Couples Therapy

Like other forms of talk therapy, couples therapy aims to relieve people’s distress and improve their functioning in an important sphere of life. But unlike other forms of therapy, there are typically three parties in the room in addition to the psychotherapist. There is each of the partners in the couple, and there is the relationship itself. In a very dynamic high-wire act, the couples therapist impartially balances the needs and interests of all three.

Typically, couples seek therapy because they have conflicting points of view on the same experiences, and one or both partners is highly distressed. It’s not unusual for one partner to want therapy more than the other or feel more hopeful about it.

Most couples therapy is conducted conjointly—that is, with both partners present in sessions. Seeing or contacting one member of the couple separately is occasionally warranted but almost invariably done to gain information important to the relationship and with the permission of the other. Sometimes an individual seeks couples counseling as a way to prompt a change in a troubled relationship, most commonly because their partner is unwilling to participate in therapy.

The therapist is likely to ask many questions, including some about each partner’s family of origin and some that challenge an individual’s beliefs or perspective. Couples therapists do not take sides in disputes, but they may call out individual behaviors that contribute to joint problems. Relational science has firmly established that both partners play a role in most couple problems.

Therapy usually aims at bringing partners closer together or ending a partnership intelligently. In the process of resolving dilemmas, partners learn to have compassion for their partner and themselves, learn ways of constructively managing their own negative feelings, and rekindle the feelings that originally attracted them to each other.

Reference:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/therapy/how-does-couples-therapy-work