Many couples come to relationship therapy due to issues like communication, unequal responsibilities, parenting, in-law issues, and many others.
Usually, when couples come, I often hear this statement,” if my spouse stops doing ___________, then everything will be alright”.
We are here because he or she keeps doing _________.
Here is another statement. “I already know what he/she is going to do or say. Why should I respond? It’s not worth it.” I would submit to you that those responses come out of the judgment of our spouse. It’s natural to have some judgment, and that posture of judgment often grows stronger with familiarity and offense.
A Posture of Judgment will Often Hijack Therapy
Why? Because it places the responsibility and power of repairing a relationship on your spouse only. It can be a way of avoiding personal responsibility and potential growth. A huge part of relationship therapy comes when we look at ourselves, our emotional triggers, our background, and our ways of behavior. We examine ourselves to learn how we respond in relationships.
Another huge part of successful relationship therapy comes when we approach to therapy with a posture of curiosity instead of judgment toward our spouse. Just like we have family history, emotional triggers, and reactions, so does our spouse. And many times both of us are reacting unaware of our emotional triggers when we enter the conflict.
How Relationship Therapy Can Offer Support
In relationship therapy, we explore you and your spouse’s personal and marital history, along with the emotional triggers that can cause couples to enter their reactive cycle. Approaching therapy with curiosity about our spouse allows us to learn more about them, gain grace and understanding for them, and allows us to work as teammates to reduce our reactions together.
My encouragement for you is whenever an argument happens in your relationship take a timeout. During that timeout reflect on what was happening in you, not just your reactions but the emotions you were feeling. If you can get to that place, also understand that some of the same emotional content was probably occurring in your spouse.
Begin Relationship Therapy in Atlanta, GA
You deserve support in learning more about your partner and overcoming judgment. Our team is happy to offer help from our Decatur, GA-based therapy practice. We are happy to offer support for a variety of mental health and relationship concerns with both in-person and online therapy. To start your therapy journey, please follow these simple steps:
Fill out an appointment request.- Get to know a caring therapist.
- Begin improving your relationship!
Other Services Offered with Faith and Family Empowerment
Relationship therapy isn’t the only service offered at our Decatur, GA counseling clinic. We understand that life can throw a lot your way at times. This is why we are happy to offer a variety of mental health support. We offer individual counseling that focuses on anxiety, depression, relationship counseling for one, and loss. We also offer premarital counseling, marriage counseling, affair recovery, discernment counseling, christian counseling, and family therapy. Feel free to visit our blog or about page to learn more!