Preventative Couples Therapy: Why its a good idea to seek couples therapy before there is a problem
Many times, when we think about couples therapy, we think about how many times we hear sentences like, "This is the last resort." or "We don't know if we want to stay together."
It doesn't have to be that way, and frankly, I don't recommend waiting until the worst of times to reach out for couples therapy.
Research backs this up: studies show that couples wait an average of 2.5 to 3 years from the onset of serious relationship problems before seeking help, and that delay often means the patterns that needed a small adjustment have become entrenched and much harder to shift. The average person who does receive couples therapy is better off than 70-80% of those who don't; an improvement rate that rivals the most effective mental health interventions available.
Here are some important reasons to consider:
Couples Therapy allows you to celebrate the strengths of your relationship: I recommend they reach out for couples therapy support when the relationship is new or the foundation is already strong. By doing so, you already are working from a place of being able to see and work through your strengths. Through this approach you are able to build upon what you already have, rather than feel like you are starting from scratch in your relationship.
Couples therapy gives you the tools that you can utilize when things begin to get tough: Relationships experience their ups and downs and that is completely normal! If you and your partner(s) already have an established support in place, you can utilize couples therapy to help guide you all through the conflict and reinforce the salient interventions that you have in place that can help you get through the difficulties that life can bring.
Couples therapy provides proactive support systems and encourages an evaluation of the community the relationship holds : Last but certainly not least, starting couples therapy from a non-crisis place means that we have room to not only look as specific presenting problems in the relationship, but also be able to evaluate the community that supports the relationship. What do I mean by this? I mean that we are able to look at who supports you in your relationship and we can dig into the ways your relationship shows up in the communities you are a part of.
There are many more reasons why this is a good idea to do, but I hope this snapshot supports your thought process around couples therapy!
