What is Couples Counselling?

Couples therapy or marriage counselling is a form of talk psychotherapy. A licensed counsellor will offer multiple therapeutic approaches to help you identify and understand the underlying patterns while addressing your current concerns.

Gaining new perspectives about one another and how you currently relate, or don’t, lays the foundation for a progressive path with skills work and exercises that align with your unique relationship and circumstances. Exploring difficulties, “hot topics” that aren’t resolved, and resentments may come up. It’s often these tough topics that lead to communication breakdowns or, at the very least, make it hard to move forward. Leaving the past in the past is a cliche. Your therapist will guide you on how to acknowledge, accept, and appreciate yourselves and one another to rekindle and reciprocate admiration for one another.

Common Relationship Problems

Communication tops the list! Habits are hard to break – especially when lowering your guard feels like your partner may get a leg up.

Is your partner not listening? Are you listening? The way we speak to one another is equally important as listening in dyadic, two way, communication. Ever watch a good server clarify a complicated dinner order and nail it? It feels good when they hear you and understand, doesn’t it? We seek validation and understanding, especially from our significant others.

Lack of positive regard: holding onto negative thoughts and feelings harm us more than our partners. Ever find it hard to give a compliment when you’re peeved with your significant other? If you answered yes, let’s take a further look at the list below:

• Affairs
• Betrayal
• Financial Issues
• Sexual Differences or Lack of Intimacy
• Differing Values & Goals
• Jealousy
• Work Stress
• PTSD
• Anxiety/Depression
• Postpartum Disorders
• Parenting
• Religion, Politics, or Current Societal Hot Topics
• Addictions – From Corporate Crutches to Pornogapy & Tech Devices

Your counsellor’s job is to aid interactions through in-sessions exercises and homework that aligns with where you’re at, kind of like a practicum. We have a high success rate with clients, a big part of that is because we enforce homework – the kind that helps you get the relationship you want and deserve!

Communication breakdowns

Conflicts often serve as the foundation of opportunity for growth and deeper understanding. When discussed in the presence of your counsellor in a safe, confidential space, feelings and opinions often emerge with new found hope.
It’s easy to critique others, especially our partners. Rather than observe and learn who they are, we may judge them because their actions, viewpoints, or behaviours don’t align with yours. Taking the time to discover both of your core beliefs, ethics, or values will help you uncover the beauty in one another.

Keep in mind the goal is to enhance your relationship with yourself and each other. Couples counselling does not aim to change you or your partner. It’s important to know that if your primary goal is to change your other half to suit you, you will be sadly disappointed. With close to 8 billion people in our pluralistic society, individuality is key, nobody wants to marry their clone, or do they?

What happens in a couples counselling session?

Your therapist will do an initial intake in your first session to gain an understanding of where you’re at in your relationship. It will take several sessions to assess patterns and emotions. We specialize in the Gottman Method while integrating other approaches, such as Imago Therapy that help our therapists gain a clear picture of the current relationship dynamic while developing a custom plan for you and your partner moving forward. Please know that above all, couples counselling is not to fix or change your partner. You got here together, it will take responsibility on both your parts to utilize new skills on your path to a healthier and happier relationship.

Why choose Rejuvenate Counselling?

Our specialized training in Gottman’s Level 1 and 2 training gives our clients the advantage to embrace a world renowned couples approach with an extraordinary success rate. The Gottman Method is the leading-edge framework for improving connection and intimacy in relationships utilizing decades of research on couples interactions. We are currently rated five stars with hundreds of couple’s smiles to show our dedication. You can learn more about us on our about page.