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Common Couples Therapies and How to Choose the Right One

There are different types of relationship therapies for couples to choose from. Determining the right relationship therapy that would work best for you and your partner depends on your relationship goals. These goals may include improving communication, increasing intimacy, navigating differences, or building trust.

The therapist is a big part of whether or not relationship therapy is successful. Therefore, you and your partner should examine the therapist’s qualifications and experience as well as testimonials from past clients to determine the appropriate therapist and therapy. Here are four types of relationship therapies that you and your partner can choose from:

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is appropriate if you and your partner are looking to improve or treat your communication issues and resolve your conflicts. This type of couples therapy focuses on the thoughts that influence specific behaviors. The therapist will look into you and your partner’s thoughts about the conflicts that have led you to couple’s therapy.

The Gottman Method

The Gottman Method is for couples whose goal is to increase intimacy and overall relationship quality. Therapists apply the Gottman Method to identify four destructive behaviors: stonewalling, contempt, criticism, and defensiveness. The therapist identifies these destructive behaviors by focusing on you and your partner’s relationship histories, discovering your shared values, identifying your triggers, and exploring disagreement areas.

Communication and Conflict Resolution Therapy

Communication and conflict resolution therapy enables couples to sustain a positive relationship by exploring dysfunctional patterns and emphasizing conflict-resolution processes. This method can help a couple improve overall well-being, reduce tension, and find agreeable solutions. Individuals in this type of therapy develop skills that can help them in future situations that may result in conflict.

Emotion-Focused Therapy

Emotion-focused therapy is for couples whose relationship goal is to improve marital satisfaction, whether physically, emotionally, or sexually. In this therapy, the therapist asks you and your partner to share your relationship’s specific and challenging events. After that, the therapist guides you and your partner into identifying, exploring, and making sense of the underlying emotions causing those problematic events.

Depth Relationship Therapy

Depth relationship therapy thoroughly dives into a problem to help individuals understand and treat underlying root causes. This can be effective for couples who want to recognize the deep issues and create lasting change for the relationship, based on these findings. By understanding how past experiences affect current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, you and your partner can gain a greater understanding of why current issues came to be.

Solution-Based Therapy

Solution-based therapy is goal-oriented, future-focused, and puts an emphasis on solutions. Rather than focus on the past and origins of problems, this type of therapy helps clients understand how to move forward and achieve goals and sustain behavioral changes.

The type of couples therapy you and your partner ultimately choose depends on your relationship goals. Dr. Durana at A Caring Approach makes use of all of these types of therapies depending on a couple’s needs.