“Behind every great relationship are difficult and uncomfortable conversations we rarely get to see. Great relationships don’t just fall into our laps. They require people to move through their fears and insecurities and do the hard work to move wounds into healing.”– Vienna Pharaon
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Do the following questions apply to you and your marriage or relationship?
Relationships can’t simply be placed on auto-pilot. They need consistent effort, education, and growth to be successful. This applies to any and all relationships too – from casual dating to committed partnerships, and of course to marriages.
Our licensed professionals are available to help in the following areas:
Failing to put forward the effort to learn how to grow past certain challenges in your path can have devastating consequences for your relationship.
Marriage and relationship counseling can be invaluable to you and those you care about. While many people feel they have a good grasp of their emotions and a solid ability to communicate, working with a professional therapist can help you and your partner see just how much there still is to learn about yourselves.
While individual counseling has its merits, there are situations where there is infinitely more value in approaching counseling as a relationship unit, or a team if you will.
There are many options for marriage and relationship counseling, and each approaches the counseling or relationship issue in a unique way. We’re going to take a look at the most common counseling options for those experiencing challenges in their relationship, and how each one is designed to offer a unique solution to an array of issues.
When you reach out to Pathways Counseling, we can create a counseling plan tailored to the core needs of your relationship.
This is a safe space free of judgment, and we will work with you for what you and your partner need for the highest good of both of you.
Marriage counseling is often looked upon as something that is only needed by couples whose marriage is on the rocks and may be facing divorce, but this is far from the truth.
Marriage counseling can help improve marriages and relationships, whether there are active issues/problems, or the partners simply want to improve how they communicate and support each other in the relationship.
This support and improved communication abilities are the results of working with a professional therapist with experience in getting to the root of potential issues and helping each partner to work through them on their own terms. The dedication of Pathways’ counselors is evident, and it’s why we have been voted one of the Three Best Marriage Counselors in the Scottsdale area.
We understand that some marriages present more challenges than others. Some even have patterns of dysfunctional behavior or thought patterns that have contributed to a variety of unhealthy behaviors and coping mechanisms.
We want to help each partner examine their role in those behaviors, while problematic thought patterns and communication habits are uncovered, and better techniques implemented.
Couples counseling is general counseling that can be used to help those in a relationship to grow beyond a wide range of issues and problems.
One of the benefits of generalized couples counseling is that it can be used regardless of the relationship status or even the orientation or identification of the partners involved.
It can be used for those still in casual or dating relationships, as well as those who have progressed to pre-marriage or marriage, or anyone that has made the decision to gain a better understanding of their own thoughts and emotions in the context of their relationship.
Couples counseling is often used to examine and work through:
For many couples, the decision to begin counseling is a significant one. However, it’s important to remember that going to counseling is nothing to be ashamed of, and is the most effective way to work through many challenges relating to mental and emotional health.
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.”
– Paul Boose
The topic of infidelity is perhaps one of the most sensitive in a relationship. For many, it constitutes a violation of the most intimate levels of trust that one person can have in another.
Relationships that experience issues with infidelity can leave one partner feeling emotionally crushed, and questioning their worth in the relationship. It can also be a source of extreme shame for those involved, which can make it incredibly difficult to discuss openly and subsequently heal from.
One of the most reliable ways to begin recovering from infidelity in your relationship is to begin infidelity counseling. No matter what the conditions were that created the issue, in many cases, professional counseling can help the couple grow past the event.
There is always the potential for forgiveness, hope, and healing, but in most situations, it will require help and guidance from a professional therapist.
Recovering from instances of infidelity in a relationship is often difficult. It can feel nearly impossible since the deep sense of trust that was once there has since been shattered. However, hard work and communication can help lead to a rebuilt foundation of trust. In many cases, working together on rebuilding trust has the potential to be stronger than before, leading to a better and more loving relationship with increased longevity.
Though it is often overlooked in today’s fast-paced life, premarital counseling can have a dramatic effect on boosting the success rate of relationships.
After all, successful relationships don’t just grow from a perfect meeting story. Truly successful relationships need to be worked on and cultivated, and those involved need to dedicate time and effort to make them last.
Many problems prior to and during a marriage come from simple issues with communication.
These issues can stem from things like who does the dishes to who is in charge of the finances and bills. By entering into premarital counseling, partners can work on ensuring they are bringing solid communication skills into their marriage.
It can also help each partner to make sure that they are entering into marriage only after having set appropriate and realistic expectations for the relationship.
By having already gone over many of the potential challenges or issues, the marriage can enjoy a stronger, healthier start, and a more resilient.
Love is love, and at Pathways we understand that your relationship is special and unique, no matter the sex or gender identity of the partners involved. That said, it is undeniable that those in the LGBTQ+ community face unique issues and challenges that those in traditional cis or hetero relationships may not have to deal with, and they can eventually take their toll on one or both partners and/or the relationship.
Pathways Counseling Services offers safe and judgment-free relationship counseling for couples in the LGBTQIA+ community. Our goal is to assist couples hoping to try and work through some of the stress and even trauma that can result from simply being with your partner in your relationship. This is in addition to the normal relationship stressors that occur in any relationship such as money issues, sexual communication, or even daily household chores.
Some of the unique challenges your relationship may face:
While most people never enter into marriage planning to one day get divorced, it’s an undeniable fact that some relationships that progress to marriage may one day end in divorce.
When this happens, it can be an incredibly emotional and even traumatic time for those in the relationship, as well as for their family, especially if children are involved.
Even though we never expect it can happen to us, when it does, it’s important to understand that having an impartial third party can help lend a lot of objectivity to the situation. This objectivity alone can be beneficial for all parties involved.
Divorce counseling can be a vital technique to better understand your emotional and psychological processes during the divorce events, which can be crucial since the divorce and similar breakups can be one of the most painful and traumatic events in their life besides the death of a loved one.
Pathways Counseling Services will never lead you to one decision over another. That said, we can help you better understand how to cope with, and potentially navigate the path as it unfolds before you. Divorce can be the impetus for a period of significant growth, given the right counseling and personal insight.
Book NowModern dating can feel like one of the most futile efforts for many. While on one hand, most people want to eventually find love and create a healthy and happy partnership, the process involved with actual dating can be tiresome, and even depressing.
Not only are you dating to try and find someone that you would want to spend the rest of your life with, but you’re also trying to do so in a way that is compatible with your mental health.
Since dating is known to be one of those activities that can send all of your triggers into overdrive, the act of dating itself can be exhausting, and as a result, can begin taking a considerable toll.
This effect only grows and compounds as you spend more time in the dating scene going through partner after partner, and ending up with disappointment after disappointment.
One popular way to mitigate the negative effects of having to navigate the turbulent dating waters is to participate in dating counseling. By combining professional counseling with your dating process, you can integrate significant personal growth work and reach important milestones in your own development.
Similar to talking it out with a close friend, working with one of the Pathways counselors can help you see your situation from another perspective. Only in our case, we won’t pass judgment or push you one way or another. We’ll help guide you on the best path for your unique needs.
This change in perspective is often just what’s needed to identify trends in behavior or emotions, or things that aren’t working that can be improved upon.
An expert dating counselor in the Scottsdale area can help you learn what is and isn’t effective in your journey of looking for love. We can also offer guidance, feedback, or even just emotional support while you are trying to create positive changes in your personal life.
Not only can dating counselors help you identify things that don’t work for you, but they can also help you become your overall best self. You can begin capitalizing on your strengths and learning the skills and emotional tools to help attract the type of companionship you’ve been looking for.
No matter what type of relationship you are part of, keeping that relationship healthy will require a significant amount of effort, attention, intention, and a variety of support types.
This means that regardless of your relationship type, it will require work, and it will face challenges now and then. While major stressful or traumatic events can shake a relationship to its core, the simple stress of daily life can begin to take its toll on anyone.
While many relationships can benefit from couples counseling, there are also many situations where individual relationship counseling can be the most effective solution for a healthy and long-lasting relationship.
Even though stress and problems can make partners feel isolated, you don’t have to carry that burden alone, and you can speak with a professional to develop skills and tools that you can use in your relationship to increase its resilience.
Another benefit of going through relationship counseling as an individual (i.e. without your partner) is that it can often help those who may be hesitant to get help in a couples counseling setting.
While many people are open to working on their emotional or psychological issues, they often don’t want to unpack those difficulties in front of even their most trusted partner. Sometimes making improvements on ourselves is critical for the betterment of the relationships we have – romantic or otherwise. You can be a devoted partner and take care of your personal struggles.
Being in a relationship takes effort, and it takes growth. For a relationship to have longevity, all parties involved need to be willing to put in the same level of effort.
Always keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with partnering with a professional to learn new emotional tools, and ways to communicate, and using your current relationship state as an opportunity for growth. If you are interested in learning more about how you can, check out our frequently asked questions, or contact us today to book an appointment!
To be as accommodating as possible for those seeking marriage and relationship counseling, Pathways Counseling Services provides:
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