Couples Counseling, What to Expect and how it can nurture relationships
Marriage and relationships often are hard work. They require check-ins with each other to ensure the relationship is being taken care of and both partners feel heard, understood, and loved. Sometimes there will be bumps in the road and this may be an ideal time to seek counseling to nurture and get your relationship back on track. Counseling can also keep an open line of communication between partners before a negative event can harm a relationship.
At Foundations Counseling, we have therapists who specialize and enjoy working with couples and working through their relationship scenarios. Tommie Paige specializes in Family and Marriage Therapy. She understands the importance of validating individual’s thoughts, feelings and emotions all while holding them accountable, which is beneficial for sessions with couples.
“There are many reasons why a couple chooses to attend therapy, some of which include, intimacy, finances, trust, communication, secrets, resentment, in-laws, children, personal baggage, and affairs,” shares Tommie.
When it comes to what type of couples should consider counseling to enrich their marriage, Tommie suggests that any type of couple would benefit from counseling. Therapy is really having an unbiased person helping you navigate life and the hurdles that you face.
Not all couples who choose to attend counseling have a negative circumstance in their relationship, but may just want to have healthy communication and nourish their marriage with thoughtfulness.
“I believe that therapy can be used as a resource to ensure that while people are growing and expanding emotionally, mentally, and physically they are staying on the same page in their relationship,” Tommie expresses.
During a session, couples and Tommie would meet and have an initial intake session followed by treatment planning sessions. Planning includes creating goals, objectives, and interventions while learning the basic communication styles of the couple and then assigning homework to be completed in between sessions for the couple.
Not married yet? Recently-engaged couples or couples who are not yet married can also benefit from counseling sessions prior to marriage. Premarital counseling helps create a sturdy foundation for couples to build on. Therapy will consist of talking about what to expect in therapy. The topics most commonly covered are expectations of marriage, children, finances/debt, relationships with friends/family/in-laws, health, career, religion, division of household labor & expectations, and intimacy. Sessions will last ten weeks and can start three to four months prior to the wedding.
Counseling is not a one size fits all “fix” for couples, but it can create a supportive space that allows for progress in all types of scenarios.
“I am a firm believer that any person or couple coming to therapy gets out of it what they put in,” Tommie explains about what couples can expect from their counseling sessions.
According to Tommie, the only expectations are to be open, honest, and willing to listen to one another’s heart. Outside of therapy expect to spend 1-2 hours completing homework for the week, this may include journaling, date nights, self-care etc. The value of therapy will present itself through the steps taken by couples to work through their unique relationship hurdles in and outside of their sessions.
Consider the first session at Foundations Counseling to learn more about communication strategies that are attuned to you and your partner’s specific relationship goals.
Tommie is happy to guide couples through the process of working as a partnership to ensure a healthy relationship throughout the years and to nurture one that may need some care and attention.
Call Foundations Counseling today to schedule your first session. 513-785-4895