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Couples therapy has gained popularity as individuals are recognizing the importance of staying together and making it work without caving to their issues easily. However, what comes to mind immediately when you hear the phrase "couples therapy techniques"? You might picture an argumentative couple sitting on a couch and consulting a marriage counselor.
Even though social media is a constant highlight reel, it's typical for couples to struggle. Many couples experience disagreements and find solace in professional therapy advice. Unlike how it is depicted on social media, couples therapy can be a safe haven for many and can open a new window of safety for those struggling to stay together.
Couples Therapy: What is it?
Every partnership experiences its fair share of conflicts. Not only can learning conflict resolution techniques fix your problems, but they can also strengthen your bond with your partner.
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A trained counselor helps two people in couples therapy to strengthen their bond. Additionally, certain counselors, such as marriage and family therapists, have specialized training in working with couples. Just like any other form of treatment, couples counseling involves a commitment and openness from the individuals involved.
More than 98 percent of clients surveyed by the American Association for Marriage and Family Counseling rated the quality of marriage and family therapy services as good or outstanding. Counseling doesn't have to be a clandestine activity only performed on certain types of people. Regardless of age or sexual orientation, couples therapy can benefit everyone in a relationship.
Best Couples Therapy Techniques to Try in 2023
While there is no single technique for couples therapy, your mental health professional can help you determine the best fit to work on your relationships. The following are the most popular couples therapy techniques:
1) The Gottman Method
Among couples therapists, The Gottman Method is a well-known technique. The method is intended to assist couples in managing conflict while developing a deeper knowledge of one another.
Intimacy and marital adjustments are two more concerns that this technique might help couples with. Many people think it has demonstrated its efficacy as a couple-counseling practice over the course of 30 years. This might be a wonderful approach to your marriage if you and your partner feel very stuck and are unable to come to an understanding.
You can better understand one another when you speak gently to each other using this couples counseling strategy, which will help you create "love maps." When you hear about your partner's stress, joy, etc., it helps you both know one another better. In general, Gottman's approach emphasizes conflict management, with honesty being at its core.
2) A Psychodynamic Strategy
When spouses behave irrationally, which is thought to be the result of life events and childhood experiences, this kind of therapy is extremely beneficial.
For instance, earlier experiences with abuse might cause envy even when there is no justification for it. In this kind of therapy, a therapist will assist you in concentrating on the core of the problem, which is occasionally rooted in the unconscious and is a problem for either an individual or a couple. They will then assist you in realizing a more accurate perspective of earlier occasions that have influenced present-day actions.
3) Imago Relationship Therapy
The 1980 development of Imago relationship therapy by Dr. Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt places a focus on the connections between adult relationships and early experiences.
The goal of the therapy is to help couples become more compassionate and understanding of one another by helping them comprehend childhood trauma. Based on the basic tenet of this therapy approach, individuals in therapy often marry people who can help heal the wounds of their past relationships. Couples, on the other hand, learn to work together and communicate through challenges with this kind of couples counseling.
4) Narrative Therapy Process
People tell tales about their difficulties and then rewrite them as part of the narrative therapy process. They realize that no one story can possibly capture the entirety of their experience as a result of this.
Couples who believe their relationship is failing because of both of their faults may find benefits in narrative therapy. It has even been demonstrated to lessen conflict and boost cooperation among couples, according to a 2016 study. These couples frequently think that their romantic missteps and mental suffering are due to their failure from the beginning and are thus what they deserve.
5) Positive Psychology Therapy
This approach to couples therapy emphasizes good sensations along the same lines as emotions. Really, it's a significant shift in perspective for some people, which can alter their attitudes and behaviors and strengthen their bonds with others.
In positive psychology, you learn to focus on the present moment and to embrace happiness as it comes. This aids couples in recognizing their current moments of happiness so they can build on them. An essential component of this therapy is keeping a journal and sharing it with the therapist.
Takeaway
Counseling can be a terrific choice for you if you need to revitalize your relationships. Whatever your circumstances, attending couples therapy and getting a toolset to strengthen your relationship with your partner might be helpful. For most couples, counseling can help with communicating, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a good relationship. No issue is too big or minor for therapy, particularly when assisted by a qualified practitioner.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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