Compatibility is important, knowing how to deal with the incompatibility is essential.
There are so many stages and opportunities to talk when you are with a partner. Couples enter therapy at different stages of their relationships, typically all having a desire to better manage their differences in an effort to move forward.
For Couples Dating
When couples dating seeks therapy they usually have a strong bond and need to evaluate if the issues they are attempting to resolve can be resolved. If they can change the dynamics of what is happening they can be better prepared to live a happy life together.
For Engaged Couples
My special niche….It is a wonderful and exciting time in life, but can feel like a balancing act. There is so much going on. The key, is knowing how to take pleasure in the moments and remembering why you are marring your partner. It is the time that you are laying the foundation, for the marriage of your dreams. Understanding that it is also the joining of two families regardless of your age or number of times you’ve married. It is a time to partner and become “we”.
For Newlyweds
The first few years of sharing …. the dynamics can change and communication and understanding is essential Learning these skills and understanding how to partner can help to build and strengthen your marriage for years to come.
For Couples Who Have Been Married For a While
There are no guarantees, but making the call, showing the commitment and desire to start marriage counseling, wanting your relationship to work is a significant step. I have worked with couples who after 30 years of marriage, living in the same home and sleeping in the same bed who, did not speak with each other for 2 years. I am happy to say they are now happy, another who after 10 years and ready for divorce feel as if they have started over and another couple who came in yelling and a year later want to be together but are still yelling…..there are no guarantee but there is desire.
For Couples Who Are Starting a Family
The decision to have a baby brings so much joy, typically accompanied by some nervous anticipation. It is “supposed to be easy”….and for most, even in the best of situations the impact is profound, especially for those experiencing fertility challenges. The fertility journey can touch all aspects of their life (emotional, physical, and financial) whether experiencing primary (first child) or secondary infertility (after you already have a child) the individual or couple are faced with so many decisions. Knowing each of us is unique, we all experience this journey in our own way, even couples experience the same journey in different ways. Being able to understand the components and impact and express them can help you and your partner along this path together. Some describe going through fertility challenges as that of a chronic illness – I believe that while some of the emotional characteristics of sadness and anxiety are the same, the outcome is hopeful.