Counseling has its life-long supporters and life-long deniers of its efficacy. Couples therapy is a step further into the dual perspective people tend to take on counseling. Oftentimes, one partner is more adamant about going to couples therapy than the other.
However, if you find the best marriage counselor or best couples therapist, you run the chance of having a strong relationship with your partner that you might not have thought imaginable if counseling was never introduced into your relationship. If you’re skeptical about couples therapy, keep reading to find out all that it entails, if it’s right for your relationship and the common myths associated with it.
The Myth: A Stranger Cannot Help Me
This is one of the most common myths that exist about couples counseling. While your therapist hasn’t been with you your whole life, you do get the opportunity to divulge as deeply into your background and life story as you are open to.
A therapist remains as objective as possible. They have no ulterior motives of judging you or maintaining cordiality from knowing you prior. The people we are closest with tend to be biased and have a personal investment in our narratives. A therapist can look at the situation as a well-intentioned outsider.
The Myth: Therapists Take Sides
Therapists may offer their support and comfort to one partner who seemingly needs it more, but that offer extends to both partners when the given situation calls for it. Couples therapists specifically want to help maintain a relationship, as long as there are no fundamentally toxic issues occurring within it.
They seek to bring you closer together and can play the role of a mediator. They do not wish to isolate one partner over the other.
The Myth: Couples Counseling Leads to Divorce
Many people might think that simply going to couples therapy means that divorce is inevitable. However, it means quite the opposite. Couples willing to go see a marriage helper have a better chance at reconciling their issues.
The way couples therapy is portrayed on television may lead people to think that the marriage industry has betrayed them and they’re set up for failure for going to counseling. This is not the case. It means that couples believe in their relationship and are willing to go out of their way to make things work out.
The Myth: Therapy Takes Too Long
Couples seeking out therapy together might be in a time-sensitive situation. It can feel as if they don’t get help immediately that their relationship will fail. The best couples counseling will be a short-term process.
It is goal-oriented, aiming to provide actionable steps the couple can make to better their relationship. Each week there may be something new for each partner to focus on to help maintain the relationship. Therapists wish to see significant results within six to twelve sessions.
Try Couples Therapy
With these common couples therapy myths debunked, you can rest assured that your relationship stands a chance through couples counseling. Don’t be afraid to become vulnerable, open, and honest in your counseling sessions. This will help you become more compassionate within your relationship.
For more information about improving your relationships, read more posts on our ‘Lifestyle’ blog page.
