Black Couples Counseling
Do you ever feel like you and your partner are never on the same page and wonder if you’ve lost your connection to that person? “All we do is argue, it feels like I don’t know this person anymore”. Do you struggle with effective communication with your partner? “I feel like my partner doesn’t understand me, it feels like we are not speaking the same language.” Have you experienced a situation in your relationship that you are struggling to move past? “I just can’t seem to get over what they did, I want to forgive, but I don’t know how.”
The connection that you have with your significant other/spouse is one of the most important relationships that we have.
So many things can happen that impact our relationship and life changes can really push the relationship off track. Many people consider getting couples counseling, but not all of them follow through. Some people are nervous about bringing the issues with their partners to the forefront. We often spend so much effort in avoiding problems until the idea of putting it all on the table to a perfect stranger can seem petrifying. Everyone wants their relationship with their partner to be strong and healthy and so what do we do if it feels like, despite our best efforts, we just cannot get there on our own.
We value Black Love.
We want to help our clients find ways to improve their relationships with their significant others. We work with couples to improve not only their communication with one another but to also help them get clarity around the goals that they have for their relationship.
Our Approach
We utilize Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) techniques to help Black couples connect to how they are feeling about one another and about themselves in their relationship.
We get to the essence of what a person is saying instead of getting caught in what we think our partner is saying.
We want to focus on what our partner FEELS and on how we FEEL. We often find that once we focus on the emotions that it becomes easier to feel empathy for our partner and that this emotional connection increases intimacy. We don’t shy away from having some of the difficult discussions that couples need to have and addressing some of the wounds that have been left to fester over time.
Once couples allow themselves to hear one another with the intent to understand instead of the intention to just respond.
Often, we see that the page that each person is on in their relationship isn’t as far from their partner as they may have thought. We help couples develop strategies for addressing conflict more productively and for listening to one another more intently. We help couples to attain the goals that they both have for their relationship and as a result, we can strengthen these relationships so that they are reinforced and stronger moving forward.
You may believe therapy can help you but you still have questions about Black Couples Counseling.
How do you know if you need couples counseling?
You and your partner should be a team and feel like you are both working toward the same goal and seeking emotional support from one another. If it feels like someone in the relationship is seeking that support elsewhere or that the relationship feels adversarial, this may be an indication that couples counseling may be helpful.
Should we only seek couples counseling if we are having problems?
Absolutely not! Couples Counseling can be an excellent way for couples to possibly prevent issues in their relationship. Many times couples benefit from the skills and strategies that they learn to improve their communication and strengthen their connection. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
What if one person is more interested in couples therapy than their partner?
This is not uncommon for one person to initiate couples counseling and the other person just seems like they are along for the ride. It is important for both people to be invested in therapy regardless of who initiates the treatment. The therapist’s job is to be objective and treat the relationship and therefore if one person is “going through the motions” this will become clear in therapy and should be addressed right away.
What if we decide we want to end our relationship?
The ultimate goal for couples counseling is not always for the couple to stay together. Sometimes it is the best decision for the relationship to end. However, just because the relationship is ending doesn’t mean that it has to do so in an unhealthy or malicious way. The therapist can help the couple find ways to end their relationship amicably and in a way that is respectful of the connection that they once had. Ultimately, the therapist’s job is to help the couple attain their goal, and ending a relationship is one of many options available in any situation.
Want to schedule an appointment?
Couples Counseling can be a great way to help couples get on the right track.