“The most important benefit of couples therapy is the outsider lens. It is a chance to show up in our natural form, presenting our side in the way that we normally would, but get a professional’s take on where we head next. For a lot of couples, it might feel like we are spinning our wheels, stuck in the same spot, but the professional twist can merge the two sides while also allowing each partner to have a voice.”
Talkspace therapist Meaghan Rice, PsyD, LPC
WHEN TO CONSIDER COUPLES COUNSELLING:
A lot of people see couples therapy as a last-minute attempt to save a relationship that’s crumbling. However, the reality is that couples therapy isn’t just for when your relationship is at crisis point. For many couples, difficult conversations have caused arguments or shutdowns, with the result that, over time, you end up saying nothing to each other, rather than the wrong thing. And in doing this, you end up drifting further and further apart.
Couples therapy can be a proactive and effective way to strengthen a relationship. When challenges arise and communication becomes difficult, therapy provides a supportive space for couples to work with a neutral third party to address concerns and improve their connection.
Couples therapy is helpful in addressing a range of relationship issues, including communication, conflict, trust and intimacy concerns
COMMON RELATIONSHIP CHALLENGES:
Common issues that people bring to couples therapy are communication concerns, conflict resolution difficulties, disconnectedness, parenting issues, unmet expectations, family concerns, as well as infidelity and breach of trust, to name a few.
THE GOALS OF THERAPY:
Here we learn about healthy conflict resolution; we learn skills that most of us, surprisingly, have never been taught. Once you learn them, they can make a significant difference, not only in your romantic relationship, but also in other relationships in your life. Couples that have successful relationships use therapy as a tool to maintain connection, not just fix it.
In some instances, couples therapy can be requested to assist the couple in making a decision to end the relationship.
HOW I WORK WITH COUPLES:
The role of your therapist is to listen to what you’re both saying and then give honest, impartial, unbiased feedback. Sometimes hearing someone else tell you what they’re hearing allows you to look at your relationship through a new lens.
I have been working with couples for the past 10 years and have a particular passion for it. During this time, I have attended numerous workshops and courses on couples counselling to build on my knowledge and expertise. I am experienced in various therapeutic modalities, particularly the Gottman Method and The Couples Institute Developmental Model, but also use techniques from other couples therapy models, as and when I consider them to be more effective.
Couples’ sessions typically last an hour and a half, so that each partner has a proper chance to speak and be properly heard. As you may only be in my room for an hour and a half each fortnight, my goal is that you both leave each session equipped with strategies to work on at home. Commitment and action are key in couples therapy.