6 Signs that Indicate a Couple Might Benefit from Relationship Counseling

To shed light on the subtle signs that a couple might benefit from relationship counseling, we’ve gathered insights from six experts, including Marriage and Family Therapists and a Mental Health Advocate. These professionals offer valuable perspectives, from considering therapy for relationship maintenance to recognizing that constant arguing suggests counseling.

Relationship Maintenance
Unresolved Conflicts Before Bedtime

Strong Miscommunication
Financial Conflicts
Repetitive and Unending Debates

Constant Arguing

1. Relationship Maintenance

Any couple can attest to how difficult it can be to navigate the ups and downs of a relationship, even when there are no severe problems affecting the couple’s dynamic. Therapy is an excellent way for couples to connect, communicate, understand one another, and discover what works for them.

Contrary to popular belief, a relationship does not have to be in jeopardy to benefit from couples’ therapy. Still, it can be used to maintain a solid foundation or introduce new and exciting ways to connect. If you are questioning whether it is time to seek the support of couples’ therapy, here are some points to consider:

Do you feel loved, heard, and respected? Do you fight fair and come to mutually agreed-upon resolutions, or do you avoid the problems? Do you feel sexually incompatible, or has intimacy become minimal or non-existent? Are resentment, criticism, and stonewalling common when facing complicated feelings? Finally, do you spend more time alone than you do together?

Clorinda Dake, Marriage and Family Therapist

2. Unresolved Conflicts Before Bedtime

Relationship counseling benefits couples who go to bed upset with one another. Resolution is needed but only sometimes attempted after an argument, and that can happen due to a few things. Distorted thinking, past experiences, fear of criticism, and lack of emotional intimacy steer couples away from resolving the conflict.

Going to bed upset with one another can lead to resentment. In relationship counseling, couples gain skills to resolve conflict, improve communication and understanding, overcome resentment and betrayal, and improve intimacy.

Chey-Anne Wilson, Marriage and Family Therapist, Savvy Intuition, LLC

3. Strong Miscommunication

One significant sign that a couple might benefit from relationship counseling is miscommunication. When a couple struggles with communicating even about the simplest things, it might be time to seek help. In couples therapy, they often help you uncover the root of your issues, even when they seem to be about simple miscommunication (most times, it’s deeper than that!).

They also teach you about various communication styles and how to tailor them to your partner’s if different from yours. Relationship counseling is especially helpful when struggling to communicate with your partner because it creates a safe space for both parties to be heard free of judgment.

Azia Carter, Marriage and Family Therapist, Dwellness In-Home Psychological Services

Move beyond pain and confusion together.

4. Financial Conflicts

Fighting over money can strongly indicate that a couple might benefit from relationship counseling. Financial conflicts often point to deeper issues such as communication breakdown, differing financial values, and trust issues. When arguments about money become recurrent or lead to a breakdown in trust, counseling can provide a structured and supportive environment for couples to address these issues, find common ground, and develop healthier approaches to managing their finances together.

Financial stress, secrets, unequal contributions, and disagreements about long-term financial goals can all take a toll on a relationship, affecting the couple’s financial well-being, emotional intimacy, and overall satisfaction. Seeking counseling can help couples navigate these challenges, build trust, and work toward a more harmonious financial future together.

Julie Muir, Celebrant + Mental Health Advocate, Julie Muir – Celebrant

5. Repetitive and Unending Debates

One of the most common issues couples face with challenges in their relationship is repeatedly arguing over the same thing. There can be many sore spots in a relationship; often, it surrounds stressors like money, children, and careers. If the same fight resurfaces, it could indicate that relationship counseling might be beneficial.

Constant arguing about the same signifies that resolution is challenging for the couple. Agreeing to disagree might be a temporary solution, but if the issue keeps coming up, it is something that both parties or one partner care deeply about. Couples counseling can help solve the recurring issues and provide strategies to combat it if it happen again.

Meghan Freed, Managing Co-Partner, Freed Marcroft

6. Constant Arguing

The very obvious sign that a couple might benefit from couples therapy is when it seems impossible to converse with your partner without arguing. You and your partner cannot even talk or discuss something normally because arguing constantly ends up without a solution. Before things get worse, it is best to seek relationship counseling.

Faizan Khan, Public Relations and Content Marketing Specialist, Ubuy UK

? Cultivating Harmony: Steering Through Relationship Turbulence

Each relationship is a unique blend of love, understanding, and occasional disagreements. However, when the scales tip towards persistent discord, it’s time to ponder on nurturing the bonds that once blossomed with ease and love. The insights from our experts carve the path toward understanding when a relationship might need a gentle nudge back to harmony through counseling. Here’s a dive into actionable steps stemming from the expert viewpoints:

1. Maintenance over Repair:

Regular Check-ins: Have a weekly or bi-weekly check-in with each other to understand how each one feels in the relationship.

Date Nights: Keep the spark alive with regular date nights, reminiscing about the good times and discussing plans.
Communication Workshops: Attend workshops or read books that help hone communication skills, ensuring your dialogue stays healthy and open.

2. Sleeping Over Resentments:

Resolve Before Rest: Make it a rule not to go to bed angry; address issues, however small, before hitting the hay.

Bedtime Rituals: Develop calming bedtime rituals that help you unwind and connect before sleep.

3. Bridging Communication Gaps:

Active Listening: Practice active listening where you truly understand and acknowledge each other’s viewpoints.
Non-violent Communication: Learn the art of non-violent communication to express without blaming or criticizing.

4. Balancing the Books of Love and Finance:

Financial Transparency: Maintain transparency in financial matters, discussing goals, and aligning your financial values.
Budget Together: Create a joint budget and financial goals, ensuring both are on the same page.

5. Breaking the Loop of Endless Debates:

Identify Trigger Topics: Recognize the topics that trigger endless debates and approach them with a fresh perspective.

Seek Third-Party Perspectives: Sometimes, having a neutral party can help resolve persistent issues.

6. Silencing the Echoes of Constant Arguing:

Time-outs: Take time-outs during heated arguments to cool down and return calmly.
Positive Reinforcement: Appreciate the efforts and good qualities in each other, reinforcing love and understanding.

? Navigating Towards Counseling:

Initial Assessment: If you resonate with the signs mentioned, it might be an indicator to consider couples counseling.
Finding the Right Counselor: Look for a counselor both of you are comfortable with, ensuring a safe space for dialogue.
Open-minded Approach: Approach counseling with an open mind, ready to learn, adapt, and work towards nurturing the relationship.

Embarking on the counseling path is about nurturing the garden of love, understanding, and respect that relationships are meant to be. As you tread this path, remember the essence of a relationship is in growing together and blossoming through the seasons of life.

? Signs Therapy is Needed:

Navigating the sea of emotions and interpersonal dynamics in relationships can sometimes call for a lighthouse, guiding the way through stormy weather. Here are some signs that therapy might be your guiding light:

Persistent Discontent: If dissatisfaction or unhappiness lingers despite efforts to resolve issues.
Communication Breakdown: When conversations turn into confrontations consistently.
Trust Issues: If trust has been shattered through infidelity or other breaches, rebuilding it seems like a mountain too high.

Intimacy Fades: When the emotional or physical intimacy starts dwindling.

? Setting Goals for Therapy:

Embarking on the therapy voyage with a map can lead to understanding and healing treasure troves. Here’s how to chart out your therapy goals:

Clarity of Objectives: Understand the issues you want to address—improving communication, rebuilding trust, or reviving intimacy.

Individual and Collective Goals: Have clear goals for what you want to achieve individually and as a couple.
Open Dialogue: Ensure both partners have a say in setting the goals, ensuring a common path of growth and healing.

? Monitoring Progress:

The journey of therapy is about growth, understanding, and evolving together. Here’s how to keep track of the progress:

Regular Check-ins: Discuss what has improved, what hasn’t, and why.
Therapist Feedback: Utilize feedback from the therapist to understand the progress and areas of improvement.
Celebrate Milestones: Celebrate small victories and improvements, no matter how tiny.

?‍♀️ Going Solo or ? With Your Partner:

The decision to walk the therapy path alone or with your partner hinges on the heart of the issues.

Individual Therapy:
- If personal issues are spilling into the relationship.
- When there’s a need for personal growth or dealing with individual past traumas.
Couples Therapy:
- When issues are interlinked with communication, trust, or other relationship dynamics.
- If both are willing to work together towards resolving relationship issues.

? Fostering Growth:

Therapy is a step towards fostering a garden of understanding, love, and respect amidst the thorns of misunderstandings and conflicts. Whether you take this step individually or together, the essence is in embracing the journey with an open heart and a willing mind, nurturing the seeds of growth, understanding, and love.

About Jacob Maslow

After surviving the traumatizing events of 9/11, I took it upon myself to heal through helping others. I’m the primary caregiver of my children and understand from first-hand experience the lonely paths you have to walk as a partner and parent when leaving an unhealthy relationship.

We’re all echoing in a dark space that doesn’t have to be this empty, and that’s been my mission since finding solace and recovery in therapy: To help comfort others who are still in shock and at the prime of their struggle.

I came across BetterHelp after searching for this type of community. I wanted to belong to a body of proactive therapists and supportive therapy veterans that allowed me to see other sides of the story.

It was unconventional, and that’s what attracted me most. During my most challenging times, when my ex-wife completely cut me off from my children, I found comfort and clarity through BetterHelp.

Instead of being chained to a strict therapist recommendation, I was in charge of who I felt understood my struggle most. That allowed me to find my true peace, as I was reunited with those who read behind my words and had first-hand experience with my trauma.

Recovery is a choice; with BetterHelp, that choice will be a few clicks away. You can join their couples-oriented platform, Regain.us, for those stuck with family estrangement and toxic relationship patterns.

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