Some couples  find themselves in a tug of war when it comes to deciding if they should attempt Couples Therapy with a licensed professional.  Well if you needed more good reason(s) for you and your partner to go lay on someones couch, here are 5 very good reasons to go to couples counseling now:

1. Financial Health:  The average cost of a contested divorce in 2016 was between $15,000 to $25,000 thousand (divorce support.about.com).  That’s about $10,000 more than the average US Household’s credit card debt.  Wouldn’t a shopping spree make both partners more happy than paying a bunch of lawyers with pocket protectors a large sum of cash? Also, the old saying two heads are better than one is certainly also true when it comes to debt.  A household with 2 working adults is definitely a lot easier on the purse than one.
2. Mental Health: The Brain on Pain.  Research has shown that people who are in a loving social relationship experience pain and discomfort much different then their single counterparts (Sue Johnson, et. al Soothing the threatened brain: Leveraging Contact Comfort with emotionally focused therapy http://www.iceeft.com/images/PDFs/EFTResearch.pdf).  Go figure more love = less pain.
3. Reduction of Substance Abuse:  An article written in a case study in current psychiatry discovered that couples who had a therapist experienced less days of Substance use/Abuse/addiction.  The study reports that the therapeutic alliance could serve as an intoxicating alternative (or maybe it’s just that the fees for therapy reduces the funds available for splurging) 
4. Changes personalities: If this bullet doesn’t make you run to a couples counselor near you right now, I don’t know what will.  The old belief about personality was that it was set deep in stone like Excalibur in King Authors Court.  New research is showing promising results that state that attributes of a persons personality could actually be altered with the help of Psychotherapy.  Bottom line: You can teach an old dog new tricks
5. Better Sleep and Less Anxiety: Research by Dr. Sue Johnson et. al. showed that couples who participated in emotionally focused couples therapy had lasting results in improvement within their relationship.  These improved social connections led to less anxiety which resulted in better rest and relaxation.   Anxiety and Stress is often known as the silent killer because the pain is felt mostly inside the body without others being aware.  When couples come to counseling and are able to talk about the “stuff” inside that hurts them…there is an almost instant relief of pressure and satisfaction in the relationship.  Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) has been shown to be effective in approximately 75% of couples.  Finding the right Couples Therapist for your situation can be daunting, but the reward is worth the work.

Couples counseling helps couples communicate more effectively on a deeper level.  Mental Wellness is quickly becoming just as important to the total wellbeing of an individual or family as going to your medical doctor for routine checkups.

When your relationship is starting to overwhelm you, don’t wait till you need to drive to the nearest Urgent Care Clinic (They are not equipped to help you there), Schedule an appointment with a qualified Couples Counselor now and get your relationship the help it deserves.