If you are in a difficult relationship and facing serious issues with your partner, you may be wondering when it is appropriate to seek couple counseling. In Part 2 of this series, I’ll be discussing some more unavoidable signs in a relationship that gives a good reason for a couple to seek professional help before it is too late.

 

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Separate lives: It’s normal for couples to go through periods when closeness is lacking in their relationship. But if a couple has been living largely separate lives instead of being together as partners, then that means they are enacting emotional disengagement. When couples feel they just “co-exist,” and communication, conversation, and intimacy is almost absent, it may indicate a need for couple counseling.


Infidelity: If one of the partners in a committed relationship has strong thoughts of cheating on the other, then it’s a major sign that couple counseling may be required. Thoughts of having an affair indicate a desire to have something different than the current relationship, and it would be practical to get help before that happens. If one of the partners has already cheated on the other, but both still want to save the relationship, then no time should be wasted in seeking a couple counselor.


Financial cheating: Most couples break up due to money problems, especially after discovering financial cheating in their relationship. Hiding financial information to keep a partner in the dark about family finances could indicate a need to control everything related to money. Financial infidelity is as damaging to a relationship as an affair. A couple counselor can get to the root cause of the financial dishonesty and help both the partners be truthful about their spending habits.


Lack of trust: Trust is always earned in a relationship, but a traumatic event, such as the discovery of a sexual affair, can make it difficult for one of the partners to forgive or forget. Emotional infidelity, lying, and abuse can also break the trust between a couple. A relationship counselor can help explore these trust issues and repair the damage if both partners are committed to change.


Too much, too long: Research suggests that most couples often seek help about six years after being into a damaging relationship which could be too late. If you have worked hard to fix your relationship but haven’t been successful and still love your partner, then you should consider finding a couple counselor before you truly begin despising your partner. A counselor can help the couple understand what is going on by helping them communicate better, and restore trust and intimacy in their relationship.


You may read more in part 1 of this series. If you and your partner have been facing any one or more of these relationship issues for some time and haven’t made much progress in resolving them, then it’s time to see a couple counselor.

If you'd like couple counseling to repair and improve your relationship, contact Orly Gueron a Licensed marriage and family therapist and relationship specialist in Aventura, FL!