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Couples Therapy

No matter our background or life circumstances, we are all vulnerable to experiencing relationship problems. 

Couples that come into therapy often report feeling hurt, misunderstood, unheard, and distant from one another. Likely, they’ve gotten stuck in a cycle of defensiveness, blame, avoidance, or escalation. Couples therapy provides a safe environment in which to break these cycles by guiding each partner to share their internal experience and unmet needs and actively listen to one another. When we’re really able to hear our partner’s perspective and feel heard in return, the door to connection and empathy opens. When couples feel closer, they report more emotional and physical intimacy, better co-parenting, and more effective problem-solving.

Couples therapy aims to teach couples how to connect more deeply and better navigate conflict by improving communication and enhancing emotional intimacy. The first few sessions of couples therapy focus on working with the therapist to identify challenges in your relationship, discuss your history as a couple, and establish treatment goals. Typically, within the first few sessions each member of the couple will also meet individually with the therapist. With all of this information, your therapist will work with you to draw out a roadmap of how your relationship challenges came to be and how they keep popping up or getting worse. Throughout treatment, you will use this roadmap as a guide to achieve your goals.

Making the decision to enter into couples therapy isn’t easy, and sometimes it can take time for both partners to feel ready and on-board with the decision. To learn more about whether couples therapy at NYCBT is the right fit for you, or to schedule a free 10 minute call, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Karen Rothman at karen@newyorkcbt.com.

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