When It May Be Time for Couples Therapy…

July 13, 2014 by
couple beach
“Love is like a butterfly.
Hold it too loose and it will fly away.
Hold it too tight and it will crush.” ~ Midnight Train
“Don’t smother each other.  No one can grow in the shade.” ~ Leo Buscaglia
Relationships are challenging.  When the conflicts outweigh the joy, connection feels like just a memory, or the tension impacts the children in more and more unhealthy ways….it may be time to consider couples therapy.  On the flip side, many couples decide to seek pre-marital counseling from a preventative standpoint to prepare for a life-long union and build a healthy, supportive, loving relationship that will be able to withstand the inevitable storms.
If you are searching for a couples therapist together, you are already on the right path.  If you are trying to convince your partner to participate in counseling with you, your hope for the relationship is the first step.
In order for couples therapy to be effective, the role of the therapist as a neutral party is essential.  Sessions may be a combination of joint and individual appointments in order to help you reach shared goals together.  Common topics addressed include communication, trust, and intimacy.  
Making the decision together to select a therapist with whom you will both feel comfortable is an important factor in the potential effectiveness.  If either partner feels the therapist has “sided” with the other from the beginning, it will be challenging to fully participate and hear feedback openly.  Review various therapists’ website together, discuss with your partner before making an appointment, and call to schedule a session with your partner present or invite him/her to also call so that you may both gather a personal feel even before the first appointment. 
Best wishes as you continue working towards a healthy, committed, and reciprocal relationship…
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” ~ C.G. Jung

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Filed Under: Couples Connection, Mental Wellness
About Kimberly Rodgers, LCSW, RPT-S

Kimberly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Florida and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor through the Association for Play Therapy. She also supervises clinical social work interns pursuing licensure. She has worked as a psychotherapist for twelve years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Georgia and Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Central Florida.

Her experience includes foster care, adoption, youth shelter, youth related research, school-based counseling, and sexual assault crisis center settings prior to private practice. She specializes in counseling children, families, and adults struggling with stress, anxiety, trauma, and adjustment to life transitions. Kimberly is a current Board member of the Mental Health Association of Southwest Florida and former Vice-President of the Southwest Florida chapter of the Association for Play Therapy. She is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers and EMDR International Association.

Kimberly is founder of Monarch Wellness (originally Monarch Therapy), an integrative center focused on empowering individuals and families through emotional and behavioral metamorphosis. In addition to counseling and play therapy, the center offers other supportive modalities to further enhance emotional healing and stress management including support groups, yoga, laughter yoga, breathwork, integrative relaxation, and sound therapy. Monarch Wellness' sister site eFitFamily.com offers health related information and inspiration for everyday families to live healthier every day. The center is also involved with House of Gaia community center and other community and service focused organizations. More information about Kimberly and her practice can be found online: www.MonarchWellness.net.

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