Do you feel like your relationship is at a standstill? Are you and your partner stuck in the same argument loop every night? Do you feel like the you and your partner are drifting away? Do you desire more intimacy between you and your partner?
All things can be improved, changed and bettered, with just a little support, no matter how big or small. With couples therapy, you’ll learn how to communicate your feelings and needs, and get what you want out of your relationship.
Some issues that bring couples to therapy are:
- Addiction/Partner Addiction Support
- Balance (Work/Life/Family)
- Blended Families
- Chronic Illness
- Divorce
- Extended Family
- Infidelity/Cheating
- Intimacy
- Mental Illness
- Pre-Marital/Readiness
- Pornography
- Sex
In my couple’s therapy sessions, I help people develop the necessary skills needed to maintain sustaining love.
The choice of the best therapeutic modality for couples depends on the specific issues the couple is facing, their communication styles, and their preferences. Below is a short list of common approaches that I have been trained in and often utilize with various couples in my practice.
Couples or Marital Therapy (Traditional Talk Therapy): This is a general approach that focuses on improving communication, resolving conflicts, and addressing relationship issues. It’s effective for a wide range of relationship challenges.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): EFT helps couples identify and change negative emotional patterns and improve their emotional connection. It is particularly effective for couples dealing with issues related to emotional distance, insecurity, or disconnection.
Gottman Method Couples Therapy: Developed by Dr. John Gottman, this approach is based on extensive research into relationship dynamics. It helps couples improve communication, manage conflict, and build a foundation of trust and intimacy.
Imago Relationship Therapy: This therapy focuses on helping couples understand the unconscious dynamics that influence their relationship. It emphasizes communication skills and re-creating the initial emotional connection.
Structural therapy, also known as Structural Family Therapy (SFT), is a therapeutic approach developed by Salvador Minuchin in the 1960s. It primarily focuses on identifying and restructuring the organization of a family or couple’s system to improve communication, roles, and boundaries. While it was originally designed for family therapy, its principles can be applied to couples therapy with some modifications.
Key Principles of Structural Therapy:
Family Structure: Structural therapy examines the family or couple as a whole, paying close attention to the roles and hierarchies within the system.
Boundaries: It looks at the boundaries within the family or couple system and assesses whether they are clear or enmeshed. Clear boundaries help maintain individuality while enmeshed boundaries can lead to problems.
Subsystems: This therapy approach recognizes the existence of smaller subsystems within the larger family or couple system. For example, in couples therapy, this could refer to the couple, the individuals, and any children or extended family members involved.
Hierarchy: It addresses the power and authority structure within the family or couple. Understanding who holds power and how it’s exercised is crucial.
Application in Couples Therapy:
Identifying Problematic Patterns– Using structural therapy I will help to identify problematic interaction patterns within the couple. This may include issues like power struggles, communication breakdowns, or emotional distance. The next step is restructuring Communication. Here, The therapist helps the couple restructure their communication patterns. This may involve improving active listening, assertiveness, and effective conflict-resolution skills.
Once there is a restructuring of communication and a healthier system emerges, clarifying roles becomes important to address. Couples often fall into roles or scripts that may contribute to conflict or dissatisfaction. Structural therapy helps couples identify and modify these roles, creating more flexibility and adaptability. Addressing boundaries, looking closely at subsystems within the couple or family, and homework assignments all become important elements of this type of therapy.
It’s important to note that while structural therapy has been successfully adapted for couples therapy, it may not be suitable for all couples or situations.
The best therapeutic modality for a particular couple depends on their unique needs and the issues they are facing.
If any of the above relate to your and your partner in your relationship, contact me today for a free consultation. I would love to speak about how I may be able to help reconnect and rekindle your love for one another.
(215) 621-8446 | fawn@fawnmoyerlpc.com
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