Are you still hesitant about going to marriage counseling? Well, this might comfort you; according to the American Psychological Association, around 75% of couples who go to therapy see an improvement in their relationships afterward. Counseling isn’t only for couples who are on the brink of divorce. It can also be for those with milder struggles who want advice from a professional. Many advise couples to go to therapy even before they think they need it. Still not yet convinced? Here are some benefits of marriage counseling you can get.
Improve Your Communication
Many couples don’t know how to communicate effectively. The main reason is that each individual has different ways of communication.
Some people, for example, like facing issues head-on. Yet, others might prefer to ignore them instead. Certain issues might be a big deal to some yet a small matter to others.
This creates problems because both sides feel unheard and, sometimes, unloved. Marriage counseling helps you learn a communication style that works for both of you.
Communication is key in a successful relationship. Both sides have to learn how to express their feelings, thoughts, wants, and needs. Both sides have to learn how to listen, too.
You’ll learn how to communicate respectfully with each other from marriage counseling. This is why around 98% of couples are content with counseling. It gives you the tools you need for dealing with your marital problems.
Develop a Closer Relationship
In many cases, couples go to therapy because they’ve grown apart. All the conflicts they’ve had might have created space between them, creating more misunderstandings and mistrust.
Marriage counseling gives couples a good environment for communication. As you sort through your relationship problems, you may begin to feel like a team again. You can start building trust and creating more good memories again.
Laying yourself bare to your partner can help you become closer. You may begin reliving those feelings of closeness you once shared at the start of your marriage, especially if your therapist advises you to spend more time with each other.
Deepen Intimacy
One of the most underrated benefits of marriage counseling is increasing intimacy. It can either be emotional or physical intimacy.
Sex is an important part of a relationship because it ignites the passion you feel toward each other. The number of times you become intimate may dwindle over time. Still, you shouldn’t resign yourself to marriage without passion.
Marriage counseling can help you find out the cause of your lack of intimacy. It can then help you find ways to reignite your passion in your relationship.
Learn How to Compromise
Many conflicts are due to having different opinions and views on things. As you go on through marriage, you’ll encounter issues where you might not stand on the same side. It can be about parenting, politics, finances, or even smaller things like what color you should paint your interior wall.
Compromising is the answer to these issues. If you’re having issues in this aspect, counseling will help you with that.
Of course, you should have already worked out major issues that can break a marriage, like whether to have children or not, where to live, and whatnot. For other issues, you can still work through them; you only need to learn how.
Uncover the Root Cause
Marriage counseling doesn’t only look at the current conflict. It digs deeper into each individual to figure out the root cause of the conflict.
Our past still has a hold on our present. Our thoughts, behavior, and feelings are the consequences of our past. For some people, their past affects everything in their current life too much.
Intimacy issues, for example, might stem from an abusive childhood. Some marriage issues can be a product of one’s past.
Counseling can help you pinpoint what’s fueling these issues. Once you find out, you can then take the right steps to heal.
Heal Old Wounds
There’s no relationship wherein you have not hurt each other, whether intentionally or unconsciously. What matters, however, is how you overcome such instances as a couple.
That’s where some problems come in. One might still be hurting over an old wound, while the other is already way past it. That’s the deal with some wounds; they may remain to be painful even as time passes by.
Marriage counseling can help the couple work through these wounds together. When healing comes, the couple can move forward together with no one left behind in pain. A good therapist can help you leave your past issues, resentment, and anger in the past.
Set Priorities and Goals as a Couple
Another area that might create arguments is the set of priorities for each person. One person might be putting their partner as a top priority, while the other is focusing on their career.
When you go to counseling, you may have to discuss your priorities. Having different ones might be the cause of your many conflicts.
You’ll get a chance to examine your priorities as an individual and a couple. You can then choose to re-arrange them so you can be as one with your partner. But, if both of you have your relationship very low on the list, then you might want to re-examine your marriage instead.
Promote Self-Growth
More often than not, you have to grow as a person to meet the needs and demands of a successful marriage. Marriage counseling can help you with personal growth.
Even if the sessions focus on your relationship, you’ll also learn more about yourself at the same time as learning more about your partner. You’ll learn what skills you need to work on to improve your relationship, for example.
Some pieces of relationship advice you can get out of counseling can translate into other areas of your life, as well. You might realize that your overall life has improved aside from your relationship.
Get the Benefits of Marriage Counseling Now
One thing to remember is that both participants have to be willing to reap the benefits of marriage counseling. You must both put effort into understanding and communicating with each other. If one isn’t willing, then no amount of counseling will help.
Don’t worry; your partner might only need a little more time to prepare. When you’re ready to get counseling, feel free to contact us today.
