Couple Therapy in Bucks County, PA

Couples Counseling

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Relationships are difficult.  No matter how well you get along, every couple is susceptible to fighting over small things—this can include unanswered messages, forgotten promises, and the rules of a shared space. Although these situations impact each couple, how they choose to handle those disagreements can play a significant role in their connection.

 

Many times, people expect their partners to read their mind and behave according to their unspoken needs. Some might believe they shouldn't have to ask or express their needs to their partners; partners should simply know those requirements and do them without being told. They might expect their partners to meet their needs, fulfill their wishes, make them happy, and improve their quality of life. When these expectations are not met, they feel disappointed, and dissatisfaction begins to consume the relationship. 

 

In other situations, couples who encounter conflict will dwell on one another’s flaws and shortcomings; they may even compare their partners to others. One partner may start criticizing the other, trying to prove that they are right and their partner is wrong. They may attempt to change their partner under the belief that life will instantly improve. When they see that their partner isn’t changing, they start to feel resentment, anger, and dissatisfaction.

 

Ultimately, the couple might have difficulty dealing with intense emotions and become trapped in destructive patterns. These negative interaction cycles dominate their relationship—this induces bickering, criticizing, being defensive, or shutting down. The anger, frustration, and disappointment triggered by these cycles may eventually lead to the erosion of the relationship. When partners begin to see each other through this negative filter, they engage in constant fights or feel disconnected. 

 

Constant fights, a lack of communication, and intense conflicts are only some reasons that many couples seek relationship therapy. Love makes us vulnerable; rejection and criticism hurt more when it comes from our loved ones. Feeling like your partner doesn't understand you, doesn't love you, or doesn't want to be with you can also make couples feel distant. Additionally, affairs and betrayal can damage your view of your partner, relationship, and yourself. Other life transitions can cause significant relationship distress. During the course of the relationship, couples can move in together, have a baby, experience loss of a job, or lose a family member. These circumstances can be slowly destructive to the relationship.

 

To reiterate, relationships are not easy. They require communication, negotiation, and compromise. Sharing your life with someone brings a unique set of challenges, and conflict is inevitable. In couples therapy—otherwise known as couples counseling, relationship therapy, marriage therapy, or marriage counseling—you will learn how to handle this distress. You will be given the tools to forgive yourself and your partner, and learn how to rebuild trust. Couples therapy in Bucks County equips each partner with stronger communication skills, negotiation, and conflict resolution. You can learn how to express your feelings and needs. You can also discover how to reconcile differences—especially differences in faith, ethnicity, race, and/or country of origin. 

 

Couples therapy (marriage counseling/premarital counseling) can be a great way to avoid a permanent separation and provide a solid foundation to deepen your current connection. You can find answers to pressing questions, such as, “Do I want to stay in this relationship, or should I leave?” Talking about your problems with a couples counselor might not be easy, but seeking help could be the key to saving your relationship. To start couples therapy, you don't need to be in distress in your current relationship; you can simply come to strengthen and enrich your bond. Couples counseling in Bucks County can be an investment in your relationship, as improving the quality of your bond with your partner can save you years of stress, pain, and resentment.

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Couples Therapy Can Help...

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• Reconnect with your partner

• Develop better conflict management skills that are respectful and constructive

• Improve both partners’ communication skills to facilitate vulnerable conversations

• Increase intimacy and help partners express their feelings and needs

• Heal past or present wounds and rebuild broken trust

• Reduce resentment, defensiveness, and power struggles

• Strengthen both partners’ commitment to the relationship

• Increase awareness of the relationship’s dynamic nature and patterns

• Engage in a fulfilling relationship

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We offer couples counseling in Bucks County, PA for communication, conflict resolution, affair recovery, and rebuilding intimacy and trust. We welcome couples from culturally diverse backgrounds. Our approach involves Gottman Method couples counseling and emotionally-focused couples therapy, which is one of the most empirically validated and effective therapies for improving distressed relationships. We can assist both you and your partner on your journey to understand each other, address old conflicts, repair injuries, move past hurts and betrayals, and increase your intimacy.