It can be hard to admit when you need help with your relationship. Here’s how to identify if you and your spouse need marriage counseling.
Are you having problems in your marriage?
Marital distress can be a painful experience for both parties. It can be tempting to try to overcome hurdles on your own. But doing so can lead to even more problems or worse, divorce.
If you’re having issues with your husband or wife, it might be time to consider marriage counseling.
Counseling can help with all types of marital distress and help you get back on track with your spouse.
It can help you rekindle your flame by coaching you on tips for a successful marriage.
In fact, approximately 70 percent of couples recover within three months of therapy.
But how do you know it’s time for therapy? It can be hard to admit when you need help with your relationship.
Here’s how to identify if you and your spouse need marriage counseling.
1. Infidelity
Having an affair can be one of the most damaging factors in a relationship. Only about 31 percent of marriages last after an affair has been admitted or discovered.
The presence of infidelity is a telltale sign that your relationship is in trouble. Overcoming an affair is hard work, but it’s not impossible.
As long as both parties are committed to marriage counseling, the relationship has potential to be saved.
You should also consider coaching if you experience warning signs of infidelity. It’s best to get help as soon as possible if you’re fantasizing about or have the desire to cheat.
Take a proactive approach and diagnose your problems before it’s too late.
2. Communication Issues
Communication is a key part of any relationship. Relationships are built upon the ability to understand one another and talk through issues.
Marriages can often crumble when communication is poor.
Communication issues look a lot different from couple to couple. Maybe you are keeping secrets, avoiding each other, or constantly arguing.
Negative communication can be just as damaging as no communication. This is communication that leaves one partner feeling hurt. They might feel depressed, inferior, afraid, or marginalized after a negative conversation.
Couples therapy can help by coaching you to use new communication methods and techniques. A therapist can help you open up and bring back honesty to your relationship.
3. Fear
Have you ever been afraid in your relationship? If the answer is yes, it’s time to seek help.
Fear comes in many different forms. Obviously, fear of emotional or physical abuse should be handled very seriously.
Are you afraid of bringing up your feelings? Maybe you have a problem but are too afraid to bring it up to your spouse. Maybe you’re afraid of being judged or put down.
Fear can be damaging to relationships. It can hinder communication and lead to further issues down the road.
A marriage counselor will help by coaching you through these issues. It’s their job to be an impartial party and reserve judgment no matter how big your problems are.
4. Lack of Affection
The honeymoon stage can’t last forever. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have affection in your relationship.
It can be normal for married couples to struggle with their sex life. Even the most passionate couples can fall into a rut every so often.
But big changes to your sex life can also be a red flag. Affection still plays an important role in relationships. If your sex life is crumbling, a marriage counselor can help you reignite your flame.
You should also seek counseling if affection is being purposefully withheld.
A partner should not withhold affection as a form of punishment. This behavior can be hurtful and a sign of inequality in a relationship.
5. Financial Troubles
Finances are the leading cause of stress in relationships. Even the strongest marriages aren’t immune to financial burdens.
Financial issues can be a painful topic to discuss. As a result, many couples are not on the same page when it comes to money.
You might hide transactions from one another. You might have different budgets or avoid having serious conversations about money.
Marriage counseling can help you and your spouse get back on financial track. You can begin to have more open conversations about budgeting, saving, and spending.
Financial troubles can affect the rich and poor. A marriage counselor can help you and your spouse get on the same financial track.
6. Recurring Arguments
Your idea of marital bliss probably doesn’t include arguments. But arguments are a part of married life.
How do you know when you’re having too many arguments? One clear-cut sign is that you’re having recurring arguments.
Are you arguing over the same topics time after time? Has nothing changed?
It might be time to seek marriage counseling.
Recurring arguments can be frustrating for both parties. One spouse is clearly annoyed about something and continues to vent this frustration. The other spouse might feel attacked and confused about why these conversations keep occurring.
Recurring arguments might seem like they’re about something minor.
In reality, they might be about a deep-seeded issue. A marriage counselor can help you realize why these fights keep happening. They will help by coaching you to better communication.
7. Unresolved Issues
Compromise is a vital term to any relationship. Both spouses should have their needs equally met in a marriage.
Too much compromise can cause long-term, unresolved issues. These are issues that can ruin relationships over the course of years or even decades. They can be fundamental differences about families, children, finances, religion and more.
Unresolved issues can eat away at a marriage. Marriage counseling can help you get over these hurdles, no matter how impossible that might seem.
Therapy can help you better understand your spouse’s point of view.
You can work together to resolve even the biggest of differences of opinion.
Your Marriage Counseling
Marital distress can affect even the strongest couples. If these signs are familiar to you, a marriage counselor can get you and your spouse back on track.
Are you interested in learning more about marriage counseling? We can help.
We offer pre-marital, marital counseling and couples counseling to help in all stages of your relationship. Contact us today to get started.
