What is Relationship Counseling?

A generalized idea of Relationship Counseling is when a professional works with two people who are in a significant and intimate relationship. Relationship counseling does not only apply to those who are married or engaged to be married. It can be beneficial to any two people who want to improve their relationship with one another. Relationships play an important part in our lives from the very beginning when we begin to form relationships with our parents. Taking care of the relationships in your life is just as important as taking care of yourself when it comes to mental health. More times than not, individuals are reluctant to therapy and put off coming in until it is too late and the issues have escalated far more than they needed to.

Reasons for Relationship Counseling

Seeking Relationship Counseling does not mean that you have a bad relationship rather it means you want to work towards strengthening your relationship. There are many reasons that individuals come in for Relationship Counseling including some of the most common listed below.

Communication: Communication is very important in relationships and in many cases can make or break a healthy relationship. If you and your partner find yourselves arguing more than usual, talking in a negative way, or simply not talking at all then Relationship Counseling may be beneficial to you. We have Therapists, Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Psychologists at our Grand Rapids location who can help you enhance your communication skills and in return enhance your relationship.

Trust Concerns: Trust is a large factor in relationships and mistrust can stem from many things such as infidelity or previous deceit. Lack of trust if not rebuilt can lead to many more problems down the road. No matter the reason for the lack of trust it is important to discuss the feelings around this mistrust to overcome them and allow your relationship to grow.

Affection Concerns: Lack of both physical affection such as kissing and emotional affection such as saying “I love you” are common problems seen in couples who seek Relationship Counseling. Sex also plays a large role in relationships and is often a topic of concern for couples. There are many ways that sex can negatively impact a relationships such as one partner having lower sexual drive than the other, one partner having a Sexual Disorder, or simply wanting different things when it comes to sex.

Relationship Counseling Approaches

Professionals at our Grand Rapids Office take a number of different approaches to help individuals work towards achieving a happy healthy relationship. Behavioral Couple Therapy is an approach that may be taken which focuses on communication skills, problem solving skills, and negotiating pleasing behaviors. Another approach is Emotionally Focused Therapy which focuses on how partner process their emotional experiences and how partners interact with each other. A third approach is Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy which teaches couples coping strategies and to think of positive aspects rather than only negative aspects. These are only some of the many approaches that can be taken in Relationship Counseling.

Therapists, Counselors, Psychotherapists, and Psychologists at our Grand Rapids location work with you to find the approach that works best for you to improve your relationship…