It’s often when a marriage has already reached its breaking point that a couple seeks out therapy together as a last-ditch effort, but by then it may be too late, the communication issues or behaviors so deeply ingrained that they’re difficult to alter. Often, the couples therapy turns into divorce therapy which, in its own way, can be just as beneficial to two people who are struggling with reconciling their emotions and self-worth during a trying time. Ultimately, a therapist’s job is to hold a mirror in front of a couple so that they can see how their behavior is affecting their marriage and help a couple find their way in a relationship – even if that path is to separate exits.
Therapy Without Regrets
There are some couples who divorce without trying counseling at all. Perhaps they are at a point where they know the relationship is irreparably damaged and no amount of hashing it out with an expert or practicing communication exercises is going to solve the issues.
But there are far more couples who find themselves at an impasse where they just don’t know if divorce is the right choice or not. To find clarity, they turn to a counselor. And in that space, they are giving their marriage one last shot and attempting to see if the relationship can be preserved. While this choice can be painful and awkward and downright exhausting, if divorce is ultimately the way the relationship goes, both parties can at least leave the marriage knowing that they did try to make it work.
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Pros and Cons of Couples Therapy
Couples therapy is not necessarily the solution to a broken relationship. When untreated addiction or mental illness is present in a relationship, counseling is unlikely to help. And both halves of the couple must be willing to give their time, attention, and energy to the counseling. If one or both partners are unwilling to do the work to reverse negative patterns and behaviors, no amount of therapy will make a difference.
On the flip side, a motivated couple can use therapy to see their relationship in a new light, explore existing problems, and discover new ways to solve issues. They can be armed with the tools to recognize conflicts (sometimes even before they occur) and learn ways to resolve issues that arise. Most especially, when a married couple agree to counseling, their communication can be improved dramatically which will improve the quality of their interactions with each other. In some cases, couples have lost the ability to be vulnerable with each other, to hear each other, and to trust each other.
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When Couples Counseling Becomes Divorce Therapy
Because couples counseling is a neutral territory, it can allow people to speak more freely about their feelings and concerns, saying things they might otherwise not voice. Couples counseling can provide both people in the relationship with skills and insight that can make the decoupling a little easier, as well as the recovery process during and after the divorce.
If your relationship has reached the point where it cannot continue and you are prepared to file for a divorce in Michigan, contact Michigan Divorce Help in Mt. Clemens, MI, to schedule your no-cost .