Being able to identify unhealthy signs of habits in a relationship is a key factor in determining when to seek couples’ therapy. Relationship therapy in Houston can allow couples an alternative solution to find a middle ground in their relationship. The sooner you address relationship issues, the easier it will be to prevent them from developing into more serious issues. Couples therapy has many advantages. It can help you overcome obstacles and strengthen your bond with your partner. According to research, about 70% of couples find couples therapy beneficial.
In this blog, we’ll explore the need for relationship counseling, its many benefits, and the best approach while seeking couples counseling Houston, TX.
Table of Contents:
1. What Does Relationship Therapy in Houston Entail?
2. Analyzing the Causes of Relationship Breakdowns?
3. When Should You Seek Couples Counseling Houston, TX?
4. Benefits of Relationship Counseling
5. How to Have the Right Approach to Relationship Therapy in Houston?
6. What If Your Partner Is Opposed to Therapy?
7. Connect with an Expert Psychologist: Book a Session for Couples Counseling Houston, TX
8. FAQs
What Does Relationship Therapy in Houston Entail?
Couples therapy is a safe space where you and your partner can come together and talk about the issues that are bothering you in your relationship. A psychologist guides you through the process so that you both have a chance to talk about your issues, share your perspective and understanding of the issues, talk about the difficulties you may be facing individually in resolving the issue, and decide to work together to achieve a common goal that is beneficial to your relationship.
Relationship therapy in Houston is made up of several tools that make it easier to:
- Identify obstacles and challenges, both externally and internally.
- Understand each obstacle and challenge through a scientific framework and perspective.
- Work to resolve each obstacle and challenge.
“One of the most significant benefits of relationship counseling is that it creates a space where both partners have the opportunity to express their feelings, and while one person is expressing, the other person has the chance to listen.”
Analyzing the Causes of Relationship Breakdowns?
According to research, the most common causes of relationship failure include financial stress, communication issues, differences in expectations and values, and lack of trust.
Other leading causes include:
- Physical or emotional abuse
- Work/time pressures
- Physical or mental health issues
As a result, relationship problems can result in emotional disorders such as: anxiety, depression, unprocessed grief, substance use, anger and weight loss/gain. It’s no surprise that our self-esteem and behavior are affected by how we’re treated and how we view ourselves.
When Should You Seek Couples Counseling Houston, TX?
Many people think that relationship counseling is only necessary in the event of separation or divorce. But this is often too late or too late. You need to see a therapist as soon as your issues start interfering with your day-to-day life. Here are some signs that you should seek couples counseling Houston, TX:
- You struggle to share your emotions with each other.
- You have at least one ongoing disagreement.
- You are withdrawing, critical, or disdainful in your interactions.
- You have experienced a stressful event that has affected your day-to-day life.
- You have trouble making decisions together.
- You have been unfaithful, addicted, or abused.
Therapy can help you improve your communication skills, strengthen your relationships, and make your family happier.
Benefits of Relationship Counseling
Generally, relationship counseling provides couples with the following benefits:
- Establishing a deeper understanding of the relationship’s issues and how to address them.
- Identify and modify any behavior that’s detrimental to the relationship.
- Explore communication styles and enhance communication skills.
- Learn to be more open and honest with your partner about your feelings and how they affect you.
- Reduce blame language and enhance empathy and understanding of one another.
How to Have the Right Approach to Relationship Therapy in Houston?
There are many things you can do to make your relationship counseling more effective, but the most important factor is that the therapist is qualified and experienced and the couple is open to it. Following the right approach involves:
1. Be truthful: Sometimes we lie because we don’t want to feel judged. But your therapist’s job is to help you, not judge you. Stick to your truth, even if it’s hard.
2. Preparing for Discomfort: Therapy can be challenging because you’re learning new things about yourself and your spouse, some of which won’t be pleasant. To heal yourself, you’ll have to confront your pain and accept that you need to change and grow.
3. Pay Attention to Your Partner: Whether you’re working with a single client or a group of family members, it’s important to pay attention to what others are saying.
4. Put in the effort: Therapy takes place both during and in between sessions. During the time between sessions, your counselor may give you homework assignments or ask you to try new ways of communicating and interacting with others.
What If Your Partner Is Opposed to Therapy?
Even if you believe therapy is the solution to your relationship issues, your partner might not agree. So, what can you do? The first thing you need to remember is that you cannot force your partner into counseling. All you can do is seek help from a therapist and work on your own personal problems.
Connect with an Expert Psychologist: Book a Session for Couples Counseling Houston, TX
If you’re struggling with relationship issues, you may want to consider consulting a psychologist. Relationship therapy in Houston will help you identify the source of your problems, explore new communication methods, and build a stronger relationship. You and your partner will work together to resolve issues and strengthen your relationship.
Contact Julia Babcock, Ph.D., PLLC Psychologist today to discuss your situation. Julia Babcock is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in relationship counseling and couples’ therapy. As an expert clinical psychologist for couples counseling Houston, TX, she follows a practical approach that is brief, direct and evidence-based for quick and powerful results.
To find out more or to book an appointment, please contact her today.
FAQs:
1. How Can Couples Counseling Houston, TX Help Me?
Counseling provides an opportunity to explore complex or challenging topics in a safe and private setting while looking at the situation from a new lens. Working with a counselor or you and your counselor provides an opportunity to reflect on how you can make positive changes in your life.
2. Is Marriage Relationship Counseling Confidential?
The confidentiality of marriage counseling is limited by the law, as well as client confidentiality and the health and safety of others.
3.Why Therapy? Shouldn’t I Be Able to Handle This by Myself?
Even if you have the resources and may even be able to do it on your own, having a third party who is only interested in you and your health can help you reach your goals in the long run, often quicker than trying to change yourself.
Firefighters who have PTSD are more likely to have relationship problems. This could be because PTSD interferes with their ability to regulate their emotions, which in turn has a fallout on their relationship satisfaction, communication, and intimacy.
See press release of our new article:
Firefighters With PTSD Likely to Have Relationship Problems – University of Houston (uh.edu)
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 
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.