Couples Counseling Wheaton MD

Professional Couples Counseling for Wheaton MD Couples Counseling Wheaton MD

If you and your significant other are facing difficulties in your relationship, you may want to consider couples counseling in Wheaton, MD from Lindsey Hoskins & Associates. A licensed therapist can help you resolve your issues and maintain a healthy relationship. Many couples experience problems and there’s no shame in seeking help.

What Sorts of Issues Can Couples Counseling Address?

Couples who are dating, engaged or married can face a number of different issues in their relationships. The good news is that couples counseling can help tackle many of these problems. Here are some common issues that couples may address in Wheaton MD couples therapy sessions:

Infidelity

Infidelity, whether a one-time occurrence or a long-lasting affair, can be addressed during counseling. If infidelity has affected your relationship, you and your partner may go to counseling so you can express your anger and sadness in a safe environment. We can help you uncover the reason behind the infidelity and may provide guidance on how to move forward.

Trauma

A traumatic experience, such as the loss of a loved one or an illness, can be hard on any relationship. If you or your spouse have experienced a traumatic incident, you may be experiencing grief and anger. It can be easy to take your feelings out on one another. Wheaton MD couples therapy can help you heal from the trauma and find joy again.

Constant Arguing

If you and your partner argue about everything under the sun, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy relationship. Wheaton, MD couples counseling can help you and your spouse work out the cause behind your anger and teach you both how to communicate better.

Sexual Problems

Physical intimacy is an important part of any romantic relationship. If sex is lacking in your relationship, whether it’s due to a low libido or lack of attraction, it can have a negative effect. If you and your partner discuss your sexual issues in Wheaton MD couples therapy, you may find new ways to open up the sexual part of your relationship again.

How a Lindsey Hoskins & Associates Couples Counselor Can Help

No matter what issue is troubling your relationship, couples counseling could be beneficial. A licensed couples counselor may evaluate the problems you and your partner are having, and then determine which therapy method or methods may be helpful. Behavioral modification is one of the more effective couples counseling methods and may help couples change the way they behave around one another. Communication coaching and insight-oriented therapy are other therapy methods that may be helpful for couples.

Before you make an appointment to see a couples counselor, understand that Wheaton MD couples therapy may take time before it is fully effective. The issues that you and your partner are having may not be resolved overnight. If you stick with couples counseling in Wheaton, Maryland and truly want a better relationship with your partner, you may have a better chance of success.

What Can You Tell Me About Couples Counseling?

If you are considering couples counseling but have questions about insurance coverage, the sessions, or other concerns, please review the following common questions and answers. If you don’t see what you are looking for, please call Lindsey Hoskins & Associates for more information:

How Long Does Couples Counseling in Wheaton MD Last?

In general, couples counseling should be a commitment of at least six months of regularly scheduled weekly sessions. If there are long standing conflicts or deep wounds, you may need more sessions. In truth, if you believe your relationship and love for one another means something, and even worth saving, what is six months or one year towards repairing a fractured relationship?

Will Insurance Cover the Sessions?

Wheaton MD couples therapy offered at Lindsey Hoskins & Associates accepts many forms of insurance. However, it’s important that you first consult with your insurance company directly to determine what your options are regarding mental health benefits. 

Are There Any Insurance Options Available?

During the initial assessment, your couples counselor will gauge any potential mental health symptoms you or your partner may be experiencing. If one or both of you meet the criteria for a diagnosis of a mental health condition, and these symptoms may be alleviated through the sessions, we might be able to bill the insurance company for Wheaton MD couples therapy sessions. Please talk with your insurance company or call our office to learn more about this.

Are There Reasons to Not Use Insurance for Wheaton MD Couples Therapy?

Some couples prefer not to use insurance for privacy reasons. For example, if you are using insurance, they will likely need a mental health diagnosis to determine the necessity of the treatment. In the event of a claims issue, the insurance company may request additional information such as treatment summary. Furthermore, there may be concerns about leaving a paper trail when applying for life insurance or disability.

If My Spouse Does Have a Mental Health Condition, Are they to Blame?

No. Even if your insurance is billed as this, a couples counselor will look at the relationship for a holistic point of view during couples therapy session in Wheaton, Maryland. The interactions between both of you may be feeding the distress; hence why you are struggling with one another. We would like to help you both to get out of this rut and feel happier with one another.

One of Us Frequently Travels A Lot, Can We Still Make Couples Counseling Work?

In the event one or both of you will struggle to make it to weekly sessions, due to work obligations, we may recommend intensive couples therapy sessions in Wheaton MD. These may include two, back to back, one hour and fifteen minute sessions, with a break in between. This may be available on a case by case basis and may not be covered by insurance.

Do We Have to Meet Every Week?

It is really important that weekly sessions are made, particularly during the initial stage of treatment. This is a time that your counselor can get to know both of you, your history, and how you relate to one another. Irregular sessions can result in more time spent on recapping the last session; thereby losing any gained momentum during Wheaton MD couples therapy sessions.

When Small Things Add Up

It’s well-known that big mistakes, like infidelity, can severely harm a relationship. However, not as many people realize that seemingly small things can do just as much harm over a long period of time. It’s important for both partners to pay more careful attention to their actions and determine if they’re hurtful or not. The couples counselors at Lindsey Hoskins & Associates share some common small mistakes that can hurt a relationship:

Talking About Your Ex Too Much

While it’s okay to occasionally bring up your ex, you don’t want to talk about him or her too frequently. If you constantly bring up the past, your partner might think that you’re not over your ex and that you don’t want to move forward in the relationship. As a counselor may explain during couples therapy in Wheaton MD, talking about your ex all the time can cause your partner to feel resentment and can prevent you from being truly happy in your current relationship.

Nitpicking Often

If you tend to complain about the smallest issues all the time, you could drag down your relationship. Even if your complaints aren’t directed at your partner, it can still bring negative energy into the relationship. Your partner may eventually get tired of being around someone who complains constantly. Instead of voicing small complaints to your partner, your clinician providing couples therapy in Wheaton MD may offer alternative like writing them down in a journal.

Talking Over Your Partner

If you constantly interrupt your partner and never let him or her get a word in, he or she may eventually resent you for it. Your partner may feel like you don’t value what he or she says. Be more mindful of this and try to catch yourself before you talk over your significant other.

Forgetting to Appreciate Your Partner

After couples have been in a relationship for a while, they sometimes forget to appreciate their partner. Our Wheaton MD clinicians providing couples therapy will tell you that it’s important that you not let this happen in your relationship. You never want your partner to think that you take him or her for granted. Remember to tell your partner how much you love him or her and how happy you are to have him or her in your life.

Trying to Change Your Partner

Sometimes we can try to change our partner without even realizing it. Whether you try to make your partner more outgoing or more of a sports lover, trying to change him or her can backfire. Couples therapy in Wheaton MD can help you to realize why you fell in love with your partner in the first place and that you don’t need to change him or her.

Making Decisions Without Your Partner

While you don’t have to check in with your partner about every tiny thing, you shouldn’t make big decisions without him or her. For example, you shouldn’t book a cruise without first asking your partner if he or she even wants to go. If you constantly make decisions without your partner, he or she may eventually grow tired of it.

Contact Lindsey Hoskins & Associates Today

If you are interested in more information about what couples therapy in Wheaton, MD can provide, contact Lindsey Hoskins & Associates today at 240-752-7650.

Improving Couples Communication 

Clinicians providing couples therapy in Wheaton MD can attest that couples who have been in a relationship for some time may have formed patterns and habits in their relationship, some good and some not so good. When unhealthy habits have been formed between a couple, it can put a strain on the relationship and the overall satisfaction each spouse feels. This is where you may consider contacting Lindsey Hoskins & Associates for couples therapy in Wheaton MD residents can rely on. 

One of the most common unhealthy habits that we see here at Lindsey Hoskins & Associates is how a couple communicates. This lack of communication often leads to misunderstandings, anger, hurt, and conflicts that go unresolved. Constant bickering and sniping at each other can have a significant negative impact on a marriage, particularly when the couple stops listening to each other altogether.

Negative communication patterns or the inability to communicate does not mean the end of the relationship. Just as unhealthy habits are learned behaviors, they also become unlearned behaviors with the help of Wheaton MD couples therapy sessions. The following are some tips that our clinicians at Lindsey Hoskins & Associates offer to couples who come to us for help.

Really Listen

One of the biggest factors that affect couple communication is that spouses often do not give each other their complete attention. For example, when one partner is talking to the other, the other is focusing on the television or texting and not really focusing on what their partner is saying to them.

In order to avoid these issues, give each other your undivided attention when the other person is talking. This avoids may miscommunication issues. It also shows your partner that you value what they are saying. Couples therapy in Wheaton MD can support you in learning ways of actively listening to your partner. 

Don’t Be So Quick to React

When patterns have been developed, it is common to react in the same way each time your partner brings up a certain issue, even if it something as simple as putting dirty clothes in the hamper. Instead of having a knee jerk reaction to what your spouse is saying, take a moment before you react. Take a deep breath and instead of replying with a negative comment, smile and reply in the positive. Wheaton MD couples therapy can help you learn skills to slow yourself down in the heat of the moment. 

Just the Facts

When you and your partner are discussing an issue, it can be easy to quickly place blame or jump to conclusions. A good way to avoid this, and the conversation turning into an argument, is to start the conversation just talking about the facts of the issue.

Really Listen to Your Partner’s Side of the Issue

Once you and your spouse have shared the facts of the issue with each other, try to understand it from their point of view. Seeing things from their side of the issue can help give you a different perspective and understand why they feel the way they do. Couples therapy in Wheaton MD can help to balance sides by giving you the opportunity to feel heard during sessions. 

I Instead of You

When partners are having discussions, they should avoid “you” messages and instead present their point of view using “I” messages. “You” messages can leave your partner feeling like you are pointing fingers and blaming them for the issue. For example, if you and your spouse are discussing financial issues, avoid saying things like, “You use the credit cards too much,” and instead say, “I worry when we don’t have enough money to pay the bills.”

Contact Lindsey Hoskins & Associates for Couples Therapy in Wheaton MD

If you’re looking for advice, guidance, and support for your relationship, call Lindsey Hoskins & Associates today. If you’re interested in couples therapy in Wheaton MD, please call our office today for a complimentary phone consultation and find out how we can help.