5 Warning Signs It’s Time to Try Couples Counseling
When you first fell in love, you could never imagine that someday the sound of your partner chewing could make you want to scream. It’s inevitable that once we are out of our honeymoon phase and reality sets in, we realize that all relationships take work and compromise. But while some couples may hit bumps in the road occasionally, other couples find themselves in more trouble, with neither party knowing exactly how to fix things.
If you are in a relationship that is no longer feeling healthy, here are five warning signs that it may be time to try couples counseling:
1. There is No Longer Healthy Communication
Once you have a communication breakdown, you cannot rationally share thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Beyond this, unhealthy communication tends to leave one or both partners feeling depressed, angry, and hopeless.
2. Trust Has Been Broken
It is difficult for the couple to rebuild trust and repair the damage when there has been infidelity. While no magic pill exists to recover from an affair, a therapist can offer tools and strategies to restore confidence.
3. You’re More Like Roommates
If you and your partner act more like roommates than romantic partners, this indicates a lack of intimacy and a potential need for professional help.
4. One or Both of You have begun Acting Out
You try to mask your real feelings for as long as possible, but then you start to act out the hurt and resentment you may be feeling. For instance, if your partner has been unfaithful and you have agreed to stay in the relationship and work things out. But over time, you find yourself lashing out, acting rude, and trying to make them believe you are having an affair so they will feel the same hurt. This acting out is unhealthy for both people and is a BIG indicator you need help.
5. When the Only “Solution” Seems to be Separation/Divorce
A break from negative energy can be beneficial to the relationship. But when a temporary suspension leads to more and more time away from home and someone renting their apartment, this indicates a need for counseling. Spending time away from home usually doesn’t lead to any actual resolution, just more distance.