Is Couples Counseling Right for Us? 7 Signs It's Time to Seek Help

Daniel Flores
13 minutes ago
5 min read

Relationships can often be very rewarding, but at the same time, be challenging to maintain. Whether you're facing communication challenges, trust issues, or simply want to strengthen your bond, Florecer Family Counseling is ready to help you out. Don't wait until small problems become overwhelming. Give us a call or contact us today to take the first step toward a healthier and stronger relationship

Many couples wonder if therapy is the right choice for them. This blog will look at seven key signs that a couple may need to consider couples counseling. Remember that seeking couples counseling isn't a sign that your relationship is failing, but a proactive step toward building a stronger and healthier relationship.

When Should a Couple Consider Couples Counseling?

1. Communication Breakdown

Communication is essential to making a relationship work out. If you cannot communicate your needs, what makes you upset, and what your expectations are, then a relationship can never work out as you will never understand each other. The breakdown of communication creates distance in the relationship. When communication is unhealthy, it may look like:

Avoiding discussing important topics
Constantly criticizing instead of expressing concern
One or both parties feel misunderstood or unheard
One or both parties begin to use silence as a weapon to make the other person feel guilty

How couples counseling can help: A therapist can help you both understand effective ways to communicate with each other as well as identify harmful communication styles such as the ones listed above. You can learn practical tools to communicate respectfully, even during disagreements where communication might have broken down in the past.

2. Broken Trust

Trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship. After enough disappointments, that trust can begin to break, and from there the relationship will begin to crumble. With broken trust might come:

Constant suspicion or jealousy
Checking your partner's phone or messages
Having a hard time believing your partner
Emotionally withdrawing yourself to avoid feeling disappointment

Why counseling helps: Rebuilding trust takes time and guidance. Couples counseling provides a safe space to address hurt feelings, understand what happened, and create a plan to move forward together.

3. Constant Arguing

A lack of understanding, communication, or forgiveness can often lead to constant arguments about the same thing over and over again. When the same argument happens again and again, it means that the true issue between the two parties has not been identified, and neither person can move on. These issues can include:

Neither partner feels heard or understood
One or both parties keep repeating the same harmful patterns
Neither person is willing to compromise with the other

Why counseling helps: Understanding why you keep arguing is important to figure out the real reason the same arguments keep repeating. Unless both parties are willing to compromise, the unhelpful arguing will only continue or get worse.

4. Lack of Intimacy

While a lack of physical intimacy can be a sign that couples counseling is necessary, emotional intimacy is just as important. A lack of either one means that the relationship is growing apart. Some examples of a lack of intimacy might look like:

Rarely or never being physically affectionate
Feeling like roommates instead of partners
Rarely sharing thoughts or feelings with each other
Spending most free time alone rather than together

Why counseling helps: Understanding why you are growing further apart can help you begin to understand each other and begin to grow closer again.

5. Anxiety and Stress within the Relationship

Relationships require a lot of effort to make work, and sometimes that can bring about a lot of stress or anxiety in both people. This stress and anxiety can often put a strain on the relationship, leading to even more stress and anxiety. A few ways that stress and anxiety can affect a person in a relationship are:

Constant worry about your relationship's future
Anxiety when thinking about your partner
Feeling trapped or hopeless in the relationship
Experiencing depression about the relationship

Why counseling helps: A therapist can help identify problems within the relationship as well as address personal mental health problems. When anxiety starts to affect your daily life in any way, not just within relationships, it is always helpful to see a therapist.

6. Distance Created by Life

Sometimes distance in the relationship is not always caused by a lack of understanding. Sometimes, it is just because of the challenges that life throws your way. If you do not face the challenges together, then you begin to grow further apart. A few ways that life can create distance in the marriage are:

Having a baby
Job loss or career changes
Moving to a new city
Caring for aging parents
Health challenges

Why counseling helps: Life transitions are natural, but they're not always easy to go through together. A counselor can help you understand how to face the challenges together, supporting each other through change instead of letting it pull you apart.

7. Divorce is an Option

After enough arguments and feeling alone despite living with your spouse, divorce may begin to seem like an option. Once divorce begins to seem like an option, ask yourself these questions before following through:

Have you tried everything possible to fix things?
Are there children involved?
Do you still care about your partner?
Would you regret not trying counseling first?

Why counseling helps: Ending a marriage is a difficult thing to do and go through. You meant the vows you said on your wedding day, and breaking them feels terrible. Couples counseling can help you understand the previously mentioned signs and help the relationship begin to heal and feel like love again.

What to Expect from Couples Counseling

Seeking and going to couples counseling can be intimidating, especially when you have never done therapy before. Couples counseling is not something that you should be afraid of, but something to look forward to. When going to couples counseling, you can expect:

First Session:

You'll meet your counselor and share your concerns
The therapist will ask about your relationship history
Together, you'll set goals for what you want to achieve

Ongoing Sessions:

You'll learn communication and conflict resolution skills
You'll explore patterns in your relationship
You'll practice new behaviors between sessions
Progress happens gradually, with setbacks being normal

Your Role:

Be honest, even when it's uncomfortable
Complete any homework assignments
Practice what you learn outside of therapy
Stay committed to the process

Taking the First Step

Deciding to try couples counseling takes courage. It means acknowledging that things aren't perfect and choosing to do something about it.

You don't have to figure everything out alone. Professional support can make all the difference between drifting apart and growing stronger together.

If you recognized your relationship in any of these seven signs, please don't wait. The sooner you reach out, the sooner you can start building the partnership you both want and deserve.

Your marriage is something that is worth fighting for. You made those vows on your because you love your spouse and because you meant them. Florecer Family Counseling is here to provide effective support for all your mental health and therapy needs, and to help you understand whatever challenges arise within your relationship. Whether you're facing communication challenges, anxiety about your relationship's future, or any of the other signs discussed, we are ready to help you overcome all of your relationship challenges.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will the therapist take sides?

No. Professional counselors remain neutral. Their job is to help both partners feel heard and work together.

What if my partner won't go?

Individual counseling can still help you. Sometimes one person's growth inspires the other to join later.

Is our relationship beyond saving?

Only you and your partner can answer that, but if you believe that your marriage is worth fighting for, then there is always a chance that your relationship can be saved.