Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling

People in healthy marriages feel connected to one another. They enjoy each other’s company, respect each other, are affectionate, and can work through challenges when they arise. 

As the pressures of life proceed, some couples find themselves at a distance from one another. Rather than feeling close and connected, it almost feels like you don’t have a partner anymore. Your relationship may feel distant and disengaged. This can create a painful divide that will grow until you address it directly.

Marriage counseling or couples therapy can help you remember what you love about one another. 

Every couple argues. That’s normal. The problem arises when disagreements shut down healthy communication.  When your partner upsets you, it is critical that you are able to share your feelings. 

When sharing feelings causes an eruption in anger or disappearance into silence, the situation can feel hopeless. This is painful for the two of you, and scary for the children.

With the help of a couples or marriage counselor, you can learn to handle conflict in a way that strengthens the relationship instead of tearing you apart.

The impact of infidelity on your relationship can be devastating. The first step is to heal from the shock of realizing what has happened to your marriage. You may feel that you have lost everything, including your trust and love, leaving you traumatized and despairing.

Healing a relationship after infidelity isn’t easy, but neither is ending one. Though it may not feel true today, forgiveness is possible and your relationship can be made stronger than ever. Marriage counseling can help you navigate this trying experience. 

In a happy relationship you feel as though your partner is your best friend and biggest supporter.  Ideally, this closeness exists inside and outside of the bedroom. Sexual connection is an important piece of an intimate relationship.  If sexual intimacy has been lost between the two of you, a marriage counselor can help you find your way back to each other.

People choose a romantic partner for many different reasons and when they get married, assume that the relationship will last. As "real life" unfolds, and you get to know your partner better, experiencing pressures of career, childrearing, and finances and  you may discover that you and your partner are more different than you had realized. When communication breaks down and conflict becomes too common, it's not unreasonable to take a step back and consider whether this relationship will make you happy long-term.

In couples counseling, we always assume that the relationship can be healed and intimacy can be found.  There are times, however, when the effort and compromise to do so become too great. Under these circumstances, this couple might decide that ending the relationship is best.

Marriage counseling can help you discover whether a divorce is the best option for your relationship.