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A relationship is a long-term, frequently committed relationship between two or more individuals, such as a family, friendship, marriage, partnership, or other interpersonal connection where members have some degree of influence over one another’s attitudes, feelings, and behaviour (American Psychological Association). When we address the term “Couple”, we mostly refer to them as individuals who are in partnership with each other and have a romantic understanding of their relationship.
When the partnership has frequent fights and unresolved difficulties that affect the relationship, one can always consider couples therapy. Couples therapy can help repair the relationship.
According to Brian Mueller, PhD, a psychologist at Columbia University Medical Centre who specialises in couples therapy, “Couples therapy can address a wide range of relationship issues, including recurring conflicts, feelings of disconnection, an affair, issues related to sex, or difficulties due to external stressors”.
Let’s talk about the different types of Couples therapy that take place in a therapeutic setting:
- Emotionally focused therapy (EFT): EFT aims to strengthen your relationship with your partner by enhancing your connection and bonding. Your therapist assists you in recognising and altering the behaviours that cause you to feel cut off.
- The Gottman technique entails resolving points of contention and teaching you and your partner how to solve problems. It tries to raise your level of closeness with your partner and the standard of your relationship.
- The approach of Ellen Wachtel: This is a strength-based strategy that emphasises the relationship’s advantages. It emphasises self-reflection rather than placing blame on oneself or each other.
- Psychodynamic marriage therapy: In order to improve your understanding of one another, psychodynamic therapy looks into the underlying concerns and aspirations that drive you and your partner.
- The goal of behavioural therapy also referred to as behavioural couples therapy (BCT), is to change behaviour by enforcing positive behaviours that encourage stability and satisfaction and discouraging negative behaviours.
- The goal of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), sometimes known as cognitive behavioural couples therapy (CBCT), is to recognise and alter thought patterns that have a negative impact on behaviour.
Couples Therapy can help with a variety of aspects of your relationship, you can discuss and resolve issues with your partner. These aspects may include roles in the relationship, beliefs, and values, finances, amount of time spent together, family relationships, sexual intimacy, health issues, children, etc. Some of the benefits of couple therapy are that partner understand each other better, identify relationship issues, improve communication skills, resolve conflicts, strengthen attachment, terminate dysfunctional behaviour, learn skills, and also improve relationship satisfaction
In the end, it’s important to keep one thing in mind, Couples counselling can assist you in working on and enhancing your relationship if you and your partner are going through a difficult time. You can discuss problems with your partner, vent your emotions, and settle disputes with the aid of your therapist. Intimacy, affection, and understanding between you and your partner can be increased through couples counselling, which can make you two an emotionally stronger couple.
– Urveez Kakalia and Krupa Abraham.
Reference:
Greenberg, L. S., & Johnson, S. M. (1988). Emotionally focused therapy for couples. Guilford Press.
Garanzini, S., Yee, A., Gottman, J., Gottman, J., Cole, C., Preciado, M., & Jasculca, C. (2017). Results of Gottman method couples therapy with gay and lesbian couples. Journal of marital and family therapy, 43(4), 674-684.
Wachtel, E. F. (2016). The heart of couple therapy: Knowing what to do and how to do it. Guilford Publications.
Nielsen, A. C. (2017). Psychodynamic couple therapy: A practical synthesis. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43(4), 685-699.
Perissutti, C., & Barraca, J. (2013). Integrative behavioral couple therapy vs. Traditional behavioral couple therapy: A theoretical review of the differential effectiveness. Clínica y Salud, 24(1), 11-18.
Baucom, D. H., Epstein, N. B., LaTaillade, J. J., & Kirby, J. S. (2008). Cognitive-behavioral couple therapy.