COUPLES COUNSELLING

The benefits of Couples Counselling

Couples counselling can address couples'' distress in a number of ways: clarifying issues, addressing the emotions experienced by both parties, facilitating honesty and intimacy, helping individuals take responsibility for themselves and learn how to take care of ones'' self, and creating movement in the relationship from a place of personal authenticity.

Couples counselling aims to give couples a safe space to sort things out and mobilize their own resources towards healing. The therapist may help by slowing things down, identifying patterns, and supporting each party in their emotional and interpersonal process. The counsellor may also provide exercises and suggestions which help parties to care for themselves and their relationship. Couples counselling can give couples a sense of agency and hopefulness about the future. Counselling supports the authenticity of both parties, so that choices can be made from a place of honesty and clarity.

WHAT IS COUPLES COUNSELLING?
Couples counselling is essentially a series of sessions between the counselor and the parties in the couple, all meeting together for a set amount of time. During the initial session, the counselor may ask background questions to get an idea of what has been going on. In this session and those after, the counselor will listen to the couple, reflect back what she/he is seeing, and facilitate a conversation which can help the couple learn about their own relationship and make choices that reflect who they really are and where they want to go with their relationship. Couples counselling is not about criticism or advice so much as helping the couples own resources to come forth, and helping couples to be active participants in their own relationship.

WHAT IT CAN TREAT

• Feeling stuck; stagnation; inertia
• Constant fighting with no resolution
• Boredom
• Goals and ideals; "Where is this going?"
• Misunderstanding; communication issues
• Intimacy problems
• Sexual problems
• Trust issues
• Sorting out past baggage
• Creating movement; going to a new level
• Anger
• Hoplessness
• Fear

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A SESSION?
Couples counselling typically consists of a series of sessions between the counselor and the people in the couple. Sessions are usually about an hour long but sometimes double sessions may be agreed upon. All sessions are confidential. The counselor will sometimes suggest a minimum number of sessions for the most benefit.