- Feeling confused, alone, and lonely within your relationship
- Feeling like you are not being “heard” or “seen”
- Feeling a level of dissatisfaction and miss how you used to feel
- Wondering where the spontaneity and excitement went
- Finding yourselves growing apart
Marriage counseling can be wonderfully productive when you’re both: a) wanting to see some changes; b) willing to look at your own part; and c) committed to learning new ways of being together that work for both of you. It can produce exciting, creative, and positive changes in your marriage. It’s gratifying to find new ways of working together and playing together that meet each of your needs. Personal growth and a couple’s growth can go hand in hand. It’s a happy situation when you’re both open to growing and developing your relationship rather than feeling stuck, resentful, or sad…