Couples therapy, also called marriage counseling, is a type of psychotherapy. Couples therapy helps couples of all types recognize and resolve conflicts and improve their relationships. Through couples therapy, you can make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding and strengthening your relationship or going your separate ways.

Couples therapy is often short term. Couples therapy typically includes both partners, but sometimes one partner chooses to work with a therapist alone. The specific treatment plan depends on the situation.

Why It’s Done

Some couples seek marriage counseling to strengthen their partnership and gain a better understanding of each other. Marriage counseling can also help couples who plan to get married. Premarital counseling can help couples achieve a deeper understanding of each other and iron out differences before marriage.

In other cases, couples seek marriage counseling to improve a troubled relationship. You can use marriage counseling to help with many specific issues, including:

• Communication problems
• Sexual difficulties
• Conflicts about child rearing or blended families
• Substance abuse
• Anger
• Infidelity