6 Signs That Tell You Need To See a Marriage Therapist
Staying in a long-term relationship can be difficult for many people because disagreements, arguments, and fights are bound to come up. No marriage is perfect, but it doesn’t have to end in separation or divorce despite the differences between the concerned individuals.
A marriage and family therapist can help couples resolve their issues, improve their communication, and rekindle emotions that may have dimmed. It takes effort to make relationships work, and a marriage counsellor can help guide you through the steps.
Let’s explore the six indications that you need the help of a relationship therapist.
Feeling Indifference
When couples reach a point in their relationships in which they stop caring, then it may be time to seek the help of a marriage therapist. But how do you spot the signs of indifference? Here are some tell-tale symptoms:
- Not caring when your spouse or partner is upset
- Being emotionally detached when relationship issues come up
- No longer having the desire to spend time with your spouse or partner
- Living separate personal lives away from each other
- Being unconcerned when your sex life is in difficulty
- Becoming disinterested in the details of your spouse or partner’s life
These are some of the most common symptoms of indifference found in struggling relationships. However, you or your partner may feel other forms of indifference that are unique to your relationship.
Constant Antagonistic Fighting
Some couples show their unhappiness by fighting with their partners constantly. For example, couples may struggle to get along because every conversation they have can lead to disagreements, arguments, and fights.
The communication breakdown can lead to one or both parties feeling overly hurt, which makes them more sensitive or defensive than usual. This can make one or both partners treat each other as the antagonist or the enemy.
When this happens, couples often find themselves having the same fights over and over again. Sometimes, the root cause is past trauma, or it can be the actions of one or both parties in the relationship.
A marriage therapist can help mediate relationship issues and pave the way for smoother communication. By understanding how compromises work, couples can begin to improve their skills in handling themselves and addressing their partners.
Keeping Secrets
Couples may need to seek the help of a marriage therapist when one or both parties start keeping secrets from the other. While some white lies may be tolerated, issues such as life-altering secrets should not be.
For example, a husband can tell a little white lie to his wife by saying she hasn’t gained a pound since the day they met. However, when he starts to have secret phone calls or message conversations with other people, then it may be time to review the relationship.
When one begins to hide away information about one’s life from one’s partner, it could be indicative of a bigger issue. It may mean that they no longer trust their partner or worse, they may no longer be interested in sharing things with their partner.
Lacking Intimacy
It is not uncommon for many couples to struggle when it comes to maintaining a high level of physical intimacy, especially after several years of married life. It can be due to familiarity or the sense of contentment between the couples. Nevertheless, physical intimacy remains to be an important facet of every committed romantic relationship.
However, when you or your partner struggle to be physically intimate, it might be time to seek help from a qualified marriage therapist. If you feel a lack of intimacy for or from your partner, then counselling can help both parties get the passion back into the relationship.
Being Unfaithful
It can be incredibly difficult for a couple to get past any infidelity in their relationship because it signals a violation of trust and respect that is not easily earned back. Infidelity is often triggered by certain factors that both parties need to understand and overcome. Typically, infidelity is caused by a sense of loneliness and misunderstanding.
If left alone, it can eat away at both parties until the marriage or relationship breaks down. While most people associate infidelity with a sexual affair, it could also be in the form of emotional infidelity, where one party is more emotionally attached to people other than their partner.
Financial Dishonesty
Believe it or not, finances play a significant part in relationships. A partner who hides, lies, or keeps secrets about their finances are indicative of a relationship that is in distress. Financial dishonesty can come in many forms, such as opening bank accounts, taking out credit cards, and applying for loans without informing the partner.
Financial dishonesty can be a tricky factor to resolve between partners in a relationship because it involves money as well as emotional attachments. A trained marriage counselor can help determine the best approach to find a solution to such a relationship problem.
