What is Couples Therapy and How Can it Benefit Your Relationship?
Relationship counseling Tysons Corner, VA families recommend is a form of psychotherapy that involves a licensed therapist who understands how to work with couples. In general, a couples therapist should be a LMFT, or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. The goal of these sessions is to help two people who are involved in a romantic relationship resolve conflicts, gain insight, set goals or boundaries, and improve overall relationship satisfaction. This is done through various interventions over the course of multiple sessions of relationship counseling Tysons Corner, VA could provide.
Elements of Relationship Counseling
How relationship counseling sessions are carried out may depend upon the theoretical orientation of the licensed therapist. That being said, many relationship counseling Tysons Corner, VA couples turn to will involve elements such as:
-Focusing on a certain problem or concern
-Active participation with the therapist and the couple at the same time
-Change oriented interventions
-Establishment of clear goals and intentions of the therapy
How Relationship Counseling May Begin
During the initial session with a couples therapist, you and your significant other may be asked standard questions about your relationship, values, cultural background, and family history. These questions will help the therapist get to know a little bit more about who you are as individuals. In some cases, a therapist can use the beginning sessions for a crisis intervention. This will be decided on an individual basis.
Once the therapist understands more about each person, he or she will help the couple to identify issues that will be the focus of the sessions. Goals may be laid out and a structure for the therapy may be planned. This can be altered at any time according to the sessions and their effectiveness.
Who Goes to Relationship Counseling?
Relationship counseling sessions are not just for people who are having difficulties in their relationship. Anyone who is in a relationship can benefit from relationship counseling in Tysons Corner, VA. This is regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, age, religion, or marriage status. For example, an engaged couple might seek therapy sessions to understand relationship expectations before getting married. On the other hand, a couple who has been married for 20 years might find that therapy helps reignite a sense of excitement. Sometimes Tysons Corner, VA relationship counseling sessions focus on problems that are causing strain in the relationship. These might include infertility, cheating, money, parenting, sex, in-laws, health issues, substance dependency, internet or gambling problem, emotional distance, frequent fighting, and more.
Benefits of Relationship Counseling
Couples therapy is a powerful way for two individuals to connect, grow, forgive, and heal. Even when the situation seems like it cannot get any better, there is often a chance that it can. If this is not the case, and if separation is imminent, a couples therapist might still be able to make the divorce or separation process as amicable as possible. This in and of itself can benefit everyone involved. Additional benefits of relationship counseling Tysons Corner, VA has to offer include:
-You can get unstuck from stagnant energy that may have arose in the relationship
-You can overcome surface level issues and frequent arguments through addressing underlying issues like fear
-You can commit to healthy growth and personal development
-You may deepen your connection and intimacy with one another
-You can do away with unhealthy behaviors and old perceptions
-You can learn how to forgive
Are You Ready to Take the First Step?
If you would like to know more about relationship counseling Tysons Corner, VA couples trust, please call Lindsey Hoskins & Associates today to find out more.
Relationship Counseling FAQ: My husband is going through a midlife crisis. What can I do and could Tysons Corner, VA relationship counseling help?
A lot of men will experience a midlife crisis, and it can be very challenging for everyone involved. If your husband is going through a midlife crisis, you might wonder how you can get through this time while also maintaining your wellbeing.
The following is advice and tips from our couples counselors. If you feel like you need more individualized attention, please call Lindsey Hoskins & Associates.
You Cannot Make a Midlife Crisis Go Away
If you are in a relationship with a man who is going through a midlife crisis, you might already know that this is a time that can involve hurt, betrayal, and confusion. Your husband may be questioning the value of the relationship, could be spending huge amounts of money on things he believes he needs, or could be having an affair.
A midlife crisis can last for months or years. Although your relationship might make it through this time, there are no guarantees. It is important that you understand you cannot talk your husband out of his midlife crisis and there is nothing you can say that will cause him to “snap out of it.”
In reality, a midlife crisis is something you have to try to ride through while you let your husband find answers to his struggles. This does not mean there is nothing you can do to make a midlife crisis more bearable.
Help Your Husband
Did you know that if you help out your husband during his midlife crisis, you can help yourself to cope with the situation? Helping could mean listening to him, treating him with kindness when he is feeling low, angry, or frustrated, or doing small acts of generosity.
You might not feel like doing any of these things, especially when he might feel like not a good husband. But they can encourage your feelings to change towards positive ones. At the same time, you can alleviate the focus from your problems, and avoid a downward spiral of negative interactions between both of you.
Realistically, a midlife crisis can put you both in a vulnerable state. The more positive you can make things, the better.
Build a System of Support
At a time like this, you might not get much support from your husband. This means you might want to consider seeking out and building friendships with people who can help you to get through this time. You should be careful about building friendships that may dominate your time or do the reverse of what your intentions may be.
Consider Relationship Counseling in Tysons Corner, VA
Tysons Corner, VA relationship counseling is one of the most effective ways to get through a midlife crisis. You might be thinking that it’s him who needs counseling, but the likelihood of him going to individual sessions may be slim. After all, your husband may feel insecure and confused about his life. By asking him to go, he may fear that something is actually wrong with his life or him – and this is not what you want. He might also feel like you are judging him; thereby, naturally, resist your advice.
By going to relationship counseling together, he may feel more at ease and comfortable to open up. Even if he does not want to go with you, especially in the beginning, relationship counseling can help you cope with a midlife crisis.
Couples Counseling: Time Versus Value
People get used to the idea of absolutes. They like to plan and prepare, to schedule for definitive outcomes, even if those plans never really add up to what they expected. The same desire and expectation are then transferred onto the idea of couples counseling. People want to know how long it will take to work. They want to manage their expectations, but they only want to do that on their own terms, and in that sense, therapy can be frustrating. While there are some definitive time requirements, the number of treatment sessions vary based on the couple and the individuals seeking treatment. Their receptiveness is a significant component of the effectiveness and overall timeline of therapy. However, with that in mind, there are a couple of time expectations that can be planned.
50 Minutes
The average length of a Tysons Corner, Virginia relationship counseling session is approximately 50 minutes. While some practitioners may schedule hour-long sessions, many counselors find that 50 minutes is the magic number. That being said, if a couple is experiencing significant hardship, or the therapist sees a need for an extended appointment, then most counselors will schedule you for a double appointment, or 100 minutes, possibly longer in extreme circumstances but not likely.
1 Day Per Week
Another standard in the counseling world is to offer therapy sessions once per week on average. Again, however, this is dependent on the specific couple seeking treatment. Many couples do well with one appointment weekly, but others need more time to work through their problems in a productive environment. While patients can request more sessions per week, a counselor is more likely to push for this when they realize a couple is having difficulty working through the therapy steps on their own.
6 Sessions, At Least
While there is no specified number of therapy sessions that will meet some undisclosed resolution, most therapists suggest that couples begin making real progress after about six visits. However, it should be strongly expressed that every couple is different, and the timeline is sure to vary. Also, six sessions only represent the time it takes for most counselors to see progress in a relationship, which is not the same as resolving their initial problems. The progress made in these sessions may only be representative of a couple learning how to communicate with each other and not representative of resolved issues.
Couples counseling is highly dependent on the couple being treated. While it is likely human nature to expect a definitive timeline for therapy, it is nearly impossible to get that type of answer.
To learn more about relationship counseling Tysons Corner, VA couples recommend, call Lindsey Hoskins & Associates.
Client Review
“Dr. Hoskins and her team have been nothing short of a Godsend for my family and I. Always patient, always ready to help however she can. Her assistance has been a cornerstone in our surviving one of the worst tragedies imagineable for a family to bear.”
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