Marriage counseling, also called couples therapy, helps couples – married or not – understand and resolve conflicts and improve their relationship. Marriage counseling gives couples the tools to communicate better, negotiate differences, and problem solve. Marriage counseling can help you rebuild your relationship and make it stronger. Or if you decide a controlled separation might be beneficial to your marriage we can help you identify what is appropriate and healthy for each spouse. Either way, marriage counseling can help you understand your relationship better and make well-thought-out decisions.

​

​

We know that relationships can be tested. Differences or habits that you once found endearing may grate on your nerves after time together. Sometimes specific issues, such as an extramarital affair or loss of sexual attraction, trigger problems in a relationship. Other times, there’s a gradual disintegration of communication and caring.

​

​

No matter the cause, distress in a relationship can create undue stress, tension, sadness, worry, fear and other problems.You may hope your relationship troubles just go away on their own. But left to fester, a bad relationship may only worsen and eventually lead to physical or psychological problems, such as depression. A bad relationship can also create problems on the job and affect other family members or even friendships. 

Here are some of the issues that marriage counseling can help you and a spouse or partner cope with:

• Infidelity

• Substance abuse

• Physical or mental conditions

• Same-sex relationship issues

• Cultural clashes

• Finances

• Unemployment

• Blended families

• Communication problems

• Sexual difficulties

• Conflicts about child rearing

• Infertility

• Anger

• Adjusting to divorce or custody

• Changing roles, such as retirement

​

Strengthening bonds

You don’t need to have a troubled relationship to seek therapy. Marriage counseling can also help couples who simply want to strengthen their bonds and gain a better understanding of each other. Marriage counseling can also help couples who plan to get married. This pre-marriage counseling can help you achieve a deeper understanding of each other and iron out differences before a union is sealed.

What if your partner refuses to attend marriage counseling sessions?
You can go by yourself. It may be more challenging to patch up relationships when only one partner is willing to go to therapy. But you can still benefit by learning more about your reactions and behavior in the relationship.