Marriage is not easy for anybody. Whether it’s a fresh couple in their late twenties or a long-time married couple in their forties and fifties, disagreements and rough patches can happen with anybody. Additionally, with time, marriage as a concept seems a lot more difficult compared to a decade ago. Thankfully, with the developing science of psychology, counseling is slowly becoming a well-known concept for those who need help. However, marriage counselling is still a bit of a taboo topic.
While deciding to seek therapy is difficult, finding a suitable therapist who can help you resolve issues, work on the distance that might have been there, and understand you is an equally demanding task.
Factors to Keep in Mind While Opting for a Couple’s Therapist
You might want to check out the therapist online first, and then visit their clinic before starting the couple’s therapy. Before you start doing that, you and your partner are advised to carve some time and space out from your schedule, sit in a calm environment, and right down what bothers you, in what direction are you looking for the solutions, what your expectations are from the partner, what are your expectations from the therapist and what are your expectations from the therapy itself.
Research the Therapists
Find the couples therapist near you and make a list out of it choosing the best ones. After that start looking for information on each one on their websites related to what type of issues they address. For eg. whether they work with individual patients with disorders only, or do they carry out couple’s therapy too.
You can also check their working hours and location, and based on that, you can shortlist a handful of them according to your daily schedules.
Testimonials and Referrals
Make sure you are going for an experienced and versatile couple’s therapist. An experienced therapist is likely to have reviews, ratings, and testimonials available online. Go through the genuinely written reviews and testimonials. This way, you will also understand the method and style of working of a therapist.
Testimonials are clients’ opinions on a particular service or product, usually, you will find them on their website.
Check For Qualifications
A professional marriage therapist should have at least a Master’s Degree in Counseling or Clinical Psychology. Additionally, as one’s marriage is a bit sensitive matter, ensure that the therapist holds some specialization related to couple’s therapy such as Specialized Training in Couple Therapy or Additional training in couples therapy approaches such as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) or Gottman’s Method.
Have a Word Before Initiating the Therapy
Before you book therapy sessions, you and your spouse should visit the relationship therapist’s clinic and discuss your goals, journey, and obstacles as a couple. Get to know the therapy plan the professional has to offer, and then decide to initiate the therapy. Get to know how much each session will cost you and ask how many sessions you might need.
Rough patches may occur in anyone’s marriage. However, during this tough time, try to focus on your health while also being gentle and thoughtful towards your life partner. Avoid having conflicts till you find the right therapist, stay calm, and try not to think in extremes. Life has better stuff saved for you in the future. Best of Luck!
