Top 5 Common Issues Solved Through Relationship Therapy

While many people think that couples counseling or therapy for relationship problems has to do with placing blame or picking a winner, in reality, relationship therapy helps people identify different issues so that they can build healthier relationships over time.

Traditional therapy is now being bolstered by online relationship therapy, where individuals have more viable options for improving communication, overcoming previous experiences, resolving conflict, and building intimacy in their relationships.

This article will look at the top five common issues that are solved through therapy for relationship problems.

Communication Breakdown

The most important issue that is resolved with good relationship therapy is communication. Therapy can help you learn how to better listen to a partner in a supportive way as well as voice your concerns.

-Symptoms of Poor Communication

Poor communication is often at the center of many arguments and issues in a relationship. There are several symptoms of poor communication, including:

  1. Misunderstandings

  2. Arguments

  3. Emotional withdrawal

Consider Rebecca. Rebecca doesn't realize that she has poor communication in her relationships but when she doesn't feel like her partner is listening to her, she withdraws emotionally, shuts down, and tries to move on. However, that emotional withdrawal means that she's also less likely to resolve any conflict, understand her own emotions, or build intimacy in her relationship.

-Role of Relationships Therapy

Here, the role of relationship therapy is to help partners develop effective communication strategies, both in-person and through online relationship therapy.

-Techniques Used

This is achieved through several techniques, such as:

  1. Active listening, where Rebecca might learn to repeat back to her partner what she hears from them and vice versa

  2. "I" statements,  where someone like Rebecca changes statements such as "You always do this" to "I feel that this happens a lot."

  3. Non-verbal communication awareness

Trust Issues

Another issue that is aided by online relationship therapy has to do with trust issues. Trust issues, as portrayed in society, may center on infidelity, but there are a wide range of issues that can promote distrust in a relationship.

-Common Trust Problems

The most common trust issues have to do with infidelity, secrecy, and financial dishonesty. 

Consider this:

Laura and Mike got married recently. Laura confirmed to Mike that she had some credit card debt before they got married. It was around $25,000, and the two of them worked very hard to budget accordingly and plan their finances as a couple with this debt in mind. Mike was very proud that they had gotten the debt under control together, but at that same time, Mike found out that Laura had lied and she, in fact, had 65,000 worth of debt. So they worked again over the next few months to come up with payment plans, and then it came out that she had another $12,000 in debt on a separate credit card.

This led to significant trust problems because of financial dishonesty between the two of them.

-Role of Relationships Therapy

Here, the role of in person or online relationship therapy would be to build trust through accountability, honesty, and emotional transparency.

Conflict Resolution Difficulties

Sometimes, couples develop unhealthy conflict resolution strategies like stonewalling the other person, continually bringing up an issue that was already resolved, or even using sex as a weapon.

With the right type of therapy for relationship problems, couples can learn to identify when they have unhealthy conflicts and how to repair them.

-Identifying Unhealthy Conflict

Some of the most common unhealthy conflict resolution problems include recurring arguments, unresolved issues, and stonewalling.

-Role of Relationships Therapy

Here, therapy for relationship problems would teach conflict resolution skills, de-escalation techniques, and compromise strategies. 

Emotional or Physical Abuse

Then, there are issues that require specialized abusive relationship therapy. People who are in a relationship with emotional or physical abuse need to not only recognize the abusive patterns but also process that trauma and do so in a safe space.

For emotional or physical abuse, some abusive patterns might include emotional manipulation, control, or physical violence. Here, abusive relationship therapy would help individuals recognize abuse, process trauma, and develop healthy coping strategies.

With any type of abuse, there is an element of prioritizing safety, even with therapy. For that reason, physical and emotional safety needs to be prioritized, whether an individual is participating in in-person or online relationship therapy settings. Qualified therapists will ensure that re-traumatization is avoided and that individuals have a safe space in which to explore patterns of abuse and process that trauma.

Intimacy and Sexual Issues

The final common relationship problem that can be tackled in the right type of therapy has to do with intimacy and sexual issues.

-Common Intimacy Problems

There are many common intimacy problems that have to do with things like a lack of physical affection, performance anxiety, and even sexual incompatibility. Sometimes, this relates strongly to communication issues or conflict resolution strategies. One partner, for example, might have performance anxiety and therefore withdraw from physical affection, but without communicating these issues, the other partner might take it as a reflection that they did something wrong or their partner doesn't love them anymore.

-Role of Relationships Therapy

Here, the role would focus on rebuilding emotional connection and addressing sexual concerns in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

The Role of a Therapist in Relationship Therapy

So, what is the role of a therapist in relationship therapy? As mentioned, a therapist is not there to decide who is right or wrong or to place blame. A therapist facilitates communication and helps couples set and achieve relationship goals in a neutral, safe space. 

Summing Up

Overall, there are five common issues that can be solved through relationship therapy, including sexual and intimacy issues, abuse, communication problems, trust problems, and poor conflict resolution. Whether you opt for in-person or online relationship therapy, it's important that you find someone with whom you can work to address your relationship issues early. Remember that therapy is a positive step toward building a healthier relationship.

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