Marriage counseling is an area of specialization that is often fraught with the most difficult topics, such as infidelity, depression, and sexual abuse. However, the type of counseling can be fairly straightforward and uncomplicated for some couples. Here are the primary types of marriage counseling:
Cognitive Therapies.
These therapies focus on changing the way couples think about their relationships. They ask the couple to identify a problem, and then find solutions to it. For example, “If you had a time machine, what would you change about your marriage?” or “What do you think works best in your relationship?”
Integrated Family Therapy.
In integrated family therapy, the counselor is also involved with the couple’s children. Children who are hurting often need to know that they are not alone in their suffering, and their parents may be able to become closer only through regular communication.
Marriage and Family Therapy.
This type of Singapore marriage counseling focuses on the major issues that can plague a marital relationship: infidelity, depression, and sexual abuse.
Multicultural Family Therapy.
In multicultural family therapy, the marriage counselor is aware of the cultural differences within a couple and uses this knowledge to help both partners grow in their understanding of what is going on in their marriage.
Prolonged Interaction.
The counselor spends time with the couple in their home, having them interact with each other as much as possible. The interaction gives couples an opportunity for honest communication without the judgments that may hinder it in places of business or other social settings.
Process-Experiential Couple Therapy.
This type of therapy invites each partner to use their own experience during the marriage counseling session. This approach will help a couple remember how they felt during past moments of joy and sorrow, and can help them find solutions for themselves as well as for their marriage.
Supportive Counseling.
In supportive counseling, the therapist will ask the couple questions about their needs, wants, concerns, and fears regarding their relationship. Many times, couples will skip over these discussions because they have been made to believe that every problem is important, but not every problem is urgent.
Structured Family Therapy.
In structured family therapy, the counselor works with the couple to create a specific plan of action regarding their parenting style or other areas of need. For example, if one partner is having relationship problems it may help if this person got away from his or her partner for a moment in order to think about his or her problems without any interaction.
Therapeutic Assessment.
In this type of therapy, the counselor works to learn about the couple’s stresses and how they may be interfering with each other. The therapist will identify what might be hurting the marriage and help the couple find solutions to these issues.
Traits-Based Counseling.
In traits-based counseling, the marriage counselor looks for negative traits in each partner and helps them both discover positive characteristics that can be used to help make their relationship better.
Transactional Analysis Therapy.
In this type of therapy, the couple works to identify and implement specific strategies to help their problem areas. For example, if one partner is having relationship problems it may help if this person got away from his or her partner for a moment in order to think about his or her problems without any interaction.
Uniqueness-Based Counseling.
In this type of marriage counseling, the counselor will work to understand the individual qualities of each partner and how these qualities can influence their marriage.
Conclusion.
The main goals of marriage counseling are to help the couple find solutions to their problems and to make them feel happy about their relationship. Marriages can be long-lasting and happy, but only if the husband and wife make a daily effort to hold on to their love. Too often, couples take the good moments for granted but do not provide one another with consistent support in order to keep these relationships alive.
