If you’re thinking about couples counseling, you might be wondering how many sessions you need to fix the problems between you and your partner. Although many people start to see benefits after six sessions, it really depends on how hard you and your partner work outside of therapy to know how long it will take. The good news is that couple’s therapy can be quite effective.
What Do You Want to Get Out of Therapy?
When you enter therapy, whether alone or with a partner, the counselor should ask you about your goals. If your relationship has deteriorated to a point where you’re discussing a break-up, counseling may take longer to rebuild the relationship. You and your partner’s goals for the relationship determine the length of your counseling.
How Hard Are You Willing To Work?
Relationships take a lot of hard work. Counseling is not easy. You may be asked some tough questions that you aren’t prepared to answer. You may have to look at the wounds in your past and open up the sores to heal them correctly. Dealing with resentment and bitterness isn’t going to be a piece of cake. But therapy makes you look at your own behaviors and find better ways to handle conflict and discord. Ultimately, therapy works, but you are going to have to be honest with yourself and your partner.
Do You Really Want To Save the Relationship?
Many couples start therapy just to say they’ve done it. If you’ve been burying your feelings and arguing with your partner for a long time, you may have emotionally left the relationship a long time ago. If you’re entering therapy to assuage guilt, you may be doing it wrong. You may not think you need to change. Your attitude will go a long way in determining how many sessions you need. If you start the process hoping that things will change and know that you need to be engaged with the process, it will be much better than if you’re done with the relationship.
Seek Help Early in the Relationship
Couples who get help before the toxicity gets too ingrained in the relationship are probably going to see progress quicker than if the communication patterns are negative and abusive. Don’t feel ashamed to seek out a marriage counselor early in conflict. Unfortunately, there really isn’t a good way to determine how long therapy will take. There are a lot of variables. Make an appointment today with a counselor for couples counseling, like couples counseling in Palatine, IL from Lotus Wellness Center, to get started working on your relationship.