Couples Therapy

What is couples therapy?

Couples therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps romantic partners develop insight into their relationship and improve satisfaction. While your Mind Health Institute, Orange County provider tailors couples’ therapy to address your specific needs, there are some common elements in most couples’ therapy programs, such as:

• Solving a specific problem
• Improving communication
• Building trust and confidence in your partner
• Developing conflict resolution skills
• Enhancing respect for each other’s perspective

You and your partner don’t need to endure a crisis to benefit from couple’s therapy. As with many health conditions, if you get help early, you avoid more significant problems. For example, couples’ therapy can help you learn to resolve small issues before they become more serious and limit the emotional distress that comes with an unsatisfying relationship.

What are the signs I need couples therapy?

Relationships often have a natural ebb and flow. At some points, you feel intimate and closely connected, and at other times, you might feel distant or frustrated. Waiting through the tough times doesn’t resolve the problem, which means the issue is still lurking in your relationship and could emerge later. 

Some of the signs that you and your partner could benefit from couples’ therapy include:

• Not feeling loved
• Frequent bickering or fighting
• Decreased quantity or quality of sex
• Reduced communication
• Physical or emotional infidelity
• Thinking of separating

You might also feel like your relationship is filled with criticism or defensiveness, which inhibits effective communication.

What should I expect during couples therapy?

At Mind Health Institute, Orange County, the team helps couples resolve conflict, improve communication, and strengthen their relationships.

The team uses the Gottman Method, which incorporates seven principles to help you increase your closeness and build a shared life. The seven principles are:

• Build love maps
• Express fondness and admiration
• Turn toward each other
• Accept influence
• Solve problems that are solvable
• Manage conflict and overcome gridlock
• Create shared meaning

The Mind Health Institute, Orange County providers mediate conversations and offer advice and strategies to help your relationship thrive. However, if couples’ therapy helps you discover that your relationship has reached its end, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It says that you tried and gave yourself, your partner, and your relationship the respect you all deserve and can move on with confidence. 

Call the office of Mind Health Institute, Orange County, or request an appointment online today if you’re ready to try couples therapy.