Saturday 10 September 2016

Facts On Couples Counseling Chicago Residents Should Know

By Jason Ellis


Virtually all relationships undergo challenges from time to time. The challenges range from simple to complex and a stable relationship should withstand most of them. In some cases, however, the differences are very huge and the partners struggle to find a solution. When the existing disagreements have a potential to break the relationship then you need to sign up for therapy. There are several important things on couples counseling Chicago residents need to understand.

The decision to undergo therapy is not an easy one to make. For most people, couples counseling is considered as a last resort when all other mediation efforts have been unsuccessful. It is not advisable to wait until the situation deteriorates for the parties to seek help from a professional. As a matter of fact, even partners that are enjoying a fairly stable relationship may need to make an occasional visit to the therapist.

Once the decision to seek help has made, the next step is to identify the therapist. Recommendations can be obtained from friends, relatives and even from testimonials found on the internet. If there is no a therapist nearby, a number of health professionals may step in as they too have some training in this area. They include medical doctors, registered nurses, psychiatrists and psychologists.

The duration of therapy varies depending on the magnitude of the problem. Generally, therapies are divided into two: short term and long term. The short term therapy comprises one two three sessions while the long term option is between 12 and 24 sessions. One sessions is typically between 30 and 45 minutes. Focused therapy is a sub-type of counseling that takes the shortest period of time.

For the therapy to be successful, each party to the process must recognize the fact that each individual has a unique personality with a distinct value system. Being party to different institutions and societal organizations may mean that behaviors may vary to some extent. It is not always possible to get other people to agree with our beliefs. Counseling focuses on solving underlying problems by helping partners reach a compromise position with regard to their beliefs.

Therapy gives the partners an opportunity to reflect on the past and to understand how it influences the present. In many cases, problems have a history and build up slowly until they become full blown. By understanding how the problems started they will be better placed to come up with solutions. They learn why their arguments escalate and find out how they can communicate more effectively with each other.

The work of a therapist is to be a facilitator. They will not issue instructions on how a particular problem should be sorted out. The best that they can do is to offer their personal opinion and some guidance. The couple must remember that solutions will have to come from them. Partners should be able to freely discuss their affairs before the therapist without the fear of being judged.

There are many causes of conflicts in marital relationships. They include, among others, extramarital affairs, lack of trust, failure to meet assigned responsibilities, family conflicts, differences in parenting styles and so on. In couples counselling, the partners get a chance to learn more about their differences and how best they can negotiate to bridge them. Communication is emphasized as an important problem solving tool.




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