COUPLES THERAPY

adult therapy :: couples therapy :: children's therapy

Each of us brings to a relationship many life experiences and personal beliefs. To fully explore how we relate to others we must ask ourselves certain questions about our own lives. What was my family life like when I was growing up? How did my parents relate to each other when I was a child? Has that changed over time? How does their relationship affect me as an adult? What were my own past relationships like? Understanding the answers to questions such as these can have a huge impact on a relationship.

The best use of couple counseling is to bring along your honesty and be prepared to look at the experiences you and your partner have accumulated in your lives. Remember, where we come from is what we know.

Goals and strategies for couples in therapy:

• Learn to verbally express what you want and what makes you happy.
• Understand how your past experiences affect your present relationship.
• Improve communication by learning to decode what the other person is saying.
• Understand that there are basic common gender differences.
• Increase your awareness of your own tendencies, thoughts and feelings and try to understand the other person’s as well.
• Try to become insightful of “buttons” being pressed.
• Gain knowledge of old patterns that may be problematic.       
• Plan fun and interesting dates with your partner.
• Laugh a lot and use your sense of humor.