We've all heard statistics about how many marriages end in divorce and that number only seems to be growing larger in recent decades.
However, the remaining marriages allow us to understand what makes them withstand the test of time and adversity. Relationship researchers discovered an effective ratio of 5:1 that explains how to keep a relationship going strong. This means that in happy marriages, there are five positive interactions for every one negative interaction.
If you're struggling in your relationship, marriage counseling can be a great way to strengthen that ratio between you and your partner.
Keep reading to learn how marriage counseling can save your marriage and where to find the right therapist.
Improve Communication
One of the most beneficial things about marriage counseling is that it allows you to improve communication with your partner.
Communication is one of the more important foundations of any relationship. Without effective communication, the relationship between you and your partner is likely to fade, flatline, and possibly even end in separation. The key however isn't just in communicating. It is in communicating in a way that each person feels seen, heard and cared for.
In a marriage, it is not uncommon for each partner to have a different communication style. This often results in a lot of expressed needs getting lost in communication. You might think you've told your spouse something many times, but if it feels like it's landed on deaf ears, the issue might be with how it's being expressed, not how many times you've said it. An effective marriage counselor can help you and your partner bridge the gap between your communication styles. They can help you see where your communication is breaking down and help get your message across in a more effective way.
With improvement in communication, you'll have tools to speak to your spouse about the most difficult of topics without the relationship breaking down and landing at a stalemate.
The combination of increasing positive interactions along with improving how you communicate during difficult times will likely result in improvements in other areas of the relationship.
Recover After an Affair
Cheating is one of the most challenging issues to recover from. For many, lying, deceit, and humiliation are too much to handle. Emotional and physical infidelity can both be detrimental to a relationship.
Without professional help, it is difficult to get past the feelings of anger and bitterness in the relationships. A couples therapist can help to dissect the affair and help both partners heal. They can offer a fresh perspective and help both sides navigate and express their feelings.
Benefit From Impartial Advice
Talking to your friends about your marriage might feel helpful at the moment, but they are not unbiased sources of advice.
Couples' therapists have experience with many complex issues in relationships and they can give you knowledgeable advice. They not only offer advice, but they can also help you come up with strategies moving forward and follow up to see the changes in your relationship.
The best therapist will not take sides and will offer advice that is best for your relationship goals.
Rebuild Trust
Trust is one of the pillars of marriage. It creates a level of safety that allows for vulnerability and growth. Without trust, all of the other areas of the relationship are doomed to suffer.
A skilled therapist can help guide your sessions to allow you and your partner to rebuild trust. They can help tackle the root of the issue and discover where the mistrust is coming from. This is an effective way to help you and your partner move forward.
Create Better Relationship Habits
Relationship habits build up over time. You and your partner get into a routine and before you know it, you've created some unhealthy habits or become stuck in numbing patterns. You could be fighting over the same things constantly, or getting accustomed to giving each other the silent treatment.
These types of manipulative behaviors weaken your marriage. You might not even realize that these are relationship patterns because they feel like second nature.
A couples therapist can help you recognize these patterns. They can also help you create better habits that you and your partner can work on together.
Release Resentment
A build-up of resentment can be toxic in a marriage. This can happen when arguments are left unresolved.
Without proper conflict resolution, these feelings can fester and come up in every argument and situation down the line. Whether you feel criticized, judged, unheard, or defensive, all of these can lead to resentment.
With marriage counseling, you can help to release these feelings and move forward. Harboring resentment will destroy your marriage and a therapist can help you resolve your resentful feelings.
Help Resolve Conflict
Conflict is inevitable in any relationship. But it can also be healthy if you and your partner work together to resolve your issues.
Money, stress, lack of communication, and bad habits are among the most common problems in a marriage. While some arguments are natural and can be resolved with time and communication, some issues are deep-rooted. For these issues, it is best to have a mediator that can help unravel the complexity of the problem while maintaining order.
A marriage counselor can help you both understand each other's perspectives. They can also help you get to the root of your problems. This can save you many arguments and help strengthen your problem-solving skills.
Increase Your Own Happiness
When it comes to a happy marriage, it is important that each person is happy individually.
Aside from couples therapy, you can also attend individual therapy for your own growth and improvement. This is a great way to ensure that you address your own issues outside of your marriage. It will also make you more well-equipped to deal with relationship issues.
If you're experiencing feelings of depression and anxiety, it will be more difficult for you to focus on repairing your marriage.
Be open and honest with your partner about how you're feeling and devote time to individual therapy.
Strengthen Your Relationship With Marriage Counseling
They say that marriage isn't easy but with the right person and the right attitude, it can be worth it. Marriage counseling is a great way to handle your relationship issues and get proactive before issues arise. It can help improve communication, rebuild trust, offer impartial advice, release negative feelings, and help resolve conflict.
If you want to strengthen your marital bond, be sure to contact us and schedule an appointment today.