BetterHelp Relationship Counseling – Can Couples Counseling Help?
For a couple, relationship counseling can be a valuable and effective tool for working through any issues you may face with your partner. It can be especially helpful when you feel you cannot move beyond an obstacle on your own. Relationship counseling can teach you healthy coping skills, communication skills, and conflict resolution skills that you can continue to use on your own. It can also provide you with an unbiased perspective and help you understand each other more deeply. If you’re interested in trying counseling, you might look for a couples therapist in your local area or sign up for an online therapy platform, where you can be matched with a licensed professional. For families or couples with young kids, there are also family therapists who specialize in managing a couple’s partnership in the context of a family. Marriage and family therapists may help to improve satisfaction while addressing mental health concerns that may be present.
When to find a counselor
In many cases, the real problem is a lack of communication between both you and your partner. Couples who are always bickering tend to get stuck in negative reinforcement cycles, even if they have otherwise healthy relationships. They may not know how to resolve their differences, so they tend to look at their partners as part of the problem. They may be confused about how to communicate and how to show respect in a relationship. Many couples stonewall and pursue the idea of "escaping" rather than fixing the communication problem at the root of the issue.
Counseling often focuses on teaching both partners how to better communicate, with an emphasis on expressing feelings rather than phrasing observations in a critical or accusatory way. In doing so, couples therapists can teach partners effective communication skills and conflict management skills which may improve a couple’s relationship.
Types of counseling
Couples counseling can take place in several different formats and involve a variety of modalities. Research suggests that various forms of therapy can help couples address partnership challenges. For example, data from a meta-analysis on the efficacy of emotionally focused therapy show that 70% of participants—from 20 total studies—experienced reductions in relationship distress. Researchers in another study found a similar rate of effectiveness for cognitive behavioral therapy.
Pre-marital therapy
The beginning of a marriage can come with specific concerns for spouses, such as combining finances and moving in together. Pre-marital counseling can help engaged couples navigate these challenges as they enter the next phase of their partnership.
Marriage therapy
Married couples often benefit from discussing their challenges with an unbiased third party. In addition to working with the couple together, a marriage counselor might conduct individual counseling sessions. This can be particularly helpful if one partner lives with mental health challenges that impact the relationship.
Couples therapy
Couples counseling is a broad term that can encompass marriage counseling, pre-marital counseling, and all other forms of partnership counseling. Couples who are dating, considering marriage, or even divorced can participate in couples therapy. Partners can participate in couples counseling in person, or they can register for an account with an online therapy platform.
Benefits of counseling
- You can both express your thoughts and feelings to an impartial person to get an objective perspective of the issues that have brought you to therapy.
- You can gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic of your partnership.
- You may learn new things about your partner that can help you grow closer and understand each other more deeply.
- You can overcome various roadblocks that may be holding you back.
- You can begin to see each other’s viewpoints more clearly.
- You can gain clarity regarding your feelings toward your partner and your relationship.
- You can learn effective coping skills to use now and in the future.
- You can restore the trust.
- You can work on your own mental health, personal growth, and self-awareness.
- You can cultivate improved communication and conflict resolution skills.
Although relationship counseling may not be able to fix every conflict, it can often provide the clarity needed to decide whether to stay together or separate. A couple’s counseling experience may lead to a healthier, stronger bond. In each counseling session, you and your partner can work on creating behavioral patterns that help you thrive as a couple. If, however, you and your partner choose to end your relationship, therapy can help you do so in a healthy, amicable way. Meanwhile, if you decide to stay together, relationship issues therapy can help you continue to grow closer and work through any lingering resentment.
What to expect during couples counseling
In the first few sessions, a therapist may just get to know both partners, during this time it may feel more like individual counseling. Many therapists will also ask about disorders or situations that may be impacting a relationship such as substance abuse, infidelity, and depression. From there your therapist may determine a treatment plan that can include sex counseling, emotionally focused therapy, cognitive behavior therapy for couples, and strategies for overcoming infidelity. Throughout the process your therapist will ensure your emotional safety.
If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.
BetterHelp relationship counseling
Traditional therapy doesn’t work for everyone, for couples it can be especially challenging to coordinate a time to meet at an office and it may be difficult to be open and vulnerable when both partners are in the same room. Online counseling with a relationship counselor can work well because couples generally get to connect with a licensed therapist who specializes in improving partner-to-partner communication, just as with in-person therapy. For those who have busy schedules or children, completing therapy sessions online can be much more convenient and reachable than getting childcare and finding the time to visit a therapist’s office together.
Through an online therapy platform, like BetterHelp, you can be matched with a mental health professional based on your needs and preferences for counseling, including sexual orientation, cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy, and others. With a service like BetterHelp, counseling can be participated in remotely, through video call, voice call, or in-app messaging. Additionally, you can reach out to your therapist outside of counseling sessions. It is important to note that BetterHelp does not accept insurance coverage, however, it is affordable, in many cases, depending on insurance provider, sessions cost less than an insurance co-pay.
Does relationship counseling actually work?
Yes. Research shows that over 75% of couples who attend couples counseling sessions with a counselor or therapist benefit from it. Seeking help from a platform, like BetterHelp relationship counseling, may offer the support you need.
There are many types of couples counseling methods and counseling techniques. The one that’s right for you may depend on a number of factors, including your specific relationship challenges. Here are some examples of effective couples counseling methods:
- The Gottman Method
- Emotionally focused therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Imago therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
How do you know when it's time for couples counseling?
Generally, when either you or your spouse are unhappy with aspects of the relationship, it could be beneficial to engage in couples counseling. Other signs that couples therapy may be needed include frequent arguing, a lack of intimacy, or a breakdown in communication.
There may be many ways to save a relationship. Some of these include initiating an honest conversation, setting healthy boundaries, changing the way you handle conflict, or couples counseling.
Yes. Some therapists and other types of mental health professionals are specifically trained to help couples navigate relationship issues.
What couples therapy is best for a relationship?
The type of couples counseling that’s best for a relationship can vary from one couple to the next. Examples of effective methods include cognitive behavioral therapy, emotionally focused therapy, and the Gottman Method.
What is the difference between relationship therapy and counseling in mental health?
In many cases, relationship therapy and relationship counseling refer to the same thing. Some people may make the distinction that therapy is a more specific, short-term process while counseling has a broader scope and can be more time-consuming.
Can online therapy or relationship counseling save a relationship?
Yes. Some studies indicate that seeing an online couples therapist is just as effective as in-person couples counseling. Still, the outcome of therapy will largely depend on the efforts of you and your partner inside and outside of the virtual therapy room.
Is relationship counseling with BetterHelp worth it?
Whether relationship counseling via an online platform like BetterHelp or Regain is worth it may be a personal decision based on several factors like your experiences in live video sessions, the outcome of therapy, and your budget. Online relationship counseling may be more affordable than in-person counseling in many cases, and financial aid might be available.
How do I choose a relationship counselor?
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