Are you looking to make some aspect of your otherwise good relationship better?   

Maybe you’ve tried all the strategies that make sense to you. You’ve talked with a good friend. Perhaps you’ve even read a book about relationships, yet the problems persists.  Maybe you’ve just been fretting about it without a clue where to start to make things better.  While it’s normal for all relationships to have their ups and downs, some areas are too complex to try to fix your self. 

Couples counseling, also called marital therapy or marital counseling, works best when both people are ready to work on making the relationship better, rather than trying to change each other.   When working with a couple, my job is to create an environment where you both feel safe to talk about the things you're afraid to bring up at home and to make it possible to discuss productively the areas that often lead to fights at home.  As such, the focus in therapy is not simply to rehash last week’s or last month's unresolved argument.  Instead it is about working together to understand the patterns in your relationship that are not working and to learn alternative ways to be with one another to make your stronger and more loving.  

I know it can be tricky to try to make one area better without disturbing the parts of the relationship that are working well.   Couple therapy can be very helpful for some, but it is not the answer for everyone.  If you want to make some aspect of your relationship better, but your spouse or partner is reluctant to participate, you have another option.  If you are unable to convince him or her to come with you for counseling at this time, consider doing something yourself now that will start to bring your relationship closer to where you want it to be.  Sometimes, talking to someone alone can be the start to making things a whole lot better for you both. 

If you find yourself wondering what more you can do about a problem in your relationship, I invite you to call or send me a brief email. I'd be happy to discuss the ways counseling may be able to help. I look forward to hearing from you.

See how well your relationship is fairing in the article What Is Adult Love? 
(On the newsstand in Montgomery County Insight Magazine February 2008)