Individual Couples Therapy: Improving the relationship one person at a time
Many times part of the hesitation of coming to couples therapy is fear of saying out loud things that have been in your mind and heart for years, and sometimes even for decades. There are so many people who really want to improve their relationships, but are so frightened of going to couples therapy that they postpone it far longer than they believe they should have.
Individual Couples Therapy is a way that you can begin your couples therapy journey without having your partner attend. Historically, there are data that suggest that attending therapy individually to discuss couples issues can result in an increase of separation. That is because historically the individual approaches were geared towards treating the individual and not towards treating the relationship.
The lens of Individual Couples Therapy is different. We still hold that the couple is the main focus, even when we have just one voice in the room.
When relational issues are brought to the table, the therapist explores the ideas that their partner might be thinking and ways in which the client who is present in the session can be a better partner. This can be a great way to either:
1. Help the partner who is in therapy be able to start the conversation with the partner who is not;
2. Or at times the partner who is present in therapy is able to shift in a way that might be sufficient to improve the relationship.
Licensed marriage and family therapists are trained in systemic philosophy. We believe that changing one part of the system changes the rest of the system. By changing one person’s way of thinking or or acting, we can actually change the entire relational system.
To summarize here are some of the benefits of individual couples therapy
You can start working on your relationship, even if you are not quite ready to discuss these issues with your partner directly.
You can have a space that will hold you accountable to changing the way you react to situations within the relationship
Individual couples therapy is different from regular individual therapy, insofar as the relationship is prioritized as a focus
The therapist will help you to not use the space as a place to speak ill of your partner, but rather to try to understand your partner better
If you or someone you know can benefit from this type of Individual Couples Therapy, give me a call! If I am not a good fit, I will help you find someone who is!
Phone: 713-291-9553
Serving clients in Texas and Florida only