What is Relationship Counselling?
Couples counselling or relationship counselling is seeking support from a qualified relationship psychologist about relationship issues and difficulties couples face. Most often than not, the primary goals of couples who seek relationship counselling are to patch the holes in their current relationship or seek assistance in managing the challenges that they face and enhance their partnership. Whether it’s a long-going misunderstanding or a trust issue that dampens intimacy and connection, turning to professional relationship psychologists will increase the chances of resolving relationship and marital problems in a mentally healthy way.
How Does it Work?
An ideal setting is where the relationship psychologist provides couples with a safe space to explore their feelings and emotions. The relationship psychologist will remain neutral at all times and will use methods proven to encourage couples to reflect on their behavioural patterns and help them understand and possibly determine the root of their actions and behaviours. Throughout the session, the relationship psychologist will bring up topics such as the current problems the couple thinks they are facing, how the relationship started, their individual histories, and what they consider an ideal relationship. Through these discussions, the relationship psychologist will let couples realise their relationship’s strengths and areas for improvement. The relationship psychologist might present goals and milestones, along with a timeline, to understand each other better. These goals are tailor-specified to each couple and might even change along the course of the sessions. Whether it’s learning how to mend a seemingly broken relationship or realise that a particular partnership is not worth saving, engaging in couples counselling with a qualified professional will take an incredible amount of weight off a person’s mental health.
How Effective is Relationship Counselling?
According to research, relationship counselling worked on approximately 70 to 75-per cent of attendees, and that relationship education programs produced improved communication between couples and short-term satisfaction. There is a significantly greater chance of saving a troubled relationship if both parties are willing and open to receiving professional help. Another study conducted presented the results that there is an increased relationship satisfaction over time for both males and females who attended more than one counselling session and a significantly higher current relationship satisfaction compared to before completing the counselling session. Relationship and couples counselling can be such a useful tool to improve marriages and relationships because it’s a chance for parties involved to receive impartial advice and express frustrations and resentments honestly, which would otherwise be unavailable on their own. Relationship psychologists provide a haven to enhance trust levels between individuals in a relationship and rebuild the bond they have seemed to have lost. For better chances of success, couples are encouraged to seek counselling as soon as possible, whenever the possible need for it presents itself.
While the studies mentioned were conducted among heterosexual couples, LGBTQA+ partnerships also benefit greatly from relationship psychologists. This is mainly due to relationship psychologists being focused solely on the dynamics of the relationship and how to enhance the partnership based on the couple’s unique aspects.
If you or your partner thinks your relationship might be suffering from unaddressed issues, you can turn to the Centre for Human Potential. We offer couples and couples and marriage counselling across Brisbane and the surrounding areas.
Give us a call today to make an appointment. Online sessions are available for your convenience.
