Q: What is the primary purpose of couples therapy?
A: Couples therapy is a powerful and proactive tool for strengthening any partnership. While many people see it as a last resort for relationships in crisis, its true purpose is to help couples cultivate a deeper bond and a more resilient foundation for their shared future. It is a way to address challenges before they become dire.
Q: How can couples therapy improve communication?
A: A therapist provides a neutral, safe space where partners can learn to express their needs, listen without judgment, and understand each other's perspectives. It helps couples build a shared language that strengthens their connection and resolves misunderstandings.
Q: Is couples therapy only for relationships in trouble?
A: No. Couples therapy is for every relationship, regardless of its current health. It is an investment in your shared well-being and a way to proactively address life's challenges, such as career changes, parenting, and financial stress, as a unified team.
Q: Can couples therapy help my relationship evolve?
A: Yes. Therapy can be a space to celebrate your relationship's strengths and intentionally plan for its future. For new couples, it helps lay a solid groundwork for long-term happiness, and for established partners, it can help rekindle intimacy and navigate significant life transitions with grace.
Q: What is the mission of Forward Wellness regarding couples therapy?
A: Forward Wellness views couples therapy as a brave and compassionate choice to nurture and protect your relationship. The company's mission is to provide this powerful modality to help you enrich your connection and address specific issues.
Q: What is the Gottman Method?
A: The Gottman Method is a form of couples therapy that aims to disarm negative communication and increase intimacy, respect, and affection. Based on decades of research, it uses the "Sound Relationship House" model to help couples strengthen their friendship, manage conflict, and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding.
Q: What is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)?
A: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based approach that helps couples identify and change negative emotional cycles. The goal is to restructure how partners interact with one another to create a more secure emotional bond and a feeling of safety and closeness in the relationship.
Q: How does Narrative Therapy work in couples counseling?
A: Narrative Therapy helps couples re-author their shared stories and reframe their problems as external to the relationship. By separating the problem from the person, it helps partners stop blaming each other for their issues and work collaboratively to create a new, more positive narrative for their relationship.
Q: What is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)?
A: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a goal-oriented approach that is typically short-term. It helps couples focus on their strengths and on solutions they have already used in the past, rather than dwelling on the history or origins of their problems. It is focused on creating a clear vision for a better future.
Q: How can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) help couples?
A: CBT for couples helps partners identify and change the negative thought patterns and beliefs that are affecting their behavior and communication. By working to re-evaluate these unhelpful ideas, couples can reduce interpersonal conflict and improve their ability to communicate effectively.
