Marriage Counseling - Learning How to Reveal
Phillip had never told Elizabeth about a longstanding addiction of his, until couples counseling. He had been taking pain medication for many years following a serious car accident. His back was badly injured but after several years of physical therapy, it had healed almost 100%. He continued to take pain medication afterwards, telling his wife that he still experienced considerable back pain.
Once the couple entered therapy, Phillip’s addiction had already started affecting their life together. He was becoming despondent and their sex life had been suffering for some time. Elizabeth was at her wit’s end and found herself more and more attracted to a co-worker. She told Phillip this and he expressed little concern. This infuriated Elizabeth - to the point where, as she said, “There’s either I change or I’ll make one.” Phillip agreed it was time for some help.
It took several sessions before Phillip admitted he had an addiction. Elizabeth was stunned. She hadn’t a clue. The therapist explained to Elizabeth the intricacies of addiction and quickly instructed Phillip to seek addiction counseling in addition to marriage counseling. Phillip entered into a 12-step program as well. Elizabeth chose to stick it out. She felt a great deal of empathy and concern when she realized that her husband was suffering from a sickness, one she was prepared to learn more about.
Couples counseling offers a safe platform for couples to reveal secrets, ones that may not be revealed otherwise. In the case of Phillip and Elizabeth, this ability to reveal hidden information saved their marriage.
