When you meet with a licensed therapist for emergency relationship counseling, they will help you get to the underlying issues in your relationship. Many couples tend to fight about surface problems without ever truly getting to the real issue in their relationship. This means no matter how much they argue they might not get close to solving a problem. A therapist is a trained professional in helping sort through the surface problems to find out where the real problem lies. Therapists also help you spot breakdowns that you have in communication. Sometimes problems in a relationship can start to be solved simply by improving the communication skills between the couple. Other times the therapist can help the couple determine where boundaries need to be set in their lives. It could be setting boundaries with their parents, spouses, friends, or anyone in their relationship. Therapists are often able to help a couple that has experienced larger problems like broken trust by helping them work to a place of forgiveness so they can start rebuilding trust with each other. Sometimes the problems that couples have within their relationship stem from situations or experiences that one or both individuals experienced in their past. This could be situations like bad relationships with their parents or having been abused. Therapists can help people to identify these situations and work through the processing of their feelings, so they don’t bring past problems into a current relationship.

Emergency relationship counseling is very much worth it because your state of the relationship is probably worth examining. The expectation that counseling will “save” or “end” a relationship is the wrong perspective, to begin with. Ask yourself this question: would you wish for yourself or your spouse to be unhappy and/or unfulfilled? If not, seeking help is the better option. You will know the worth of counseling once you seek it!

While relationship counseling can certainly help in many situations, it isn’t the miracle overnight solution to solve all the issues suddenly some people believe it to be. It takes time and effort from both the people in a relationship. One important thing to remember is that your therapist is not going to tell you what to do and what not to do but, they can help you to reach the decision. Even though therapy is named an “emergency”, it is the preventive measure that couples will take. Just like precaution is always better than a cure, taking counseling at an early stage is always better than regretting it in the future. In couples therapy, positive results often depend on the couple’s motivation and dedication to the process.

The purpose of emergency relationship counseling is to help partners learn more about each other and acquire healthy problem-solving skills. The counselor may interview both partners, together or individually, during the first few sessions. Later they may provide feedback. The couple may set therapeutic goals with the guidance of the therapist and develop a plan for therapy so each person knows what to expect. As therapy progresses, each partner may become a better listener and communicator. Partners also often learn to support each other in new ways. It is not uncommon for conflict to arise in therapy sessions. An ethical counselor will remain neutral and avoid taking sides. Some marriage counselors offer supplemental individual sessions to each partner. Others may offer individual sessions upon request.

Relationship counseling is generally held once a week. The schedule can vary depending on the couple’s goals and whether each partner is also attending individual or group therapy sessions. Couples counseling is offered in a variety of settings, including private practices, university counseling centers, and group practices.