Key Benefits of Couple Therapy
Therapy2Thrive® Pleasanton
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Key Benefits of Couple Therapy
Almost all couples have encountered a certain type of issue in their relationship. Some are very tense, even hard to bear; some are moderate and might be tolerable. But they all lead to stressful and negative interpersonal experiences. A good relationship between couples is essential for lifelong interpersonal happiness.
What benefits can people get from couple therapy?
1. An effective and positive communication pattern between couples
]This is the most important outcome you can expect from couple therapy. Communication is not just talking, telling, or lecturing, and it is never a monologue. It is a reciprocal process that always involves positive listening, an active response, clarification, feedback, and adjustment.
Some people believe that because we’ve been together for so long and share similar interests and habits, she (he) should know what I’m thinking, and she (he) knows even if I don’t say anything. Poor communication patterns can sow many hidden dangers in marital life. Many couples produce conflict, mutual blame, suspicion, and even extramarital affairs. A very important reason is the long-term ineffective communication caused by the decline in the quality of marriage.
2. A secure and strong enough emotional bonding between couples
Love is a miracle emotion that is soft and vulnerable but flexible and strong too. It always attaches to another human being and requires being secure enough to be soft and strong enough to hold vulnerability for both self and the other. In couples, secure and strong enough emotional bonding means a safe place to turn to when one gets hurt and needs soothing and rest.
When couples feel emotionally unsafe, they automatically start a mode of “fight, flight, or freeze.” It is an argument, avoidance, isolation, or numbing out to control their anxiety in relationships. Without secure and safe emotional bonding, fear and shame constantly emerge without awareness and eventually harm intimate relationships and self-esteem.
3. A “problem-solving” model between couples
Couples often come together with different backgrounds and life experiences, which lead to different ways of understanding and coping with problems. Problem-solving is not only about right or wrong; it also involves compromise, acceptance, curiosity, and being open-minded.
Couples need to understand each other’s ways and perceptions, resolve differences and conflicts through a coordinated approach, and adapt to each other’s standpoints. When couples establish and maintain effective problem-solving habits, they are also more capable of coping with various problems, which in turn will enhance their relationship.
Couples can always expect to benefit in the above three areas, both for themselves and for the two of you, whether in the long-term or the short-term, regardless of age, gender, culture, experiences, or length of the relationship. Talk to your partner and take care of your intimate relationship with some help from a couple of therapists.
By Annie Chen, AMFT# 122425 APCC# 8737 at Therapy2Thrive counseling center in Pleasanton
Therapy2Thrive™ brings Hope for Healing
Our counselors at Therapy2Thrive™ provide compassionate, practical, and evidenced based practices to assist you in the therapeutic process to meet your goals and find hope to heal the challenges you are facing.
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