Can couples stay together after infidelity?

June 14, 2016

While the discovery of an affair is devastating–and we certainly don’t recommend them–ironically, affairs can provide an opportunity for some couples to improve their relationship for the better. If the participating partner is willing to cut off contact with the other lover and talk about what he or she did, felt, and thought, couples therapy can help both the injured and the participating partner repair their relationship and make it stronger. Often, one or both partners finds it easier to give up and divorce rather than expose their own thoughts, hurts, rehash the past and make themselves vulnerable to more pain. However, if both partners are willing to talk, listen and be vulnerable they can recover from an affair and make their relationship so close that there is no room for a third party to encroach. Couples therapy can help rebuild relationships after an affair better and stronger than they were before image4841

Recommended book:

Snyder, D. K., Baucom, D. H., & Gordon, K. C. (2007). Getting Past the Affair: A Program to Help You Cope, Heal, and Move On. New York: Guilford Press.

Posted in couples therapy, Uncategorized by Julia Babcock | Tags: , ,