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1.1 RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING NORWICH CONCLUSION

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RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING NORWICH

Relationship Counselling Norwich. At some stage in our life, we are all going to have some difficulty with a relationship. It may be with your partner, parent, sibling, child or friend.

These difficulties may come about due to a difference in values, expectations or beliefs. Depending on how we deal with these difficulties we can either strengthen or damage our relationships.

We all come to each of our relationships with our own unique set of values, expectations and past experiences. These will impact our relationships in many ways and sometimes without us realising it.

Relationship Counselling Norwich. By examining the impact your past may be having on you and your relationships, as well as how you communicate and deal with conflict, you may be able to resolve the problems you are facing.

It is through this understanding you can see if your behaviour patterns are helpful or harmful to your relationship. With the increased insight you may also begin to understand and respect differences in other people, which in turn will lead to less conflict in your life.

Relationship Counselling Norwich. Relationship counselling can be done by yourself or together. If you feel more comfortable doing one on one counselling sessions to begin with, that can prove to be just as successful as doing joint sessions with your loved one.

It may seem daunting or uncomfortable, but simply by being here, and reading this, you have taken an important first step to improve your relationship. If you would like to talk contact me here for help with your relationship

Sometimes couples aren’t sure whether coming to relationship counselling together is what they want, or one partner is less sure than the other that they would like to attend.

Relationship Counselling Norwich. So an initial session with the counsellor can be helpful to explore feelings about the process and to reach a joint decision about whether to enter couple counselling. This session is the consultation stage, where you get a free 30-40 minutes consultation with our relationship counsellor.

There you will discuss how to align your schedule with that of your counsellor and some other important things like what the problem is, and what can be done to improve you and your partner overall.

If the couple decides to go ahead with joint counselling, a contract is made, and the process is explained in more detail by the counsellor. Some couple counsellors will hold individual sessions within the overall couple counselling contract, and this process will be fully explained.

How does Couple Counselling work?

Relationship Counselling Norwich. Relationship counselling proceeds on the basis that both partners are willing to accept responsibility for the future of their relationship. Sometimes of course one partner might feel that the other bears most of the blame for the situation that they face.

And this is fully explored during counselling. One partner may feel betrayed, hurt, or misunderstood by the other. Relationship counselling works by emphasising that each partner has emotional needs, and helps the couple to communicate these, reach a deeper understanding of each other and to find a new way of relating in the future.

Both partners are fully involved in the counselling process and each one develops a deeper understanding of their role in the relationship. The counsellor will not tell you what to do, or give advice, but will help both of you to decide on the changes you would like to make.

Relationship Counselling Norwich. There are times when couples decide during the course of counselling that their relationship is over, and the counsellor will not try to persuade them to stay together if they have decided to end the relationship. All they do is counsell you on how to make the right decision that will be beneficial to both parties.

WHO IS RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING SUITABLE FOR?

Relationship counselling is for any couple who feels that they would like their relationship to improve and are prepared to work on that together. It is for couples who have only been together for a short time or those who have been partners for many years.

Relationship Counselling Norwich isn’t complex. Essentially, it’s a specialised kind of talking therapy where two people sit down with a counsellor to talk about the way they are relating.

Typically, it’s for two people in a romantic relationship. However, it can also be used by any two people wanting to improve their relationships, such as two family members, or two business partners.

Relationship counselling exists to help you see clearly what is currently happening in your relationship, to be clear about what you would like to be different and to enable you to bridge the gap.

It’s dynamically different to one-to-one counselling because there are three people in the room, but it shares the same values: confidentiality, a code of ethics, and a focus on you and your needs. What it’s not about is the opinions or preferred outcomes of the counsellor.

The common problems

The most common issue is difficulties in communicating. As everybody knows, it’s easy over time to fall into unhelpful habits that mean we no longer hear what the other person is saying, and we become polarised in our own view of the world. That said, communication challenges can be a contributing factor, or a reflection of a number of issues couples bring into the room. These include:

Affairs
Betrayal
Issues of trust
Jealousy
Financial issues
Differing values and goals
Differing parenting styles
Wider family conflicts
Life changes (empty nest, bereavement, illness, etc.)
Sexual issues
Emotional intimacy issues
Work-related difficulties
Gender role conflict
Religion or politics

Relationship Counselling Norwich. The job of your counsellor is to help you get underneath and around these problems to work out what it is, that’s happening to you both.

Beyond the issue at hand, you are in a process of relating with each other, and it is in exploring and evolving the way you interact that you can bring a difference to the way you resolve that issue.

Your counsellor may help you explore different dimensions of your fit as a couple, looking at where you are similar, where you differ, and how you can come to play to strengths and appreciate your differences.

WHAT COUPLES COUNSELLING DOES

Relationship Counselling Norwich. During relationship counselling, you gain new perspectives about each other and the way you relate, and you also learn new ways of being together.

Couples counselling includes “skills work” to help you actually do something different, as well as helping you explore your feelings and thoughts with your partner.

It has an appreciative focus as well as exploring difficulties, so be prepared to recall what you love and value about each other, and to look at your partner with kind eyes.

WHAT RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING DOESN’T DO

Relationship counselling isn’t a magic cure. It requires an investment of honesty, courage and humility. Often, couples come into counselling blaming one another for their difficulties. (It’s not unusual for couples to start arguing in front of the counsellor.)

Relationship Counselling Norwich. Remember, relationship counsellors are not passive. They will intervene to focus the session on insight and action. For you and your partner, this often involves letting go of fixed perspectives and stepping back to see the process of how you interact.

Remember, relationship counselling is not a place to avoid emotions; exploring your feelings and finding different perspectives it helps you decide what you are able and willing to change.

Relationship counsellors may well provide you with coaching. For example, they may help you learn to communicate differently, but what they will not do is give advice about life issues, or solve your problems. They are also not there to take sides. Rather, they will help you both to be heard.

Importantly, couples counselling is not appropriate when a relationship is abusive. If an abuse dynamic is identified, your counsellor will help you with onwards referrals to get the help you need, with safety as a priority.

RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING NORWICH CONCLUSION

Relationship Counselling Norwich Conclusion. It may be useful to pay attention to different aspects of your relationship. For example, you can focus on:

How do you view the level of commitment to each other?

How do you communicate?

How do you connect and play together?

How do you compromise?

How do you resolve disputes?

How do you nurture and care for yourselves and each other?

How do you grow together?

The overall process of couples counselling can be described as one of expression, joint discovery, sense-making and action-planning. The ideal outcome from counselling would be that you are equipped to do this together for yourselves in the future.

Relationship Counselling Norwich Conclusion. Sometimes, however, as a result of couples counselling, clients come to a decision to end their relationship. Counselling can then fulfil a role in helping the couple to end well, and to take care of issues that are important to you (for example, caring for children) in a mutually respectful and beneficial way.

RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING NORWICH

RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING NORWICH CONCLUSION

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