Marriage Counseling
IN CUMMING, GA
Are you feeling disconnected in your relationship? Feeling more like roommates than a couple? Or do you find yourself snapping and yelling at your partner most of the time? Couples counseling can help!
How do I know if I need marriage counseling?
A certain amount of conflict is normal and even healthy in a committed relationship.
Conflict is an inevitable part of a relationship because two separate people have needs and desires that they’re trying to express. But if you find yourselves having a lot of communication issues and conflict that’s not getting resolved, it could mean that there are problems in the relationship that need to be addressed in therapy.
At the same time, if you find yourself avoiding your partner and rarely sharing feelings about the relationship with them, that also could be a sign that relationship counseling is needed.
How does couples counseling work?
In marriage or couples counseling, the therapist works collaboratively with you to identify the issues both people in the relationship are having.
The therapist’s role is not to take sides or gang up on one person, even if there’s been a major betrayal in the relationship that’s brought you both to couples therapy.
After an initial intake session with the couple, I like to meet with each person one-on-one to get to know them and hear their perceptions and experiences in the relationship with more depth. After these initial sessions, the work of couples therapy really begins. This is when I work to really hear each person and understand not only the problems they’re having but also the strengths and assets they have as a couple that may have been forgotten or harder to see right now.
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
I have been providing relationship counseling since 2010. I also have extensive training in a very effective model of couples counseling called Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT for short).
EFT is a well-researched approach that acknowledges how hard it can be to share our more vulnerable feelings and hurts with our partner. In this approach, I as the therapist help the couple slow down the interactions that fuel an argument and uncover the deeper feelings and needs that are often unspoken but are fueling the disconnection and conflict. It’s in the sharing of these unspoken parts that couples can find healing and re-connection.
Why focus on emotion for communication issues?
If you’ve been to marriage counseling or couples therapy before, the therapist may have spent a lot of time trying to teach you communication and conflict resolution skills. Though this approach can be helpful in the short-term, the gains often don’t last in the long-term because a focus on skills doesn’t touch on the deeper emotional issues at play in the relationship. People are hard-wired for human connection, and if we’re not able to connect with and share our feelings, needs and wants in a relationship, then authentic closeness and intimacy is just not possible.
Affair Recovery Counseling
When both partners are committed to the relationship, it is possible to survive (and even thrive) after an affair or infidelity. Affair recovery counseling requires a focused approach that considers both partners’ needs and feelings, and provides the couple with the tools they need to move forward. Learn about Affair Recovery Counseling at Sweitzer Counseling.
Results from relationship counseling
The biggest predictor of success in couples counseling is how vested both people are in the process, their willingness to look at their role in improving the relationship, and the trust they feel that the therapist can help. Couples engaged in the process of relationship counseling often find themselves:
- Feeling closer and more connected to their partner
- Listening more attentively to their partner’s concerns, feelings and desires
- Feeling less anxious, less depressed, and more alive
- Being more physically and sexually connected to their partner and themselves
Why I am a Cumming couples therapist
I am passionate about my work as a couples therapist because I find deep joy in seeing people rediscover the love and connection they had for their partner when they first fell in love.
I also feel satisfaction in helping couples communicate better so they can feel the goodness of a true life partner in facing the challenges and opportunities of life together.
Growing up I saw my own parents struggle in their marriage and eventually get divorced. I knew I wanted something different and I work hard to live out in my own relationship the values that guide my work. I feel connected to my wife and know in my heart that a fulfilling, strong and joyful relationship is possible for you!
— Brent Sweitzer, LPC RPT
Begin Marriage Counseling in Cumming, Alpharetta and Johns Creek, GA
You don’t have to continue suffering through relationship problems. Marriage counseling can help you communicate better and feel closer. My Cumming counseling office is conveniently located off of 400 and I specialize in improving relationships. To start your couples counseling journey, follow these simple steps:
1
Reach Out
Call me at 678-701-7545 or fill out this form so we can schedule a free 20 minute consultation. This helps you make sure there's a fit between what you're wanting to get out of counseling and my skills & approach.
2
Begin Counseling
Once you decide to begin counseling, you'll fill out the initial paperwork securely using the client portal. We will meet and begin the therapeutic counseling journey together.
3
Experience Relief
Through your counseling sessions, you will start working on your healing -- experiencing shifts, progress, and relief as you go.
MORE SERVICES
Other Counseling Services at Sweitzer Counseling
Relationship counseling isn’t the only service I provide at my Cumming Counseling office. I also help parents and children using play therapy, offer teen therapy, premarital counseling and individual counseling for issues such as stress and anxiety, grief and loss, and men’s issues.