Relationship counseling is a very important goal to add to your resolution list if you are having relationship trouble, but even if you are not. Putting your marriage or relationship goals as a top priority offer many benefits. Relationship counseling is helpful for creating a stronger connection with your partner, resolving conflict, or repairing damage to the relationship. Most often couples try hard to do the work on their own, but find that things quickly return to the way they were which leaves everyone frustrated. When you receive expert relationship advice you gain the ability to make lasting changes. So, amidst the hustle and bustle of the new year, what are the best ways to achieve your 2020 relationship goals through relationship counseling?
Relationships are historically over-romanticized and assumed to be easy. There is a societal misconception that you do not need to learn relationship skills to know how to have a healthy relationship. This couldn't be further from the truth. It is one area most people do not receive any formal training in, outside of what they learned by watching their own parents. Your role models for relationship success or failure pave the way for how you interact in your romantic relationships now. Relationship counseling gives you the tools and strategies to communicate healthily, maintain intimacy and connection, resolve conflict, and overcome barriers.
Think about it, relationships are not set up to be easy after the initial honeymoon period wears off. You are combining two people with two different life experiences and two different brains. When you begin trying to cohabit a life and navigate each other’s thoughts and feelings, it can get complicated. Relationships include work and challenges, but the caveat is that you should enjoy the work and find ways to make it easier.
Relationship counseling goals work the same way as personal growth goals. Creating an individual mission statement for what you want to feel or get from your relationship is the best place to start. Have your partner do the same thing. Once you have both created this goal, share it with one another. This will allow you to combine your goals to create one mission statement for the relationship. Who better to hold you accountable than each other while you each make smaller goals to improve the relationship as a whole?
What are some other relationship counseling goals? Do they relate to big changes that you have coming up together such as: moving in together, setting a budget, getting engaged, etc. or simply spending more time together. Thinking about the long-term picture allows you to navigate where you need the most advice. Your relationship is just as much a part of you as any other concept.
Creating a list that focuses on your relationship goals can help you get started. This can be a tangible list that helps validate both of your efforts. It will demonstrate work is being done to enhance your relationship. Making a goal is to sit down with a relationship counselor in Orlando is a great beginning toward making change. Here are some things to consider as a couple:
Think about quality time.
Think about your communication.
Think about your values.
Think about your long-term goals as a unit.
Think about your intimacy.
Think about past hurt.
No relationship is perfect, there is always something to work on, and there is no better way to find a core goal than collaborating with the person you love. Relationship counseling is helpful because you both are not alone and have someone to guide you on the journey.
Still struggling to pinpoint goals for your relationship in the new year? Don’t know where to start or how to fix your relationship? Contact a relationship in Orlando at Orlando Thrive Therapy today. To speak directly to the author of this blog, contact Mallory Hawkes . Thrive on!
Heather Oller is the owner and founder of Orlando Thrive Therapy, Coaching, and Counseling. She is a licensed counselor and a family mediator who has over 23 years of dedicated work as a professional in the mental health field. Through her company's mission, she continues to pave the way for future therapists, and their clients, who want a higher quality of life....and who want to thrive, rather than just survive. You can contact Orlando Thrive Therapy at (407) 592-8997 for more information.