5 Signs Your Relationship Could Benefit From Marriage Counseling

Many couples don’t seek out marriage counsel because they believe counseling means they’ve failed. In fact, marriage counseling can help couples have fulfilling and successful relationships. It sometimes helps to get an unbiased opinion from a third party and it may be that all your relationship needs is a gentle nudge in the right direction. 

If your relationship is suffers from some of the following, you may benefit from marriage counseling.

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Lack of Communication
One of the biggest challenges in any relationship is communication. Once there’s a breakdown in communication it can be difficult to restore it. You may feel like you’re living with a housemate instead of a partner. If this is the case, a marriage counsellor could offer you new ways of communicating that you may not have thought of. Once that communication is restored, it will be much easier for the relationship to progress in a healthy direction.

Negative Communication
Perhaps you and your partner are communicating, but it’s in a way that makes you both feel bad. It could be that you’re constantly listing each other’s flaws or one partner is left feeling judged or insecure. Negative communication is often worse than no communication at all because it can lead to depression or emotional abuse. A marriage counsellor will be able to intervene when partners are communicating in a way that could potentially hurt one another.

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Withholding Affection as a Punishment
If one or both of you is using a lack of affection as a punishment, you may benefit from advice from Christian psychologists. Getting angry and choosing to ignore your partner or use the ‘silent treatment’ isn’t going to solve any problems. The Bible says, ‘Love is patient, love is kind’, and Christian marriage counselling teaches you to approach problems calmly and quickly find solutions, instead of getting overwhelmed and angry.

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Contemplate Having an Affair
If one person is contemplating having an affair, it’s a strong sign that the relationship isn’t giving either of you what you need at the moment. It’s important to seek marriage counselling before it gets that far. Marriage counselling has helped many people recover their relationships or come to the realisation that the relationship isn’t working and it’s best for both parties to amicably split. If an affair has already happened, it doesn’t necessarily mean the relationship is doomed. Seeking counselling could be exactly what’s needed to mend it.

Financial Infidelity
When you’re in a relationship, being transparent about your finances is important. If one partner is spending money without telling the other, or one partner has a gambling problem, it can cause major stress on the relationship. Use marriage counselling as a way of communicating to your partner the need to be honest about finances in the future. Regular sessions could be what you need to see a change in how honest you are with each other.

It's not easy dealing with relationship struggles, so why do it alone when you can get help from a professional? At the very least, it's a step in the right direction. Relationships are work and turning to a professional is a sign of wanting to salvage your relationship. It’s a no brainer!

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By Iconic Chica Contributors