Couples Therapy: Why Does it Help and Do Telehealth Sessions Actually Work?
Couples therapy is immensely beneficial for multiple reasons. Couples report increased feelings of love towards their partner and a stronger connection (in the form of feeling closer emotionally, physically and sexually). They also report decreased frequency of arguments and improved ability to move through disagreements when they do arise.
Couples often say they want to improve their communication when they come in for therapy. While our approach absolutely involves helping couples learn skills to improve communication and problem solving, the way we get there is actually by helping you and your partner learn how to engage differently with each other in moment-to-moment interactions, both verbally and non-verbally. To do this, we support each member of the couple to become experts at how to read the other and meet the others’ needs. We focus on helping you and your partner understand each other’s facial expressions, body language, and verbal replies and from there, give the other what you need to feel safe, secure and valued.
When both members of a couple are highly attuned to the other and know how to take care of each other, relationship satisfaction greatly increases. The way a couple operates, or their “flow” in day to day life becomes much more smooth and fulfilling. Our clinical approach to relationship/marriage/couples therapy is integrative. Our therapists are trained in multiple different modalities, including PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy), EFT (Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy) and the Gottman Method.
Couples often ask if relationship/marriage counseling can be successful over video or if they need to find an in-person therapist. We know from experience that couples therapy can be very successful via telehealth, as long as you and your partner are in the same physical space as one-another. Why does this matter? Because we are helping you and your partner learn to read each other, much of this work is not just about what is verbally said, but about non-verbal communication and connection. While there are definitely exceptions and times where working when you and your partner are not physically together might be necessary, in general if you and your partner are in the same space and your therapist can hear and see you clearly, we can do very high quality work. Remote sessions also decrease barriers to treatment such as commutes to the office, finding child care and coordinating complicated schedules. This leads to increased consistency, which is a key factor in successful therapy outcomes.
The Bottom Line? Couples therapy can create transformation change in your relationship. Virtual therapy or telehealth, when you and your partner are in the same physical location, is a very effective way to do this work.
Please reach out (call 720-966-1281 or email info@sagewellhealth.com) to learn more about what therapy could look like for you and your partner. We have speciality training in working with couples and really enjoy helping couples find more peace, meaning and fulfillment in their relationships. We are looking forward to hearing from you.