Even the most robust relationships can go through rough patches that require couples counselling and being able to ask for help and reap the benefits of relationship counselling could be the answer to getting your relationship back on track. With two personalities, there is always the potential for conflict. Problems arise when people are either unwilling or incapable of compromise for the benefit of both.
At this point, professional help can bring improvement, but what are the benefits of relationship counselling?
Improving Understanding
The main focus of relationship counselling is to have better communication between the parties to improve conflict resolution. The result is that the two people within the couple better understand the others’ viewpoint.
Relationships are challenging and rewarding simultaneously, as the two individuals bring their uniqueness. With poor communication, this fantastic diversity can quickly transform into a relationship nightmare.
Communicating your fears, hopes and needs are not easy for some people, and couples can have a poor understanding of what makes their partners tick. Using counselling, both partners will participate in a series of exercises to improve their listening and how to express themselves. Partners will acquire new skills to embrace their differences and break old communication habits.
Understanding the Relationship
Emotions can overtake rationality in a relationship, and it can be hard to be objective about your relationship with a partner. In the first throws of a relationship, it is all roses with everything perfect. But as the relationship develops, there are times when you can be angry and start the blame game.
Relationship counsellors help partners look at the relationship from different angles. This is important for assessing where the couple stands at this moment and what issues need to be resolved.
An initial assessment is taken, using observation to examine how the two people interact, allowing the counsellor to pinpoint weakness and behaviour patterns.
The therapist will then suggest exercises and possibly roleplaying to highlight what needs to be improved. Through these interactions, the couple will learn more flexibility to their partner’s needs, thereby reducing conflict situations.
Dealing with Conflict
All relationships have points of conflict; it is pretty standard. Conflict can be a positive aspect of a relationship that allows people to grow and enhance their feelings for their partner. It is common, though, that attendees of counselling are unaware of how to deal with conflict correctly.
It is a typical trait for people to get defensive, aggressive or even abusive as they feel they have been hurt. The inability or unwillingness to listen to the other party will result in an impasse with no way forward.
Dealing with unresolved issues is vital for relationship happiness. Couples who ignore problems will either have an unhappy relationship experience or separate.
Talking about feelings concisely and in a non-confrontational way is the start of conflict resolution. This is also the time for empathy for the other person’s feelings and points of view.
Relationships can become stale, and this is when people wonder if there is something better. Work, children, elderly parents and adult responsibilities can push romance to the bottom of the list. A counsellor will provide suggestions on how to put the spark back.
It is important to note that you must be committed to counselling and understand the benefits of relationship counselling. If you are only going under duress, the chances are that a counsellor will not be able to help.
