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couples therapy Archives - Suzanne Wallach

What Does A Marriage And Family Therapist Do?

Family-Therapist

Marriage and family therapists (MFTs), as explained by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), “are mental health professionals trained in psychotherapy and family systems, and licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of marriage, couples, and family systems.” MFTs must have graduate-level training, hold a master’s or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy, and have completed at least two years of clinical experience. MFTs may provide premarital counseling, relationship counseling, child counseling, individual counseling, and separation and divorce counseling. Marriage and family therapists regularly practice short-term therapy with an average number of 12 sessions. The AAMFT assert that nearly 65.6% of the cases are completed within 20 sessions, and 87.9% within 50 sessions. Marriage/ couples therapy (11.5 sessions) and family therapy (9 sessions) both require less time than the average individuated treatment (13 sessions). Approximately half of the treatment provided by marriage and family therapists is divided between marriage/ couples therapy and family therapy, or a combination of treatments, and the other half is primarily made up of individual therapy. Marriage and family therapists treat a wide range of issues, helping couples or family members overcome difficult situations, reconcile differences, and cope with mental or emotional problems.

MFTs and Couples Therapy

The work that occurs during marriage counseling sessions is guided by the needs of the couple. By nature of participating in marriage counseling both partners engage in shared emotional experiences via the therapy sessions, which can help to foster aligned relationship goals. The work that occurs during marriage counseling can be emotionally charged, elicit difficult to face feelings and seem arduously trying. However, the skills, tools and emotional awareness that can come from actively participating in marriage counseling can be both empowering and insightful. The AAMFT reported the findings of a study that indicate, “of couples who try marriage counseling, 90% feel that their emotional health improves, and two-thirds report improvements in their physical health.” The reason behind why a couple elects to participate in marriage counseling will affect its outcome and success.

MFTs and Family Therapy

Family therapy is a type of psychological counseling that is designed to help improve the interactions of individuals within the family unit, improve the overall wellness of the family, and change patterns of dysfunction. Family therapy is based on family systems theory, which is a theory of human behavior. Family systems theory views the family as a living, complex social system, rather than the sum of its individual members. Family therapy uses systems theory to evaluate family members in terms of their position or role within the family system. Instead of attributing a problem to a single family member, in family therapy, problems are treated by addressing and shifting the way the entire family system functions. A marriage and family therapist facilitating family therapy acts as mediator to ensure every member is heard and creates a safe environment to address specific issues that may be affecting the functioning, cohesiveness, and health of the family unit.

The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.

What Are Couples Therapy Worksheets?

couple in couples therapy

Talkspace explains couples therapy as “a type of psychotherapy in which a therapist with clinical experience working with couples, most often a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), helps two people involved in a romantic relationship gain insight into their relationship, resolve conflict and improve relationship satisfaction utilizing a variety of therapeutic interventions.” There are many components of couples therapy, and each is intended to markedly contribute to assisting a couple achieve their relationship goals. The work that occurs during couples counseling sessions is entirely guided by the needs of the couple. 

Couples Therapy Worksheets

Couples therapy worksheets can be a useful and effective tool, provided both parties are committed, honest, and willing to put in the needed effort. Couples therapy worksheets generally prompt uncomfortable topics. In order for them to work, it is important to carve out ample time to spend on thoughtfully completing the worksheets. While a couple’s counselor may assign couples therapy worksheets, there are also many online resources available, should a couple wish to begin tackling couples therapy worksheets on their own. Feel free to check out any of the following couple therapy worksheet resources:

  • Relationship evaluation checklist worksheet: completing a relationship evaluation checklist is an excellent worksheet to begin with as it can serve as a diagnostic test as well as help both parties understand the current state of their relationship. It is a relatively simply worksheet that requires yes or no answers to a variety of questions. Once both parties have independently completed this worksheet, the couple can compare answers and go on to develop relevant goals based on their findings. 
  • Boundaries worksheets: completing a boundary worksheet can help provide a framework for broaching the topic of boundaries within one’s relationship, and create space for each party to advocate for their respective needs and comfort levels. 
  • Communication worksheets: communication worksheets can help couples discover effective communication skills. For example, the assertive communication worksheet addresses traits of assertive communication (e.g. confident body language, listening to others without interrupting, holding eye contact, etc.), provides tips, and offers hypothetical scenarios to practice assertive communication skills. 
  • Conflict resolution worksheets: effectively navigating conflict is an essential life skill, and for some cultivating this skill does not come easily. Unlike many of the other worksheets that are formatted akin to a questionnaire, relationship conflict resolution worksheets typically provide a list of appropriate conflict resolution skills. 

There are specific couples therapy worksheets that can, respectively, help couples navigate a plethora of common relationship obstacles. 

Why Do Couples Therapy Worksheets?

Couples therapy worksheets provide an alternative means of processing, communicating, and expressing the information touched upon during therapy sessions. They can provide each party with an additional platform to express his or her feelings surrounding a certain topic addressed in or out of a couples therapy session. Although the specific reasons why a couple decide to attend couples therapy is distinct to the couple, by nature of attending every couple that participates in couples therapy has made the choice to actively work on their relationship. This work can take on many forms, one of which could be completing couples therapy worksheets. The worksheets that are assigned by a providing clinician are done so purposefully and are intended to help address the needs and achieve the goals of the couple.

Disclaimer: 

The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health.  As such, please do not use any material provided above as a means to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment. 

Couples Therapy In Los Angeles

couple in couples therapy

Couples therapy is a type of psychotherapy that is intended to help couples improve their relationship. Couples therapy is focused helping each party learn to effectively work through challenges, gain a deeper understanding of their relationship, and cultivate healthier ways of relating to and communicating with one another. A couple’s therapist will provide an emotionally safe environment and work with the couple to better their relationship by challenging unhealthy dynamics and enhance the couple’s ability to recognize and resolve conflicts by introducing, teaching and facilitating healthy methods of communication and effective conflict resolution tactics. At times, the work that occurs during couples counseling can be emotionally charged, provoke difficult to face feelings and seem arduously exhausting. For most, the benefits greatly outweigh the challenges, as the skills, tools, and emotional awareness that can come from actively participating in couples counseling can be both empowering and insightful.

Why Go To Couples Counseling?

There is a wide array of reasons why a couple may decide to go to couples counseling. Psychology Today provides the following potential reasons why a couple may seek couples counseling:

  • Diminished emotional intimacy 
  • Poor and/ or lack of communication
  • Trust has been broken
  • Feelings of unease in the relationship (i.e. being aware that something is wrong but being unable to pinpoint the issue) 
  • Diminished sexual intimacy 
  • Conflicts regarding child rearing and/ or blended families
  • Infidelity 
  • Consistently becoming dysfunctional during conflict (one or both members)
  • Addressing and/ or sharing difficult to talk about information with the partner
  • Feeling stuck in unhealthy and/ or undesirable patterns
  • Processing situational circumstances that have devastated the relationship (i.e. loss of a child, prolonged unemployment, being diagnosed with a long-term illness, etc.)

Some couples choose to attend couples counseling in order to gain a better understanding of their partner. In reality, there are countless nuanced reasons why a couple may elect to go to couples counseling.

How Do I Find One?

There are a plethora of couples counselors in Los Angeles, which for some can make the search for locating one, seem like an overwhelming feat. The process of selecting a couple’s counselor may be innately anxiety provoking, depending on the reason for attending, but it does not have to be challenging. There are fantastic online resources that offer curated lists containing qualified couples counselors, serving the Los Angeles area (e.g. Psychology Today). Often the best recommendations come by word of mouth. An excellent place to start your search is to consult your primary care physician as they should be able to point you in the right direction, and many may even offer recommendations from within their professional network. For some, openly discussing the possibility of couples counseling with family and friends may not be comfortable, but for those that are open to broaching the topic with outsiders, asking family and friends for couples counselor recommendations could be beneficial. It is, however imperative to be mindful of the fact that all couples are unique, and each therapist practices with his or her own distinct style, so be sure to thoroughly conduct your due diligence prior to commencing. 

Disclaimer: 

The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health.  As such, please do not use any material provided above as a means to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment. 

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