Couples Therapy is also referred to as Marital Therapy or Marriage Counseling. When couples seek professional help, they have likely been living with their difficulties for a long time and feel discouraged about solving them. Their disagreements and arguments may be negatively affecting their feelings for each other. Or they may have avoided conflict but feel they have drifted apart. No matter what the problem, it is hard for a couple to step outside the pattern of behavior that has developed and to find new ways to work together to tackle their problems.

Couples therapy can help improve relationships, improve effectiveness of communication, resolve conflict constructively, resolve sexual problems, increase intimacy, and develop problem-solving strategies.

Couples therapy is different from psychotherapy because it focuses on the relationship between two people, whereas psychotherapy focuses on a single person being diagnosed with a specific psychological problem. However, individual psychotherapy may sometimes be needed when couples are being treated, if, for example, one of the persons in the relationship exhibits symptoms of anxiety, anger or depression, and need to be addressed separately.

The psychologist can help the couple identify the conflict issues within the relationship, and will help decide what changes are needed within the relationship, or in the behavior of each partner. These changes may be different ways of interacting within the relationship, or they may be individual changes related to personal psychological problems. The couple will learn how to communicate more effectively, how to listen more closely, avoid competing with each other, identify common life goals and how to share responsibilities within their relationship.

The most effective Couples Counseling will often result from a combination of individual psychotherapy, mediation on the part of the psychologist, and an educational process on the part of the couple.