Marriage therapy is a lot like individual therapy, but it focuses on the interpersonal relationship you have with your spouse. While your therapist may still spend time addressing individual issues, the majority of the time will be spent in dialogue with your significant other. Here are four things you should know about marriage therapy:
1. It can benefit you before there's trouble
People sometimes think of marriage therapy as a last resort. It's often seen as a way to rescue marriages in trouble. However, there's never a bad time to seek couples counseling. Marriage therapy can benefit everyone, even if your marriage is currently conflict-free. Marriage counseling can help you hone your communication skills. Good communication can prevent serious problems from arising since you and your spouse will have the tools to deal with hurt feelings and disagreements as they arise.
2. It can help you prepare for life changes
Change can be both exhilarating and frightening. Even desirable changes can cause major upheavals in your life. Some changes are planned, while others are unexpected. If you and your spouse are undergoing, or plan to undergo, significant changes, a marriage counselor can help. A counselor can help you verbalize expectations you may not know you have. Unspoken expectations can lead to unmet needs and resentment, so it's best to clear the air. Marriage therapy can help you and your spouse deal with job changes, deaths, and births in your family.
3. It can supplement individual therapy
Marriage therapy is designed to strengthen the bond between you and your spouse. However, you may realize you have some work to do on yourself as well. Marriage therapy can be an excellent way to supplement individual therapy. Your marriage counselor cannot provide you or your spouse with individual therapy, since that would be a conflict of interest. However, most counselors are happy to recommend clients to peers they trust. Working on yourself in private therapy sessions can help you resolve trauma and other issues that keep you from being the best partner you can be.
4. It can be offered on a sliding scale fee system
Some people avoid marriage therapy because they think they can't afford it. However, many family therapists are willing to work with clients on payment options. Sliding scale fee structures allow people to pay for therapy based on their income. Before deciding that marriage therapy isn't an option for you, speak to some therapists to find out if they're willing to help you at a discounted rate.
Share5 October 2020
I suffered depression for much of my life, and I lived with it for years before seeking help. I visited a psychiatrist and received an antidepressant prescription along with a referral to a counselor. I filled my prescription, but I put off making an appointment with the counselor. The medication began to help, so I decided that I didn't need to see a counselor after all -- or so I thought at the time. After a couple of months of medication, a close friend of mine died of an illness. I then learned that even though the medication helped my depression, I still had not learned the coping skills I needed to deal with traumatic life experiences. That even motivated me to seek counseling, and it helped me immensely. I created this blog to remind others that medication can help when suffering with depression, but counseling is also extremely important.