Couples Therapy in Singapore

Relationships and marriages can have problems because of communication problems, intimacy, anger and even illness. To manage conflicts and stress, couples sometimes turn to counselling or couples therapy to help heal the relationship.

Couples Therapy enables couples of all types to identify and resolve conflicts and strengthen their relationships. Through this therapy, partners can make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding their relationship and strengthening their bonds. It includes both partners, but sometimes one partner chooses to work with a therapist alone. This kind of specific therapy plan depends on the situation at hand.

All relationships aren't perfect. Each partner brings his/her own ideas, values, opinions and personal emotional baggage into a relationship, and they don't always match their partner's. These differences don't necessarily mean your relationship is bound for conflict. On the contrary, differences can be complementary as it’s could mean opposites attracting. These differences can also help people accept, understand, and respect opposing views and cultures. But relationships tend to be challenging and complex at various stages of life. Contrasts that you once found charming may get troublesome after a period of time together. Sometimes, explicit issues, like an extramarital issue or loss of physical allure, triggers issues in a relationship.

Any kind of distress in a relationship can create undue stress, tension, sadness, worry, fear and other problems. One may hope that the relationship troubles just go away on their own. But left to fester, a weak relationship may only worsen and eventually lead to physical or psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety. Such relationships can also create problems at work and affect other family members or even friendships, as people feel compelled to take sides.

Couples counselling can help you and a spouse or partner cope with:

• Infidelity
• Divorce
• Substance abuse
• Physical or mental conditions
• Cultural clashes
• Finances
• Unemployment
• Blended families
• Communication problems
• Sexual difficulties
• Conflicts about child rearing
• Infertility
• Anger
• Changing roles, such as retirement

How does Couples Therapy work?

• It brings couples or partners together for combined therapy sessions. The counselor or therapist helps couples recognize and understand the sources of their conflicts and tries to resolve them. Both partners will analyze the good and bad parts of their relationship.
• It can help the partners learn skills to solidify and strengthen their relationship. These skills may include communicating effectively, problem solving together and discussing differences rationally. In some cases, such as mental illness or substance abuse, the therapist may work with other health care professionals to provide a complete spectrum of treatment.
• Talking about problems with a counselor may not be easy. Sessions may pass in silence as the partners see the over perceived wrongs. Or alternatively, they may fight, yell and argue during sessions. Both are OK. The therapist can act as mediator or referee and help cope with the emotions and turmoil.
• Strengthening bonds: It’s not necessary to have a troubled relationship to seek therapy. Couples counselling can help couples that simply want to strengthen their relationship bond and gain a better understanding of each other. Furthermore, it can also help couples that plan to get married. This pre-marriage counselling can help one achieve a deeper understanding of each other and help form a strong foundation of marriage.