How Couples Counseling Works
Relationship counseling with Lisa Huybrechts, M.A., N.C.C. works on a number of different levels to help you and your partner create a happier relationship.
On the first level, relationship counseling works because you and your partner have made the choice together to seek help in making things better. The acknowlegement between the two of you that says ‘we need to do some things differently’ puts both of you in a receptive and more willing state of mind to make changes. Lisa will be your partner in change: supporting you, challenging you, and holding you accountable.
As an unbiased third party, Lisa can help you two to understand each other. As she warmly understands and unfolds each of your feelings she can then 'interpret' what you are really saying and feeling to your partner in a way that he or she can understand. As understanding increases, talking and sharing, rather than fighting, can start to happen.
In the counseling process itself you will have the opportunity for new experiences. Many times when couples are in a rough patch their interactions will become somewhat repetitive. There is a well-worn path that disagreements tend to take, where the same things are said and done over and over again. When you meet with Lisa you will be encouraged to get out of the old pattern and new conversations will be able to happen. She may be challenged to listen to each other and understand each other in a way that is not possible during the same old fights.
Relationship change occurs on a number of levels. A first level of change is behavioral change. Lisa will help you to see what behaviors you both might be engaging in during interactions with each other that are not helpful. New, more productive ways of behaving can create immediate changes in your relationship.
Communication skills are another important area of counseling. Learning how to talk so that your partner can listen to you is an essential relationship skill. Lisa can help you to each identify strengths and weaknesses in the ways you approach and react to each other. Likewise, learning how to intentionally listen to your partner is not always an easy thing to do. Being in a supportive environment where you and your partner are able take in what each is saying can allow connection to grow.
Lisa will also help you understand the patterns occuring between the two of you When you begin to understand how you are each affecting the other, and perhaps contributing to the other's position in the relationship, you will be more able to make different choices.
Lastly, through working with Lisa, you and your loved one can develop empathy and understanding for each other. When you feel how you’re each affecting the other and are able to communicate the love and attachment that is underneath it all, healing experiences will start to take place in the counseling room and at home too.
Lisa can also help good relationships can become great relationships with short term ‘relationship coaching’ or ‘tuneups’ – which in just a few sessions can give you and your partner insight into each other as well as practical strategies on how to make your relationship even more fantastic.
Take care of your relationship. Call 303.861.1110 or email
to schedule your free consultation with Lisa Huybrechts, M.A., N.C.C.