Counseling – Exploration, not Work
Most people equate therapy with work. Problem is, most of equate work with something unpleasant, maybe something grueling.
When couples enter marriage counseling, there’s often a sense of a burden. Not only are they contending with whatever issues they are bringing to the table, but they have a sense of a “long journey up ahead.”
It’s important to reframe this mentality in order for couples counseling to be effective and yes, even possibly fun.
Ideally, therapy can provide an unveiling or a lifting of problems. Imagine walking around in summer in many layers of clothing. It’s not work, per se, to remove the layers of clothing. It’s an action geared toward relief and freedom.
In our culture, we are used to the 9 – 5 grind. We’re used to envisioning most situations we encounter with a sense of “what do we have to do now.” When we think of couples therapy, it’s a time to drop those conceptions and open up to the possibility of self-exploration.
As children, we played as a form of “work” but we certainly didn’t see it as work. It was a magical journey and we were the masters of that journey. As the road to therapy begins, it’s important to remind ourselves of that exploratory time.
Therapy is not easy. And yes, sometimes it is work, in the standard sense of the word. But it’s important to enter it with an open mind; a child’s mind if you will. As the layers of clothing come off, you feel a sense of relief, of openness. Even your 9 – 5 might feel differently afterwards!
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- Therapeutic Work for Old Grudges
- Work Ethics in Marriage Counseling
- Letting Laughter Work in Couples Counseling
- Asking for Help Can be the Hardest Part
