Distressed Couples

You’re so tired of the fighting.

The conflict, the criticism, the way you never know when things are going to escalate. It’s wearing you down. And you never thought—ever—that it would be like this, because things were so great up front. And then…they weren’t great anymore. There’s blame, frustration, confusion, shame, and a lot of hurt. You thought your relationship would add joy and fun to your life, not make it painful, sad, and lonely.

Wondering what happened?

Of course you are. You are not alone, and these sorts of problems are way more common than you may think.

There really should be a course in high school where they explain the most important things about life to you…like understanding the patterns that are common in romantic relationships that couples tend to fall into. If someone had explained these things to you, it would have changed so much. You might have known how to respond, in ways that would help your relationship, in ways that would help your partner hear you and respond to you differently. And you probably wish your spouse or partner had also signed up for a class like this!

Even as therapists, we’re a little bothered that someone didn’t explain all of this to us sooner! And yet we’ve also realized that it’s never too late to start learning more about relationships and how to make them better, via marriage counseling or couples therapy. There really are some concrete principles to learn and behavior changes you can make to improve your conflictual relationship. Whether its fighting about the kids, money, housework, in-laws, or sex, marriage counseling and couples therapy really can make a difference.

At Life Counseling Institute, marriage counseling or couples therapy can help you

• Learn to actually resolve conflict, so that you don’t keep having the same disagreements
• Break free from the same cyclical patterns of interacting, with one person working harder and harder to find a solution and the other walking away or shutting down emotionally
• Improve communication, so that both you and your partner feel heard and understood
• Increase your emotional connection to one another
• Restore trust
• Feel heard and understood
• Deepen intimacy
• Understand your relationship needs, as well as your partners
• Enjoy each other’s company and spending time together

The goal of marriage counseling and couples therapy is to focus on the relationship.

Our goal is not to blame anyone or take sides but rather help you and your partner both feel heard and understood. There are reasons why you’re each feeling the way you are, and it’s our job to explore those, so that you can reach a point of compassionate understanding of one another, in a safe environment.

We use the form of marriage counseling and couples therapy that has been shown to be most effective in improving relationships, emotion-focused therapy (EFT). EFT helps couples understand their patterns of connecting with one another emotionally and gets below the anger and resentment on the surface, to help you feel more connected.

Come on in and try a session.

We’re sure you will find your therapist at Life Counseling Institute to be warm, welcoming, and inviting and put your mind at ease regarding marriage counseling and couples therapy. With the guidance of a skilled therapist, we know you can create change in your relationship.