When Couples Counseling becomes a Necessity
There are couples who wouldn’t consider counseling at first. Take Josh and Anna, a young couple who started off as college sweethearts. Both are very driven individuals, whose chosen profession means a lot to them. When Anna started coming home later and later each night, Josh wrote it off to her new business and didn’t think much of it. Anna finally came forward after about a year, telling Josh about a man she had been seeing on the side. Josh was livid and instantly filed for divorce. Anna insisted on couples counseling before “throwing it all away.”
Both had confessed at their first session that therapy was something they would never have chosen in the past. Neither had any history of psychotherapy and both thought it of it as a “weak move” as Josh put it. They felt compelled to pursue therapy mainly because their marriage would undoubtedly end if they didn’t.
This is a common story in therapeutic circles. Sometimes therapy becomes a “do or die” situation and people who would generally be adverse to it, are suddenly open and ready to dive in. Regardless of the reason, therapy can be a tremendous help, especially in situations like Josh and Anna’s.
They two worked hard for a year but are still married. Josh realized he played a part in the infidelity as well. He had stopped giving anything romantically to Anna after they married and she felt lonely. Once he realized this, it helped defray some of the rage he was feeling. He felt empathy for Anna instead. Marriage counseling allowed for a change in outlook and often, that’s the beginning of much-needed change.
