Infertility Couples Therapy
There is no doubt that infertility can create immense tension, resentment, and disappointment. Whether a couple has been trying to conceive for a few months or several years, the stress can feel insurmountable. Although research shows that 1 in 8 couples experience infertility, the topic has remained relatively taboo in modern society. As a result, many couples feel alone and isolated in their struggles.
Therapy provides a supportive and professional environment for couples to process their emotions and restore their sense of connection. Couples therapy for infertility addresses relevant issues pertaining to loss, sense of identity, sex and intimacy, and healthy communication.
Why Infertility Couples Therapy Is Beneficial
Infertility couples therapy often tackles the difficult issues associated with infertility, pregnancy, relationships, and marriage. Infertility issues vary among both males and females. Some individuals have medical conditions that they know will affect their fertility. However, up to 20 percent of couples face unexplained infertility. Any of these variables can be challenging for couples to navigate.
Couples often find that infertility impacts the quality of their relationship. Sex may feel like a chore, they might be diligently tracking ovulation, or going through cycles of IVF. Some couples experience one or more miscarriages and all losses can feel incredibly traumatic. It can be difficult to talk about these topics, but therapy helps start those challenging conversations.
Additionally, infertility and psychological therapy for couples usually entails a combination of:
- Exploring feelings related to anger, sadness, fear, loneliness, and resentment
- Addressing co-occurring mental health or substance use issues if applicable
- Strengthening communication
- Providing education and outside resources for support
- Increasing the sense of acceptance for the current reality
Rather than group therapy for infertility, infertility couples therapy offers full focus and attention on the couple. Couples have the opportunity to express exactly what’s on their minds. The treatment is specifically tailored to their unique wants and needs.
What To Expect During Infertility Couples Therapy
Counseling and couple therapy for infertile couples isn’t just about infertility. It’s also about your emotional, physical, and relational health.
In your first infertility couples therapy session, your therapist will ask relevant questions related to your relationship and each of your personal backgrounds. You will be encouraged to share the strengths and weaknesses within your dynamic. You may spend some time talking about your infertility journey, how it impacts you, and how you feel it has affected the quality of your relationship.
Infertility couples therapy is nonjudgmental, compassionate, and also proactive. While sessions may vary from couple to couple, you should expect to have free reign to talk about what’s on your mind. You and your partner will be encouraged to actively listen to one another when the other person speaks. Your therapist may highlight some of the patterns observed in your dynamic. This insight will help you both learn new ways of relating and connecting with one another.
The length of treatment for infertility couples therapy doesn’t adhere to a strict timeline. All couples have differing needs, and these needs may depend on the infertility process itself. Your therapist will collaborate with you to determine the optimal treatment for you and your partner.
Closing Thoughts
Infertility group therapy can be helpful. However, infertility couples therapy addresses the unique needs and struggles existing in your relationship. You don’t have to worry about competing for time or sharing your thoughts in front of several other people.
At Lumos Counseling PC, we understand the unique struggles and fears associated with infertility. We are here for you and your partner. Contact us today to get started.
Top 6 Reasons to Seek Couples Therapy in New Jersey
Do you feel like you and your partner haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye lately? Are you drifting apart from the person you love? Have you exhausted all the self-help options and looking for more support?
Seeking couples therapy in New Jersey can help you and your partner reconnect, rebuild trust, and restore passion. Not sure if therapy is appropriate for you? Here are some of the top reasons to consider treatment.
Reason 1: You Are Having The Same Fight Over And Over Again
All couples experience tension and disagreements. However, if you have the same conflict repeatedly (without any real resolution), it may be time to seek professional support. The good news? You’re not alone. Psychology experts theorize that a staggering 69% of couples conflicts never get solved.
That said, having the same fight over and over again can become exhausting. You risk alienating yourself from your partner. You also risk trying to be right instead of trying to be productive and healthy in your communication. Couples therapy can help you address the tension and ideally create a breakthrough for a better understanding of each other.
Reason 2: You Don’t Trust Each Other
Trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship. When trust is severed or broken, the relationship suffers immensely. Likewise, the process of learning to trust again can be slow and even painstaking. You may be afraid of getting hurt again, and this fear can prevent you both from moving forward.
Attending either couples therapy in NJ or a couple’s marriage retreat can provide you and your partner the tools needed for rebuilding the trust. You will both learn how to speak and listen to each other healthily and productively. Additionally, you will learn new ways to cope and respond to each other in times of stress.
Reason 3: You Are Going Through A Major Transition
Whether it’s planning a family, moving to a new home, or entering retirement, transitions can be both exciting and terrifying. Moreover, they can be stressful—even for the most resilient couples. Marriage counseling in NJ, and especially near you, can provide an outlet for emotional transformation and growth during your transition.
Couples counseling in NJ provides you both with a safe and inviting space to explore your fears and develop healthy coping skills for navigating those seemingly treacherous waters.
Reason 4: You Feel Lost In Parenting
Parenting is one of the hardest tasks a couple can undertake. Research shows that relationship satisfaction can decline twice as fast for couples with children compared to childless couples.
In raising your children, it’s normal to experience some challenges and disagreements. However, if you both have very different approaches to parenting, it can impact the quality of your relationship. It can also affect your child’s health, happiness, and overall functioning.
In therapy, you can receive support and feedback for your approach to parenting. You can learn how to come to mutual agreements in how you raise your family. Moreover, you will gain more respect and appreciation for each other’s roles as parents.
Reason 5: Your Sex Life Is Stressing You Out
Intimacy is one of the cornerstones of a relationship. For some couples, sex is a sacred and enjoyable activity that brings connection and pleasure. For others, it is a vulnerable, sore, and contentious subject.
Over time, intimacy issues can lead to withdrawal and resentment. One or both parties may stray outside of the relationship to satisfy their needs. Couples therapy can help you unpack the underlying issues impacting your sex life. It can also help you learn to increase intimacy in a way that satisfies both of your desires.
Reason 6: One (Or Both) Of You Has Experienced A Trauma
Trauma can impact your self-esteem, sense of safety, and overall quality of life. If trauma-related symptoms like hypervigilance, avoidance, or depression are not addressed, they can progress. This progression can lead to a serious deterioration within couples.
However, couples therapy in New Jersey can allow you to receive nonjudgmental, compassionate support for your experience. You can learn how to lean on your partner (or vice versa) during this difficult experience. Moreover, you will learn skills to conquer the stress together—rather than feeling alone in the battle.
Seeking Couples Therapy In New Jersey
Seeking couples therapy in NJ can help you and your partner restore and revitalize the joy and meaning in your relationship. While the decision to ask for help may not be an easy one, it may be one of the best investments you make for both your present and future happiness.
Are you looking for couples therapy in New Jersey or a counselor in Red Bank? Schedule a free consultation today!
You’ve Decided You Need Marriage Counseling—Now What?
Have you decided that you and your partner need professional support? Are you tired of having the same fight over and over again—with little to no resolve?
You’ve heard the harrowing divorce statistics. Approximately 40 to 50% of married American couples eventually divorce. While New Jersey has lower rates of divorce than many other parts of the country, research reveals that there are 9.66 divorced people per 1,000 married individuals, or 500 couples.
Read on for more insight into what you need to know about marriage counseling in New Jersey.
Understanding How Marriage Counseling in New Jersey Works
You’re tired of feeling like you aren’t on the same page anymore. Maybe you don’t trust your partner. Or, maybe you’re struggling with sexual intimacy or emotional connection. Perhaps you’re in the dark aftermath of serious transition like the birth of a child or job relocation or loss.
Marriage counseling in New Jersey (or in any state) is provided by a professional clinician like a psychologist, therapist, counselor, or social worker. These clinicians have academic and clinical experience in treating couples and helping them with a variety of marital issues.
Barring just a few exceptions, counseling is completely confidential. That means you can trust that what you and your spouse talk about remains between you and the clinician.
Counseling is not about ‘taking sides.’ It’s not about determining who is right or wrong on a particular issue. Instead, your counselor will guide you both into harnessing your mutual strengths to tackle any problems together.
The number of counseling sessions will vary depending on several factors including:
- Frequency of sessions (most clients attend sessions per week)
- Nature of the presenting problems
- Couple’s willingness to take feedback and complete homework if assigned
- Extraneous variables (severe mental or physical health problems)
Preparing For Your First Session
You’ve booked your appointment! You’re getting marriage counseling in New Jersey, and you have a good feeling about this clinician. Are you now experiencing a strange combination of emotions that include nervousness, shame, sadness, and restlessness? Know that these feelings are all normal. The thought of sharing your vulnerabilities can be frightening.
Before your first session, it may be helpful to write down any questions or concerns you want to address. You may feel uncomfortable when you first arrive, so it is helpful to have those notes written down as a reference point.
Consider sitting down with your spouse to think about what you most want to get from your sessions. Your counselor will ask you this during the first session, and it’s helpful if you have thoughtful answers prepared.
Your first session will resemble that of a question-and-answer forum. The counselor will ask you both a series of questions about your marriage, concerns, future goals, strengths, and weaknesses. She will also review the pertinent details, such as informed consent, fees, confidentiality, of the counseling process.
After Your First Marriage Counseling Session
You may feel uncomfortable and frustrated as counseling unravels. These are common experiences. Many clinicians describe the therapeutic process as getting worse before it gets better.
That’s because you may be unraveling years of pain, anguish, or even resentment. Confronting those feelings can be difficult, and dealing with complex problems is not always fun. You and your partner may both feel upset towards each other. You may even experience a sense of hopelessness about moving forward.
It’s important to trust the process. While it’s not your counselor’s job to determine the fate of your marriage, you must trust that he or she has the expertise to help you both navigate the treacherous waters.
Closing Thoughts on Marriage Counseling in New Jersey
The decision to seek counseling is incredibly brave and admirable. Remember that you deserve to have the marriage you want. All couples face adversity, but counseling can help you both learn the tools you need to cope with these difficult times.
To learn more about Marriage counseling in New Jersey, contact Lumos Counseling PC today.