Do you worry about communication problems in your marriage?
Do you have a good marriage, but think it could be even more amazing if you could reduce arguments and learn to communicate more effectively?
Every relationship has its ups and downs, seasons of closeness and seasons of challenges. Often the challenging times are related to communication. When one or both partners in the couple has characteristics of Asperger’s or Autism Spectrum Disorder, these communication mishaps can be difficult to understand. You may not know what went wrong, or how to repair it.
Even couples who are very much in love and have a fantastic relationship can benefit from couples counseling if communication is at times problematic. Don’t let misunderstandings and miscommunication get in the way of your day-to-day happiness in your relationship. A small misunderstanding can grow and grow if it is ignored.
If you have arguments that are perpetual, where there seems to be no solution and you go around and around every time, you might benefit from couples communication counseling.
If after an argument you don’t know how to repair it, so it continues to be an irritant in your relationship, couples communication counseling may be for you.
If you are usually happy and get along great, but when a certain topic is raised you tend to go from calm to blow-out or melt-down in a flash, consider couples communication counseling.
Couples communication counseling is not intended to be long-term. At first you might meet weekly or every other week, while you are learning new ways of communicating with each other. Soon you will see your counselor less and less often, and then fade out counseling altogether, with optional “checkup” appointments a couple of times a year. The goal is to give you the tools you will need to handle communication problems on your own at home, without a counselor.
If you think couples communication counseling might be for you, talk to your partner about it. With any kind of couples counseling, it is important that you both embark on this adventure together right from the start, rather than one partner starting counseling and then the other joining later. Your counselor will be there for both of you equally without taking sides, and starting together supports this promise.
Seeking out couples communication counseling does not mean your marriage is in trouble; far from it. It demonstrates your commitment to one another and to your relationship, and your desire to increase understanding and improve the quality of your marriage. You can take a good marriage to greatness when you work together to learn better and more loving communication skills.