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Marriage and Couples Counseling
Sometimes the relationship that was supposed to bring the most joy turns into your biggest source of loneliness and pain. Do you ever look over and wonder, “Who is this person? It’s like they barely know me at all.” You try to connect and help them understand, but then it leads to more arguments and frustration. You have tried so many things, but it hasn’t gotten better—at least not for long. You somehow keep slipping back into negative patterns. You miss the couple you used to be.
Couples counseling and relationship workshops can help you find your way back to one another and experience the joy and happiness you planned to have when you got married. Counseling can help you understand and break negative cycles of communication. It can help you move past difficult experiences and work through issues that keep surfacing. You will gain tools to help you express your needs and really be heard by one another. No more walking on eggshells. No more feeling alone.
There is hope for your relationship.
You can find commitment and happiness again.
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Communication in Marriage Workshops
Kristin Penuel, licensed counselor at Cahaba Counseling, has begun offering marriage workshops on Saturdays for couples who want to go ahead and begin working on their marriage without the full commitment of therapy (or in addition to the work they are doing in therapy). These workshops offer the best resources, tools, and strategies that Kristin uses with clients to help improve communication and connection in their marriages and families. Set aside some time on a Saturday to invest in marriage in a meaningful way. You will learn lots of practical and research-based tools in this fun and interactive workshop.
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In this 3-hour workshop, you will learn:
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How to avoid common pitfalls in communication
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How to communicate in a way that your partner can truly hear you
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Tools to stay connected—even during conflict!
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Ways to strengthen your relationship on a daily basis
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How to get back on track once an argument has gone to “the crazy zone”
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Ways to regain connection and intimacy once the honeymoon phase is a thing of the past
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How to resolve past hurts and be able to fully move forward
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The next Communication in Marriage workshop is on April 19th, so register now!
Here are some areas you may decide to focus on:
Communication
Uncover patterns of communicating that are not working and learn tools for better communication and healthy conflict. Fights don't have to leave you feeling frustrated and alone.
Intimacy
Regain the intimacy that you used to have. Increase empathy, closeness, and true understanding in your relationship.
Trust
Discuss really hard things in a way that brings resolution. Explore the hows and the whys and learn to set and maintain boundaries to protect your relationship.
Commitment
Increase commitment to one another, resolve painful experiences and find a way forward. Set your relationship on solid ground.
Alignment
Get on the same page when it comes to values, parenting, spirituality, finances
You may be asking, "But we've tried so many things. Can this really get better?"
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If you are both committed to doing the work and taking ownership of your part,
therapy can and will help you move in a positive direction.
On average, couples often struggle for 6-7 years with the same issues before they officially take action and see a counselor. If you've been debating seeking help for a while, that's totally normal. What matters is you're getting help now. If you're just beginning to feel stuck in negative patterns, it's never too early to see someone. Many couples find it incredibly helpful to see a counselor a few times for relationship maintenance. Wherever you are on this continuum, we would love to work with you and help you improve the most important relationship in your life.
Reach out today by scheduling a consultation. Let's discuss your needs and find out if couples counseling is right for you.
But what if only one of us wants help?
There is actually a specific type of counseling for couples like this. Discernment counseling helps couples understand what is going wrong in their relationship and get clarity on what they want for their future.
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This type of counseling lasts between 1-5 sessions, and it helps each person to recognize negative patterns in the relationship and what it might take to fix them. This is not couples therapy, as some couples are not ready for this. The purpose is not to work on communication or improve the relationship. The purpose is to get clarity on the future of the relationship and to help the couple decide on the best path for them to take. In the end, couples will know whether they want to (a) continue in the marriage as it is, (b) pursue separation, or (c) take divorce off the table for 6 months while you go all-in on marriage therapy.
Give us a call if you think this type of counseling may be right for you and your spouse.
