Couples Therapy in Hollywood, FL
Factors of everyday life can put an abundant strain on a relationship. Severe stressors may include resentment, infidelity, intimacy issues, lack of trust, and miscommunication. When problems go unresolved, or a partner is suffering from mental illness or health complications, one can feel helpless or have feelings of guilt or shame. Communicating effectively on both parts can alleviate emotional anxiety from subjects of all kind.
Couples often seek couples or marriage counseling when the relationship is at a standstill, or if they are unsure whether or not the relationship is worth salvaging. This type of therapy can benefit families with children who have been affected by relationship issues such as divorce, and confront the source of the conflict.
Treatment techniques may include the following depending on the therapist:
- Gottman Method
- Narrative Therapy
- Emotionally Focused Therapy
- Positive Psychology
- Analyzing Your Communication
- Getting to the root of the problem
- Enhancing Intimacy
- Individual Counseling
- Couple Retreat
When a relationship is showing signs of addiction, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and/or severe depression, seek guidance from a counselor immediately, for your safety and your partner.
Why is it important
Commitment is an important thing that should not be rushed, however many couples are jumping in head first. Truth of the matter is, Almost 95% of people in the United States marry at some point in their lifetime. Premarital counseling serves to equip couples with the right tools to develop a strong, loving and lasting marriage.
Some discussions in Pre-Marital Counseling Include the following:
- Compatibility
- When is the right time to get married
- When is the right time to have children
- What faith will you raise the child(ren)
- Boundaries
- Financial Habits
- How do you handle conflict
- Personality Issues
- Family and Friends
- Parenting Styles
- Cohabitation Issues
- Sexual Satisfaction
- Marital Satisfaction
- Role Expectations
- Leisure Expectations
What is the Process?
A couple begins the therapeutic process by meeting for an initial assessment intake session to explore, process, and review an inventory of the relationship's history. This may include bio-psychosocial, medical, financial, and habits that accumulated over the course of the relationship. The love language quiz is provided along with attachment style reviews to see how couples relate to each other and what their love languages are. The foundation blocks are also provided and the fair fighting rules are introduced to create a healthier foundation for communication. The first three sessions are about exploring and the 4th session starts the therapy process.
The couple will split up for sessions 2 and 3 to discuss individually and share personal individual perspectives of relationship areas that are needed to work through (these can include sexual dysfunction, infidelity, addiction, trauma, medical stress or financial burdens on the relationship). This will also include a Gottman Method Sound Relationship Questionnaire (one time charge of $39.00). Gottman Method modalities are utilized for understanding specific areas of the relationship that need to have clarity, boundaries, and reconnection.
Couples and Marriage therapy take up to three months to see results.During this process, couples are advised that there is a "No Secrets Policy," is in place when clients need to speak individually to the therapist. This prevents further triangulation and unethical issues in the relationship from occurring. Anything shared in individual sessions will be shared with couple during their 4th session to help process areas that couple can improve on.
At the end of counseling, couples can move forward in their relationship to marriage with goals, boundaries in place, healthier communication styles, and reconnecting to their partners. Couples therapy lasts three months and in some instances extends to six months. It is very intensive with activities, processing, and behavior modification. Couples therapy doesn’t guarantee that after the therapy the couple will remain together, some couples are not compatible and will learn that they are not for each other in the therapeutic process. Others may become stronger, renew their vows, and have a sense of better connection to their partner