How Couple Therapy Toronto Works
We understand that every relationship faces challenges at some point, and seeking professional help can be a valuable tool to improve communication, enhance intimacy, and strengthen the bond between partners. Our experienced therapists are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where couples can explore their feelings, identify areas of conflict, and develop effective strategies to resolve their differences. Whether you are seeking premarital counseling, are struggling with a particular issue, or simply want to enhance your relationship with Couple Therapy Toronto, we are here to help.
What To Expect From Couples Counseling
Marriage therapy is a type of counseling that can help couples improve their relationships by addressing issues that may be causing distress, conflicts, or dissatisfaction. There are several ways in which therapy can help improve marriages:
Communication: One of the primary benefits of marriage therapy is that it can improve communication between partners. A therapist can teach couples effective communication skills, such as active listening, expressing emotions, and avoiding defensive or hostile responses. By improving communication, couples can better understand each other’s perspectives, needs, and feelings, and find ways to resolve conflicts constructively.
Conflict resolution: Another way therapy can improve marriages is by helping couples learn how to resolve conflicts in a healthy and constructive way. A therapist can help couples identify patterns of conflict and provide tools and strategies for managing disagreements, negotiating solutions, and compromising.
Intimacy and connection: Therapy can also help couples improve their emotional and physical intimacy. A therapist can help couples explore their feelings, desires, and expectations, and find ways to enhance their connection and closeness. This can involve improving sexual intimacy, but also involves emotional intimacy through improved communication and understanding.
Identifying and addressing underlying issues: In some cases, marital problems can be caused by underlying issues, such as depression, anxiety, trauma, or addiction. A therapist can help couples identify these issues and provide guidance and support in addressing them, either individually or together as a couple.
Overall, therapy can help couples strengthen their relationships, improve their communication and problem-solving skills, and gain greater insight and understanding into themselves and each other. By working with a therapist, couples can learn to overcome obstacles, improve their bond, and build a happy and fulfilling life together.
Communication
Many couples face problems when it comes to healthy, assertive and respectful communication. It can be difficult to talk with someone who communicates in a different way than you do. You or your partner may say things like ‘My partner doesn’t listen to me’ or ‘We don’t talk’ or ‘We always fight’. There will always be challenges in learning to communicate with an intimate partner, because you are two individual people learning and growing alongside each other. It can be very helpful to have an impartial and non-judgmental mediator present to help guide you as you learn new ways of interacting. Relationship or marriage counselling in Toronto can help you learn to communicate and understand your needs as a couple.
Intimacy
Like trust, intimacy is not always something that is freely given and received in relationships. Feeling close to another person can often mean feeling vulnerable, and many people find discomfort in that. This may cause them to pull away from their partner’s touch, or reject their partner’s intimate advances. On the other hand, some people have such strong emotions and such a strong need for intimacy that they give it indiscriminately and seem to ‘fall in love’ with a new person every week. Partners may feel either smothered or neglected. Their partner’s affections may turn to jealousy or resentment if they don’t feel they are being reciprocated. It is crucial to the success of the relationship that both people recognize their own way of thinking about and dealing with intimacy, and that they can communicate this to their partner.
Trust
Trust is an important part of relationship and marriage counselling. When the bond of trust between two people has been broken, it can feel impossible to repair it again. Or, maybe you or your partner has a long-standing issue with trusting others and it is difficult to establish it in the first place. You may use words like ‘I can’t trust my partner’ or ‘My partner has been unfaithful and I cannot trust them ever again’. You may feel that your partner is ‘sneaking around’ or hiding something from you. Trust is often said to be something that is earned, and it is important, if both people desire it, to openly and honestly work through the issue that caused the bond of trust to be lost so that both people can resume their relationship and move forward with love and forgiveness. McDowall Integrative Psychology & Healthcare Provides best Couples Counselling in Toronto Which Helps You Build Trust on each other and Reduces your issues
Love Languages
No two people are the same, therefore it is no surprise that we show up differently in relationships. One person might feel the most satisfied when a partner says “I love you” (words of affirmation) another might feel most satisfied when a partner cleans the kitchen and makes dinner (acts of service). The love language helps us navigate our partner’s needs to that we can create an environment that satisfies both parties innate needs. When needs are not being met, the brain creates conflict in order to resolve this issue. If we have an awareness of these needs we have a better chance to avoid unneeded conflict and create more harmony in our partnership.
Take the love language quiz here
What can I expect if decide to seek couples or marriage counselling?
In couples counselling, the therapist views the “relationship” from the perspective of each partner. During the first session, the therapist will conduct an assessment of the difficulties you and your partner are experiencing. After this session, we usually recommend that each partner attend an individual session. These individual sessions help you and your therapist to get a deeper understanding of what each person’s individuals needs are in the relationship. Once the individual sessions are complete, you can resume attending sessions with your partner; collaborative goals of treatment will be established and treatment will move forward until the issues presented have been addressed.
How long will it take to see improvements in my relationship?
It is important to understand that couples or marriage counselling, like individual counselling, is a process. The time spent in counselling will depend on the issues presented. It is not uncommon for couples to feel immediate improvement in their relationship after their first session. However, long-standing changes in a relationship may take a minimum of 8-10 sessions.
I think it may be too late to save my relationship. Can couples or marriage counselling still help?
Don’t give up, therapy can still help. You may feel like there is no hope for your relationship but with commitment and motivation, “lost cause” couples can still make transformative changes.
What is the success rate of couples counselling?
According to Psychology Today, 90% of couples who go through EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) significantly improve their relationship. With 70-75% of couples no longer fitting the criteria for relationship distress. That said, each counselling session will be individual based on the couple and their challenges.
How do I know if it is working?
You will notice a change in how you begin to handle yourself in complex situations. This could be a subtle change in how you view the situation or how you react to it. These subtle changes can be immediate, while for others may take some time to see them in practice.
Should we each have our own therapist?
Working as a couple is just as important as working individually. When we work on ourselves we open up the possibility of seeing thing differently with new perspectives and reactions. Evaluating each individuals role in the overall picture can help piece together misunderstanding and differences, while establishing a level of accountability.
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