Couples often initiate a therapeutic process whenever faced with a situation they perceive as hard to manage on their own (e.g. they do not get along together; they may be stuck in an earlier stage of the relation; one or both partners are distant, or have lost connection and trust; one of the partners developed a symptom – an addiction, physical illness, an affair, they seem to fight more often). Individuals may feel hurt that their emotional needs are not (fully) met by their partners, may feel or anticipate rejection, even abandonment and tend to blame each other, this leading to circles of negative interactions in the couple.
Couples counselling aims to increase satisfaction and connection in the couple, by active listening and manifesting empathy towards the partner, a better understanding of the relational dynamics and of interactional patterns, by improving communication (of needs, expectances, frustrations, better management of conflicts), and identifying family legacy in terms of relational models, finding alternative relational patterns, or by working together to ensure a healthy separation process.
The duration of the intervention is also variable, in average there are between 12-24 sessions.