Assisted Living: Dealing With Everyone's Emotions

Assisted Living: Dealing With Everyone's Emotions

Beginning Marriage Counseling: Four Things To Know

by Julia Gregory

Marriage counseling can help to repair a troubled relationship, or it can be used to continue to strengthen your bond with your spouse. If you are considering beginning marriage counseling, here are a few things you should consider before your first session.

Set Goals For Therapy

You and your relationship counselor should set a goal in the beginning of your therapy to meet at specific intervals. You may feel you need weekly sessions, or you may feel that monthly sessions can provide the help you need. Work with your therapist to determine which time schedule is right for you, and then make it a point to keep your commitment to every appointment.

Discuss What You Want To Get Out Of Therapy

Having realistic expectations of what you want to get out of your therapy sessions can help you to be successful in your treatment. Do you want to improve communication? Do you need to work on trust issues? It may be a good idea to write down some of the things you are hoping to get out of therapy and discuss them with your therapist together. You may find that you and your spouse have similar expectations, or you may find that you both want different things for your relationship. Your therapist can take the lists and use them as a starting point for your therapy. Some therapists may give you a list of things to consider after your first session, or you may get a bit of homework to do to prepare for your appointments. Be sure to follow through on these exercises so you can get the most out of each session.

Interview The Therapist First

Not all therapists are the same, and you may respond to certain styles better than others. It's important that you and your spouse both feel comfortable during sessions. Take some time to interview different therapists, and read online reviews from previous patients. Once you find a therapist you feel you can trust, you can then begin your therapy sessions together. If you have children, consider looking for a therapist who specializes in both couple's and family therapy, as you may decide further down the road to seek counseling for your entire family unit.

Contrary to what you might think, you don't have to be in a troubled marriage to seek counseling. In fact, some couples use it to learn even better ways to communicate and connect with each other. If you haven't considered marriage counseling before, talk to a therapist, like Sharon O'Connell, MA, to see if it might be right for you.


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About Me

Assisted Living: Dealing With Everyone's Emotions

The decision to move one of my parents into assisted living was one of the most difficult I have ever made. I had extreme feelings of guilt that led to me being at the facility with my parent practically around the clock. It took a few months before I realized that I could not let my own life fall apart from the guilt I was feeling. I also learned that my parent was fine without me constantly hovering around. Since that time, I have had several friends express similar feelings of guilt. I started this blog to help others in the same situation understand not only their feelings about assisted living, but those of their parents.

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