You’ve been feeling distant from your partner. The stress of life (work, parenting, extended family, money, etc) taken a toll on your marriage. Either or both of you have complicated family histories that impact your present day relationships. You’re arguing more lately. And, the problem never gets resolved, so it feels like you’re on the same loop every time. You avoid conflict and now you feel like your partner isn’t meeting your needs and doesn’t get you.
Whether you are experiencing minor tensions or major relationship problems, couples therapy in Rockville, MD can help. Just like any other health concern, the earlier you get help for your relationship, the better the outcome!
Common Concerns We See During Couples Therapy in Rockville, MD
There’s a wide range of couples concerns we address at MCCC. But, this list is not all-inclusive.
General relationship dissatisfaction
Conflict management
Communication skills
Rebuilding trust
Concerns about time, sex, and money (the 3 most common issues in couples)
Differences in parenting styles
Trouble with in-laws or other family members
Substance use affecting the relationship
Difference in values
Decisions about whether or not to have children
Blended family concerns
Intimacy concerns
Codependency
Why Choose MCCC for Couples Therapy in Rockville, Maryland or Online
Many couples need help to understand what exactly is causing their issues. Sometimes, after you’ve been unhappy for so long, you can’t even point to the things that make you feel so frustrated. To really understand the issues you’re having, you also have to understand how they began and how it’s affecting your thoughts and actions towards your partner. Your therapist will offer you guided help to improve your communication skills. Then, you will be better able to handle any obstacle that could come your way. The goal in couples work is that we create an environment of safety for each of you express your thoughts and emotions, and each of your needs are met. This means we will use whatever shows up session-to-session as content to explore and teach healthier patterns.
If making it to in-person couples therapy at our Rockville, MD counseling clinic doesn’t work for you, we also offer online therapy in Maryland to help you strengthen your relationship and repair any misunderstandings or hurts that have occurred.
Ultimately, our goal is to teach you to address any relationship problems using healthy tools. That way you don’t need us anymore! Basically, we WANT to work ourselves out a job!
What To Expect When You Begin MCCC Couples Therapy in Rockville, MD
Couples counseling may look slightly different based on which provider you work with. But no matter who you work with, the first few sessions will be working with you to develop therapy goals, assessing patterns, providing psychoeducation about how relationships and emotions works, and increasing insight among both you. Some therapists use a structured 4-session intake protocol based on the Gottman Couples Therapy Method. Other therapists do this with a more fluid approah. No matter what, the inital sessions are about laying the groundwork, before truly digging into the therapeutic process.
The Counseling Process
After the intake stage, this is where the work truly begins. Based on your treatment goals, we will explore the different areas of your relationship. We will teach skills to reinforce your foundation. Read more about the Gottman Sound Relationship House.
Ongoing work may include in-session practice conversations, worksheets, and self-regulating tools, You have to be able to soothe your own nervous system to be able to show up effectively with your partner. We weave in strategies from many counseling modalities, including Gottman, EFT, IFS, DBT, The Developmental Model, Relational Life Therapy, and Sex Therapy. Our couples therapy is trauma-informed, and attachment and neurobiology aware.
Once you feel that your couple’s goals are met, we will discuss how you can go about maintenance. Then, we’ll decide together whether or not that includes ongoing therapy.
What Couples Have Said About Marriage Counseling and Couples Therapy at MCCC
I like how we started off by asking us about the history of our relationship. It helped my husband and I share the good beginnings at the start of our work together. My husband and I now have better boundaries. We are able to listen to each other for the emotion behind the words. We can listen without judgement much better now.
Laura is candid but caring. She helped us identify root cause of issues, work toward tangible solutions, and teach us the skills to be able to identify root cause and find a solution ourselves. Now we can understanding the others perspective in arguments or disagreements.
Looking for a Different Way to Improve Your Relationship?
You may be undecided about what you want. Some people don’t know if couples counseling is even going to help. Or, if they are committed enough to do the work. Sometimes, people feel that they cannot get their partner on board with couples counseling. In either of these scenarios, individual therapy can be helpful for you! Individual therapy will help you get a sense of what you want and what your options include.
Begin Marriage Counseling and Couples Therapy in Rockville, MD As Soon As Possible!
There is no perfect time to start. But we know that the sooner the better. It is always easier to treat relationship problems as early as possible to minimize future damage. Follow these steps to begin counseling in Rockville, MD, or online therapy in Maryland or Virginia:
