Couples Therapy & Relationship Counseling

Couples counseling, relationship psychotherapy, or relationship counseling - it doesn't matter what you call it - you invite a family therapist to reconnect with your partner. Dr. Ivanov, a Harvard University-certified specialist, is one of the best relationship counselors who uses time-tested, effective techniques to help improve communication and understanding. Call today to schedule your session online or in person.

Couples Counseling, Relationship Counseling - What Is It and Why Needed?

Couples therapy is therapy in which a romantic couple is treated by the same therapist at the same time. Couples therapy focuses on strengthening specific aspects of their relationship while also exploring and resolving underlying psychological issues.

Depending on how distressed the relationship is, therapy sessions might be short or last several months or even years. While any licensed therapist can counsel couples, marriage and family therapists are experts in relationship issues.

How Do I Know if I Need Couples Therapy?

Some of the most common reasons and indicators that you may require or benefit from couples therapy include:

• Lack of trust or honesty with one another
• Frequent and repeated arguments
• Lack of communication or bad communication
• An issue or problem you both are unable to confront
• Unhealthy patterns of behavior
• Emotional or physical intimacy issues
• Unnecessarily or cruelly critical criticism in a relationship
• Dramatic family or social changes
• A lack of patience in a partnership
• Financial disputes
• Issues with social media
• Profound lack of happiness in your relationship
• Thoughts of separation and divorce

Why Does Couples Therapy Work?

Professional couples and relationship counseling gives you the benefit of a trained, licensed therapist. Your couples therapist — serving adults in NYC, New Jersey and Florida — provides a way to break your negative habits. The goal is to find positive and empowering ways to communicate to give your relationship the boost it needs.

When you’re in the midst of a relationship, your view isn’t objective. Getting an objective perspective makes the difference between a relationship that limps along and one that is rewarding and beneficial to both of you. If relationship counseling is conducted appropriately and in a timely manner, most couples benefit from the therapy.

Many couples wait until the relationship has become toxic before seeking guidance. This delay makes seeking help and putting the advice to work difficult. Additionally, make sure the therapist you see has the skills necessary to work with couples, since techniques for relationships differ from those used to work with individuals.

These principles involve:

• Changing the views of the individuals in the relationship. Emotions easily distract from many positives in a relationship. Your therapist helps each individual take a step back and view the relationship from a more objective standpoint. That distance helps you understand the process of communication rather than playing the blame game or reacting to feelings without checking on each other’s perspective. The goal of couples therapy in NYC is to help you understand the relationship, your feelings, and your interactions with each other in healthier, more adaptive ways.
• Changing behaviors that have become dysfunctional. Most couples find themselves repeating the same patterns over and over — especially when discussing money, family or parenting. Your psychiatrist watches these interactions between you. With guidance, you eventually find more productive and healthier ways to view disagreements and resolve conflicts. Resolution prevents an argument from devolving into actions that may cause psychological, physical or financial harm.
• Working to decrease emotional avoidance. After years of ineffective patterns, many couples find it easier to just avoid any topics that increase negative emotions. Some individuals developed poor emotional engagement techniques as children watching other family members handle conflict destructively. Effective emotional engagement increases problem solving, fosters closeness, and allows both parties to request the things they need.
• Increasing effective communication. In an effort to protect themselves from strong emotions, many couples develop abusive or ridiculing communication techniques. Your therapist provides effective couples counseling by coaching both of you to understand and use supportive communication styles. Working to understand your partner’s viewpoint, as well as thoughtfully asking for your own needs, foster a positive interaction.
• Promoting each individual’s strengths. You have your areas of strength, and so does your partner. Your psychiatrist finds ways to enhance each of your strengths and bring them together. This strategy enhances the relationship by increasing the sense of belonging and working together productively. When you’re part of a couple, you want and expect the feeling of teamwork and closeness. Helping identify and build on strengths encourages positive growth and feelings of togetherness.

Patient Experience:

What Happens During and After Counseling Sessions at Online Psychiatrists in NYC?

Your couples therapist develops a plan to help you resolve your conflicts and find your strengths. Depending on the nature and extent of the problems you present as a couple, you most likely need to follow an effective framework for change in about 12 weekly sessions. Your psychiatrist spends the first few sessions interviewing you both regarding your:

• History together
• Communication styles
• Recent conflicts
• Ways of resolving problems
• Stresses that brought you to counseling

Your sessions last around 50 minutes apiece. You begin seeing some improvements within four or five sessions. Small changes during the week add up to larger changes and greater intimacy and closeness. Supportive couples encourage and enhance all areas of each other’s lives.

Couples counseling can prove beneficial whether you want to reignite the flame in your relationship or experience intense distress, chronic arguments, or broken trust. Here at Online Psychiatrists, we offer couples in NYC, NJ, and FL marriage and couple counseling as well as other psychological therapy options to resolve conflicts and help them move forward in a way that supports them both.

Read More About Couples Therapy at Online Psychiatrists

Everything You Need To Know About Couples Therapy