As most people know, the world of mental health and therapy faces a significant degree of stigma. Although nearly anyone can benefit from various forms of counseling services, too often people view couples therapy in particular as a waste of time or money.
In addition to the excuse that premarital or couples counseling is a waste of time or money, many people have other misconceptions about therapy that keep them from seeking help. Let’s take a look at three of the more popular excuses people give for not seeking couples therapy:
Therapy Never Works
Like anything in life, when it comes to therapy, results will vary. The success of your counseling experience largely depends on the situation at hand. However, research shows that premarital and couples therapy is very effective. In fact, studies show premarital counseling can reduce the likelihood of divorce by 50% or more.
Couples Therapy is Too Expensive
While therapy does come with associated costs, the price of a separation or divorce could be considerably higher. It makes sense to try to restore marriages first before deciding to part. Additionally, some health insurance plans cover short-term counseling plans or the therapy costs to deal with a short-term crisis. Don’t rule out therapy until you’ve considered the costs of all of your options.
Therapy Takes A Long Time to Work
Too often, couples avoid signing up for counseling to work through relationship problems due to time constraints. They believe that therapy will take hours of their time over several weeks. However, even a short session or two can have an impact on your relationship, and a single weekend of couples therapy might change your outlook. And, you can always start with a short-term plan before committing to more extensive counseling sessions.
With divorce rates highest within the first three to four years, it’s never too early to sign up for counseling. In fact, half of couples who divorce do so within 12 years of getting married. Prematurely dismissing couples therapy could be detrimental to your relationship and long-term happiness. Contact Keri Powell Therapy to find out how couples counseling can help keep your love healthy and strong for years to come.