Being in a relationship can be tricky sometimes. You need to adjust to other people’s personalities and make compromises to make sure the relationship works well for both parties involved. However, this can be a difficult task and cause some friction from time to time. Some couples can resolve the friction without any outside assistance while others need some sort of intervention or a neutral third party.
In most cases, this means couple’s therapy. You visit a therapist together and/or individually and resolve your problems in a guided and healthy manner. But can you do this with couple’s therapy? Can you attend sessions together and resolve your problems together?
Can You Attend Therapy Online as a Couple?
Yes, you can. Many people like online couple’s therapy because you can attend sessions together regardless of your location. For example, if you live in one city and your partner lives in another, you can still attend sessions together at the same time. This works well for couples who have separated temporarily and are living in separate locations.
It also works well for couples living together. It is easier to attend couples and individual therapy sessions without dealing with scheduling issues.
Why Attend Both Couple and Individual Sessions?
Problems in a relationship often stem from individual concerns and stressors as well as the friction between a couple. This means you need to work on issues together and work on your own issue individually. Most couples’ counselors will come up with a combination of group and individual sessions. You can also have sessions with your children involved to ensure everyone affected by your relationship problems can have some support.
Modern psychologists focus on cultivating both acceptance and change, which has proven to be a more effective way to address relationship problems. Acceptance can be often found in group sessions as the couples listen to each other’s perspectives and listen to the therapist’s observations together. It is easier to accept certain things and set realistic standards for a relationship through honest discussions.
Individual sessions are focused on change and self-development. If there are some aspects of you that make your partner uncomfortable, like rage issues or self-destructive behavior, you need to work on them individually with your therapist. That’s why it is important to attend sessions separately and work on those issues without your partner being present.
Online therapy makes this easier as well. You can easily manage your group and individual sessions, and discuss your issues over text messaging privately. There is no need to travel to the therapist’s office together and separately, or find ways to make your schedules work. This can be easily done during the weekend or while having breakfast or while you are relaxing in your bed in the evening.
How to Create the Best Environment for Therapy?
One of the advantages traditional therapy has over online therapy is the environment. It is easier to put yourself in the therapy mindset when you are in the office of a therapist. There are no distractions and you can focus solely on the session. When you attend sessions from home, the formal environment isn’t there and many people struggle to take therapy as seriously as they should because of this. However, it is possible to create a good environment in your home as well. Here’s a look at how you can do that:
- Silence Devices – The first thing to do when you are attending a session is to silence devices. Let people know that you will be busy with therapy in advance and tell them to only call if there is an emergency. That way you aren’t disrupted during the session.
- Children and Pets – Make sure your children and pets have someone to look after them when you’re in therapy. If the children are old enough to remain unsupervised for an hour or so, ask them to remain quiet and not disrupt you during the session.
- Comfortable – Make sure your environment is comfortable and clean. A clean and comfortable environment can create a positive backdrop for your therapy session and help you become more focused on the task.
- Fed and Watered – Drink water and have a decent meal before you attend a session. If you’re hungry or thirsty, your patience will run short and that will disrupt the therapy session. It is important to be in a relatively good mood when you’re working on healing the bridge between you and your partner.
We also recommend implementing the advice your therapist offers in day-to-day life. Therapy will only work if you work with the therapist and your partner. With cooperation and dedication, coming to an understanding will be easier and help you get on a more positive path. Attending counseling sessions together online can go a long way to help heal your relationship.
