However, therapy is a deeply personal venture - whether you're
opting to do it alone or alongside your partner - so you'll want to make
sure you find someone you can trust.
Successful therapy is entirely dependent on the two-way relationship between the patient(s) and the therapist, so if you don't feel comfortable with your current counsellor, it may be time to move on to someone else - even if there is no specified reason for your uncertainty.
Your therapist won't be offended by this. Sometimes personalities just don't jell together. They will have plenty of experience and understanding of this, and can probably refer you onto someone else. Counselling can often be expensive and time-consuming, so you won't want to waste time consulting the wrong therapist.
If you're new to therapy, there are a range of online resources you can utilise to help you find a practitioner. Why not start by performing a Google search for licensed therapists in your area? There should be a range of sites to choose from - including mental health organisations, private therapy centres and freelance therapists with their own personal websites.
Spend some time assessing options with your partner, or by yourself if that feels more comfortable. If you haven't yet suggested therapy, it may be easier to approach your partner once you've settled on the counsellor you want to see, that way they will see that you're making efforts to resolve the problems you share.
As with a doctor from any field, it's important to find someone who's licensed to practice. You can go to the BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) website to find licensed therapists with a range of specialties in the field. You'll need to find someone with experience of marriage and relationship counselling to ensure they're qualified to assist you in this area.
Don't pay too much attention to details about 'approaches' that counsellors might use, such as person-centred counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy, as all good therapists will be trained to use a combination of these techniques, and will follow your lead.
Most of the time, it will just feel like having a chat with someone kind and impartial about your problems - something from which we could all benefit! So it's important not to be daunted by terminology.
In times gone by, many therapists were rigid in their Freudian approach of 'talking therapy', where the counsellor would offer little or no input, and would instead act as a 'blank canvas' on which the patient could project their emotions.
Thankfully, therapeutic services have moved on since then, and counsellors now use a range of techniques to work with their patient(s) to achieve the desired outcome. This will consist of a lot of sharing and talking of course, but there may also be practical elements for you and your partner to try either during the sessions, or at home.
If you're looking into marriage counselling, but don't know where to begin, start by finding a therapist you like the look of, and ask for a free consultation. In person, you will get a much better feel for them and their unique approach to your situation.
You may feel uncomfortable to admit that you need therapy, but these days it is more common than you think - most couples who've been married for a long time have been to counselling at one time or another. So don't hesitate to seek out the help you need.
Successful therapy is entirely dependent on the two-way relationship between the patient(s) and the therapist, so if you don't feel comfortable with your current counsellor, it may be time to move on to someone else - even if there is no specified reason for your uncertainty.
Your therapist won't be offended by this. Sometimes personalities just don't jell together. They will have plenty of experience and understanding of this, and can probably refer you onto someone else. Counselling can often be expensive and time-consuming, so you won't want to waste time consulting the wrong therapist.
If you're new to therapy, there are a range of online resources you can utilise to help you find a practitioner. Why not start by performing a Google search for licensed therapists in your area? There should be a range of sites to choose from - including mental health organisations, private therapy centres and freelance therapists with their own personal websites.
Spend some time assessing options with your partner, or by yourself if that feels more comfortable. If you haven't yet suggested therapy, it may be easier to approach your partner once you've settled on the counsellor you want to see, that way they will see that you're making efforts to resolve the problems you share.
As with a doctor from any field, it's important to find someone who's licensed to practice. You can go to the BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) website to find licensed therapists with a range of specialties in the field. You'll need to find someone with experience of marriage and relationship counselling to ensure they're qualified to assist you in this area.
Don't pay too much attention to details about 'approaches' that counsellors might use, such as person-centred counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy, as all good therapists will be trained to use a combination of these techniques, and will follow your lead.
Most of the time, it will just feel like having a chat with someone kind and impartial about your problems - something from which we could all benefit! So it's important not to be daunted by terminology.
In times gone by, many therapists were rigid in their Freudian approach of 'talking therapy', where the counsellor would offer little or no input, and would instead act as a 'blank canvas' on which the patient could project their emotions.
Thankfully, therapeutic services have moved on since then, and counsellors now use a range of techniques to work with their patient(s) to achieve the desired outcome. This will consist of a lot of sharing and talking of course, but there may also be practical elements for you and your partner to try either during the sessions, or at home.
If you're looking into marriage counselling, but don't know where to begin, start by finding a therapist you like the look of, and ask for a free consultation. In person, you will get a much better feel for them and their unique approach to your situation.
You may feel uncomfortable to admit that you need therapy, but these days it is more common than you think - most couples who've been married for a long time have been to counselling at one time or another. So don't hesitate to seek out the help you need.
No comments:
Post a Comment