There are many types of psychotherapies that are conducted in different forms. These forms include individual therapy, group therapy, and couple therapy. We will discuss the couple therapy here.
Couple therapy is conducted on two people who are partners, either married or not. The primary aim of the therapy is to help out the couples to resolve the issues which are creating overwhelming tension in their relationship.
No two people are the same so it is natural that their miscommunication and lack of understanding lead to conflicts. Sometimes, these conflicts become out of people’s control, that they start to think about ending their relationship. So, in this situation seeking couples therapy may be a turning point.
What is couple therapy?
It is a type of psychotherapy specialized for couples to help them overcome their relationship distress. It also provides them the details of their negative behavior patterns which cause relationship distress.
Before you decide to take a couple’s therapy you must seek the professional and experienced couples’ therapist for it.
The couple’s therapist is experienced in working with couples and is licensed in marriage and couples therapy. These therapists use a variety of therapeutic interventions to resolve the conflicts and help improve the quality of the relationship. There may be different kinds of problems among the couples, however, we have enlisted a few of these below;
- Sexual difficulties
- Jealousy
- Poor communication skills
- Internet addiction
- Lack of compatibility
- Psychological disorders
- Substance abuse
- Domestic violence etc
Based on different psychological models there are many couple therapy techniques. Let us discuss all of these in detail.
- Psychoanalytic couples therapy:
This therapy is based on the psychoanalytical approach of psychology. It is designed for all types of couples. The therapy suggests that the root cause of the present problem arises due to some underlying past stressful events in life. According to this theory, if individuals are successful/unsuccessful in their early developmental stages, their future behavior in interpersonal relationships is predicted. Intimate relationships and selection of partners are very much affected by the parent-child relation of early childhood during developmental stages. Therefore, to locate the reason for the present problems we must discuss the individuals’ early life experiences and sort out the behavioral problems accordingly.
2. Cognitive-behavioral couple therapy:
This model has been very effective in solving the couple’s emotional and behavioral dysfunction. The therapy is based on Cognitive behavior theory which states that any couple’s emotional and behavioral problems are due to improper information processes, misunderstanding, and negative assumptions. Thus, the aim of this therapy is to discover the negative thinking pattern that results in faulty behavior and causes conflicts in relationships leading to distress. CBT has been proven effective for decreasing couple distress by many studies.
3. Behavioral marital therapy:
Behavioral marital therapy is based on the behavioral approach. It believes in the principle that the outer environment has a great influence on an individual’s development and behavior in a certain way. So, the focus of this therapy is on the fact that if certain behaviors are rewarded they are reinforced to maintain in the future. While punishing the disliked behaviors will reduce the likelihood of these repeated in the future.
4. Emotionally focused therapy:
This therapy is based on the love and bonding process among couples. EFT is best for the couples taking a couples therapy, as this approach helps them to understand their emotions and also provides an understanding of their partner’s emotions. The main principle on which therapy is based is that the distress among the couple is due to the inexpressiveness and lack of acknowledgment in emotions. So, this therapy helps the couples to express emotions to avoid the likelihood of distress in their relationship.
5. Strategic couples therapy:
Strategic therapy focuses on designing specific solutions to each problem presented by couples. This therapy states the couple’s dysfunctional ways of communication results in conflicts. These therapists use specialized strategies to reduce these issues.
The therapist’s main emphasis is on the sequence of interactions between the couple. Which means the habitual ways of communicating with one another.
If they find any problem related to communication then the therapist will develop strategic interventions to target the problem. These interventions will help in reducing negative communication styles, improve their problem-solving abilities, and change their behavior response to problems.
Other than the above-mentioned therapies there are a lot more practical today for couples.
Steps before conducting couples therapy:
Before the therapy starts, the therapist has to inform the couple with all the details about their role in the therapy and that their response is mandatory for the therapy to be effective. Following are the necessary steps that a couple is asked to follow:
- They will have to modify or change their respective behaviors where the problem exists.
- They will have to be honest while sharing their history.
- During the initial session, the therapist will do the assessment of the couple and their relationship. It includes all in-depth information about their present problem, employment history, childhood development, family history, medical history, and any past psychological history.
- This is in the form of a clinical interview. After gathering all this data, the therapist is able to locate the problem in the relationship, the reason for the problem, and how to solve this problem.
He develops the best suitable treatment plan for the couple.
All of this problem can revolve around several weeks or even months to reach desired results.
The point at which the couple develops enough skills of communicating, improvement is seen in their daily functioning, satisfaction from the actions of each other than the treatment can be ended.
The couples are provided the insight about preventing the old behaviors to relapse. If any such relapsing of behaviors occurs then the couple is advised to return back to the therapy sessions.
The outcome of the couple therapy is proved to be good. As the couple gets relief from material distress, dysfunction, and problems in the relationship.
The couple learns to live with healthy behaviors, good communication skills, and balanced appropriate actions.
All the results are seen quickly with the couples who are ready to change themselves as advised by the therapist. They produce better outcomes through this therapy.