Couples Therapy & Marriage Counseling

A marriage requires maintenance to keep it working as well as the day you said: “I do”. If you feel that you and your partner are not as close as you’ve been in the past, it’s crucial to start taking the difficult but necessary steps forward to ensure your relationship thrives and your mental health improves. At Great Lakes Psychology Group, we understand the many frustrations you may be going through and our network of counselors, psychologists, and therapists can give you the resources to strengthen your relationship and provide the outcome you desire.

Did you know most distressed couples wait an average of six years before seeking professional marriage counseling?

Six years is a very long time for anyone to endure the emotional alienation, stress, and loneliness that typically accompanies relationship distress.

Common phrases from couples seeking counseling include:

“We keep having the same arguments over and over again.”
“We just aren’t as close as we used to be. We’ve grown apart.”
“I feel lonely, isolated, and sad in this relationship. I’m just not happy.”
“He/she doesn’t understand me. They never listen.”

Marriage Counseling Techniques

At GLPG, we promote the continuance of training so therapists under our umbrella remain up-to-date on the latest techniques and resources available to them. Here are a few common methods:

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy

Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) is a highly successful and structured approach to marriage counseling that has been shown to be effective in up to 90% of couples. EFT, developed by Dr. Susan Johnson, aims to understand the unique dynamics and issues in every part of the relationship, unlike the common one-size-fits-all “skills building” methods widely used in other techniques.

Marriage counseling with an EFT therapist will help you to identify the common recurring cycles of conflict and emotional withdrawal that characterize distressed marriages, improve communication, resolve conflicts, and increase and maintain mutual respect, commitment, and happiness. This technique provides the framework for couples to restore a secure emotional attachment that is highly predictive of marital stability and longevity.

Gottman Method Couples Therapy

The Gottman Method, discovered by Dr. John Gottman, has helped support couples for the last three decades. This approach aims to build respect through building love maps pinpointing you and your partner’s deepest emotions in every aspect of your lives.

Gottman Method couples therapy provides a calm and open environment for relationships to grow with the guidance of a well-trained marriage therapist. Through this approach, you and your partner can learn how to openly convey the hopes and struggles you both have to increase awareness, acceptance, and strengthen your bond for a better future.