We all are very well aware of the fact that relationships are hard. Just like any machine, regular maintenance and care are required to keep it running otherwise the moment you fail to put your input, you lose it. On this journey of two people joining hands, making promises, falling in love, and taking big leaps of romanticism, there come barriers. It is best to deal with those barriers right away to avoid further complications and to keep the journey smooth.

Often some minor issues can be dealt with by the people in the relationship. But, sometimes, things become out of our understanding and it is best to seek professional help instead of losing the relationship. It is very interesting that sometimes, we keep things piling up instead of putting some effort and making them right. This is what couple therapy is here for.

How to find a Couple Therapist

If you are looking to find the perfect Couple Therapist it is crucial to make sure that they have the appropriate qualifications, knowledge and experience. At Expat Therapy 4U we only accept therapists who have full professional proficiency in English and are highly experienced in working with people from culturally diverse backgrounds. The clinicians we approve share our values and commitment to provide high quality therapy to the expatriate community in the private sector across Europe and online worldwide. We strongly believe that therapy changes lives, and being accredited ensures all our therapists are qualified to a high standard. You can find a Couple Therapist who is insured to practice and accredited with a recognised membership body online here.

What is Couple Therapy?

Couple therapy is here to save your relationship when you feel it is going out of your hands. It is a sort of psychotherapy where the therapist with professional clinical experience working with couples to help them resolve their issues. They help the couples to develop insight into their relationship, resolve the conflicts if there are any, and improve the quality of their connection with the help of therapeutic intervention. Although the therapy might differ with the specificity of the issues, mainly couple therapy addresses the following elements:

• Focus on the specific issue they are having.
• Active intervention by the client for treating the relationship as a whole rather than addressing each individual separately.
• change-oriented interventions from the very start of the treatment.
• A clear knowledge of the goals of the treatment.

How does Couple Therapy work?

It usually starts with some standard questions regarding the history of their relationship. Also, they will explore the origin of both individuals, knowing their issues, establishing treatment goals, and planning the future.

When the treatment or intervention starts, the therapist helps the couple regain their insight into their relationship and the problems they often face while both partners get to explore their role in the relationship. It will also help them reshape their perception of the relationship and each other.

Once they have to gain insight, another important thing is to let them see how their behaviours and thought patterns are affecting their relationship. In the therapy, they are taught about how they can change their behaviours for better results. The therapist can also assign home tasks to the partners for improving their day to day interaction.

The couples not only manage to have developed insight about their relationship, but they come out to be better at understanding and knowing each other than before. With the intervention, they understand how a little change in their thoughts and behaviours can bring bigger changes in their relationship.

Who can benefit from Couple Therapy?

Couple therapy is beneficial for all sorts of couples, whether the partners are gay, straight, old, young, engaged, married, or dating. For instance, the couple therapy might be a great chance for an engaged couple to see how they will go after marriage and how they can make the best out of it. Similarly, older couples can develop a sense of being young and charming through therapy to feel fresh again. Any sort of couples can come for couple therapy for any purpose they wish.

What are some common types of Couple Therapies?

Depending upon the specificity of the issue you have, the therapist might establish treatment plans accordingly. But, there are three most common approaches adapted by the couple therapist to treat conflict among couples; The Gottman Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Imago Relationship Therapy.

The Gottman Method

The Gottman method consists of the basic idea that the unresolved conflicts are the part of every relationship and they must be dealt with understanding rather than criticism, defensiveness, and stonewalling.

Emotionally Focused Therapy

The EFT is focused on the fact that couples must establish an ‘attachment bond’ where they feel emotionally safe with each other. The therapist focuses on the emotional needs of the partners and makes sure that they fulfil those needs from each other. It can be structured as well as open-minded therapy.

Imago Relationship Therapy

Imago Relationship Therapy was established by a married couple who gave the idea that most people choose their partner keeping their past experiences in mind. Sometimes they see their caregivers, parents, or any other past relationship in their partners. The intervention of this therapy involves engaging the partners in a conversation where they repeat what they are saying to each other.

What to expect from a Couple Therapy?

Couple therapy aims at bringing the partners of a relationship together on the same page. While working with the therapist, you will learn to enhance the quality of your relationship. You will be able to:

• Communicate openly with each other
• Solve problems more efficiently
• Discuss the differences in the most rational ways

You will be able to talk about good and bad of your relationship with your partner. You will be given the chance to study your relationship separately regardless of what other person is doing. Together, you will identify the problems you are facing, sort out the solution, and act on it.

However, not all couples find their ways out of couple therapy. That’s why therapists just require couples to play their parts attentively to let the therapy work. They just need to be committed to the therapy so that they can improve their relationship.

Find a Couple Therapist through the Expat Therapy 4U platform

Couple therapy is focused on making the relationships prosperous no matter what type of relationship that is. It can help resolve the issues that seem to be disturbing the couple for a long time and are not affecting their relationship seriously. It is not necessary to seek therapy when all the doors are close, but couples can come before any trouble to cheque the status of their relationship and keep it moving. Common areas that are usually addressed in couple therapy are money, infidelity, infertility, sex, parenting, chronic health issues, gambling, substance abuse, emotional distance, in-laws, and further conflicts that are affecting the relationship seriously.

Further Readings on Couple Therapy

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/services/couples-therapy-in-london/

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/the-10-most-common-problems-people-have-in-relationships-and-how-to-deal-with-them/

https://theinternationalpsychologyclinic.com/the-benefits-of-couples-therapy/