Relations are complicated

When a couple turns towards one another, they make and respond with what we call ‘Bids For Connection.’ Bids can range from small things, like trying to get your attention by calling out to you, to bigger things, such as asking for deeper needs to meet. Happy couples are able to recognize when their partner is making bids and stop whatever they’re doing to engage.

Marriage and other committed, monogamous relationships involve imperfect people trying to navigate an imperfect world together. While creating a strong relationship requires effort, struggle, and suffering; the joy, connection, friendship, support, and love make the journey worthwhile.

With all the love, care and attention involved in creating a lasting relationship in mind, we looked into marriage counselling therapy to understand what it involves, how it works, and the benefits of counselling.

Getting help

Emotional Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based treatment used to treat relationship distress and improve interpersonal functioning. Couples who find themselves struggling with issues such as infidelity, abuse, addiction, financial problems, and physical illness often benefit greatly from EFT. Unlike traditional therapies, EFT does not focus on changing the behavior of individuals. Rather, EFT focuses on changing the interaction between partners. By teaching couples how to communicate effectively, EFT can help them resolve conflict and build trust.

In any style of marriage counseling, the first session often involves learning more about each individual spouse and the relationship in general; it is often called a process of growing together (although not necessarily).

Lasting change starts with you

Individual therapy is an important part of any treatment program. Goals should include both short and long-term objectives. Short term goals may include things such as breaking unhealthy patterns, dealing with anger issues, learning how to manage conflict, or gaining insight into one’s own personality traits. Longer term goals may include changing negative beliefs about oneself, increasing confidence, or improving relationships.