Relationships are hard work. The decision to start couples counselling is an extremely difficult and uncomfortable conclusion to land on. But rest assured, we’re here to help you with that. Regardless of the reasons why you’ve reached this conclusion, you’re probably lingering around the same questions many other couples do too. We hope that our answers to a few of the most frequently asked couples counselling questions will help. Read More
Relationships come with all sorts of ups and downs. Stress at work, difficulty navigating a relationship with an ex-partner, establishing your co-parenting and discipline style, treading the murky waters of life with teenage children, and more. All of these events come with a myriad of emotional and behavioural responses that can potentially wreak havoc on your what was once effortless relationship.
In any relationship, communication is one of the most important skills you can cultivate. Without communication, your relationship is left to the murky world of reading between the lines, nonverbal nuances, and more often than not, passive aggression. Ottawa marriage counselling is one way to improve the way that you and your partner speak to each other, have arguments, and share thoughts and opinions. Relationships thrive on shared experiences, and the way that you interact with each other. Learning effective communication skills will enhance your relationship instantly! Here are five ways to instantly improve your communication skills.
Every relationship is going to have its ups and downs, and learning how to address them is an ongoing process. Have you and your partner experienced your first fight yet? If you haven’t, you will. Arguing, bickering, fighting, call it what you will, it is an inevitable part of any relationship. Couples counselling is one way to learn how to fight fairly in your valuable relationship. To learn more about healthy relationships, see this article.
Abandon Your Right vs. Wrong Mentality
One of the more detrimental ways that you can think while arguing with your partner is that one of you will be wrong, and the other right. If you enter into an argument under the notion that one of you is right and the other wrong, not only will your emotions be firing on all cylinders but so will your sense of competition. And while competition has a fantastic place in a relationship (board games, tennis, beach volleyball) it has no place in your heated argument.
You both have sixty hour workweeks. The dishes haven’t been done for five days, but no one noticed because you barely have time to eat at home anyways, and you haven’t had date night in three months. Does this sound familiar? Chances are your marriage is perfectly fine. Does that have anything to do with the fact that you hardly have time to spend with each other?
Canadians are working harder and longer than ever before, and the ambitious city of Ottawa is no exception. Between multi-hour commutes, to bringing work home from the office, and the feeling of being constantly tethered to your email, it can be hard to tune out and reconnect with your partner. Ottawa Marriage therapy can help.
Couples Therapy Is For Everyone
It’s important to note that couples therapy is not just for couples who are in danger of ending their relationship – it is for everyone. Have you ever heard a couple describe their relationship as a “well oiled machine.” Well, like a well oiled machine, a relationship requires constant maintenance. You wouldn’t wait for your car to break down at the side of the highway before taking it in for a tune-up, why do the same to your marriage? Re-affirming the belief that marriage therapy has nothing to do with a failed relationship starts with you.
Your marriage isn’t going to be a picnic every single day. But knowing that even the littlest gesture or event can ignite that spark is an empowering fact! Your day to day stresses and anxieties are going to take a toll on your relationship. Take the time – or make the time – to get back in touch with your partner. Here are five things you can do today to kick start the romance and partnership you crave in your marriage.
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Transform Your Bedroom Into a Romantic Oasis
What’s on your bed right now? A pile of laundry? Dry cleaner bags? Many couples fail to remember that their bedroom should be a place where they express their affection in the most intimate way. Instead, bedrooms often becomes a dumping ground. What’s on your bedside table? Work from the office? Keep that out of the bedroom. Turn your bedroom into a romantic oasis today. Start by purchasing some new linens, maybe a few scented candles, or a new bedside table lamp. Little changes will make your bedroom feel brand new again. And then, leave the laundry and the paperwork where they should be – outside the bedroom!
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How Marriage Counselling Will Improve Your Marriage
Your spouse is one of the most important people in your life. But what happens when the lines of communication begins to falter. Over the course of your relationship, you will experience ups and downs. Knowing how to address stresses in your relationship will strengthen and solidify your marriage for years to come. At Marriage Therapists Ottawa we know firsthand how important it is to gain outside perspective in your relationship. Marriage counselling can help you and your spouse address an incredibly wide range of relationship stressors, from financial difficulties to parenting methods and workplace situations.
When To Begin Marriage Counselling
There is no rule to say that you can only begin marriage counselling when your relationship hits a rough patch. However, many couples do come to us when their marriage is experiencing a turbulent time. If you find that your marriage is undergoing an ongoing conflict that seems to be a recurring topic of debate and hostility a marriage counsellor can help guide the conversation. Transitory times in a marriage, such as the loss of a friend or family member, children leaving the home, and/or retirement all cause stress in a relationship. Marriage counselling teach you how to cope with these changes while providing your partner with the support that they need. Instead of facing these difficult times alone, marriage counselling gives you the skills you need to confront them together.
Mental health affects one in four adults in North America. Knowing how to experience mental health differences personally, or responding to the needs of your partner is an incredibly important part of marriage counselling. Marriage counselling is a beneficial setting for addressing mental health as it treats both personal and individual needs, and how personal actions affect your marriage.
Marriage Counselling and Conversation Facilitation
One of the most important benefits of marriage counselling is the way it can dramatically improve your methods of communication. Inefficient, ineffective communication can take a serious toll on your marriage. Without being able to convey what you think and feel to your partner continued growth is incredibly difficult. Falling into a pattern of yelling, avoidance, criticism, and sarcasm can be an inevitable conclusion once a breakdown in communication has occurred. Our marriage counsellors work with you to provide you with different ways to speak with your partner. To read more about how marriage counselling looks, please read this article.
Marriage Counselling and Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution can refer to a wide range of situations. For example, when one or both partners are experiencing the personal and shared effects of substance abuse, gambling, or alcohol abuse. These destructive habits affect not only the individuals in a marriage, but the marriage itself. Workplace and familial stress can lead to self medicating with drugs and alcohol. Marriage counselling works by reframing the way you and your spouse interact in light of stressful situations.
If you or your partner would like to know more about the marriage counselling services at Marriage Therapists Ottawa, we invite you to call us today at 613-425-4257.