Couples therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps couples to better understand and resolve conflicts in their relationship. It can help restore marriages, but the main goals of couples therapy are to help people be more socially and emotionally prepared to manage any relationship. Through empathy and listening exercises, couples can learn to listen to and understand each other's point of view. This can lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of the relationship, such as who has the power, how conflicts are handled, and if communication patterns are negative.
The main goal of therapy is to increase knowledge about oneself, one's partner, and the patterns of interaction between them. As new knowledge is applied, ineffective patterns can be broken and better ones developed. Couples therapy can also provide tools to communicate with more compassion and less fear, while learning how to solve problems and deal with conflicts in a healthy way. It can also help couples consider all the options before making the decision to work on it or end a relationship.
Solution-oriented conversations at the heart of Structural Family Therapy (SFT) can have excellent results for couples who need help to overcome a narrowly defined difficult situation. Sessions are usually held on a weekly or biweekly schedule for about an hour at a time, although the duration may vary depending on the couple. Gaining knowledge and understanding the differences between specific types of couples therapy can help you and your spouse get the help you need. Whether this means separating or figuring out what it will take to make the relationship work, a big benefit of couples therapy can be to clarify your feelings.
Here are 15 goals of couples therapy that you can analyze and decide which are the most important to your relationship:
- Increase self-awareness
- Improve communication
- Learn how to resolve conflicts
- Develop trust
- Understand each other's needs
- Learn how to compromise
- Identify negative patterns
- Develop empathy
- Learn how to express feelings
- Understand each other's perspectives
- Create a safe space for expression
- Explore family dynamics
- Identify individual issues
- Explore cultural differences
- Create a plan for change
