Has anyone here gone to couples counseling?

I strongly recommend it for anyone. Therapy is a great tool. My fiance and I went just to make sure we were on the same page before we marry, and to learn how to strengthen our relationship and how we can better fix minor issues between us. It's a great space to discuss everything and get feedback and strategies on how to resolve future disagreements. You also learn a lot about each other in that environment. I know you said he isn't sold on the idea, but maybe ask if he's willing to agree to try 2-3 sessions.

View Quoted Comment Thank you! I hope he’ll be willing to give it a try at least for a few sessions.

It can't hurt. Worst case, you go once and decide it's not for you (what happened in my case) but I do feel that making the effort to go together says a lot on it's own as well. A lot of people and couples benefit greatly from it, especially regarding communication and having tools provided to you. Maybe approach it in a more casual way of let's try this once and if we hate it, we don't have to go again.

Yes! Please Go! Mine wasn’t interested in going at all but he loveddddd it afterwards. I just got tired of He learned a lot about himself. Counseling was really really great for us. I recommend it to everyone. It’s just nice to have a referee sometimes, ya know? and have someone guide your conversations and ask for more details when you make a statement.


We went three times over the course of three months and had one more topic we were scheduled to talk through but we actually just talked about it on our own and haven’t gone back since then

I have and strongly recommend it to everyone! It helps so much to have neutral party "be the voice of reason" and guide you in how to settle differences.

Sorry I forgot to finish that sentence: I got tired of fussing at home to talk to me about things and figured it would be easier to talk to a random stranger and surprisingly it was!

The first time we ever did counseling together was during a rough patch in our lives (not within our relationship, it was something we were dealing with together but we didn't want it to affect the relationship itself) and it was very helpful. We also started premarital counseling about a year ago to make sure we have a good foundation for our marriage. Is there a way that you can reframe it that way for your fiance? Not necessarily couples counseling (which unfortunately has a negative connotation sometimes) but rather premarital counseling, as just a normal step in the engagement process? I highly recommend it! No matter how fantastic the relationship is, improving communication is never a bad thing.

Yes! Through a local church we did some sessions that helped us prepare for marriage which was really amazing to do. It's not exactly like counseling so he might be ok with something like that? We also did the couple's counseling when we were having issues and it helped us communicate better.

We went and it really improved our communication. It also helped because my hubby has ADHD and he was able to get medicated. We learned a lot of techniques and can fight "healthy ". Instead of getting mad at something I may ask him "what do you mean by that". Also, never have important conversations via text.

I highly recommend it. Counseling is good for everyone. My FH & I have done premarital counseling with my pastor, who is officiating our wedding in 2 weeks. We have our last session this Wednesday and while ours has been focused on what God says about marriage, my FH & I have talked about seeing him again for some other issues around anger and communication.

We went before we were even engaged.

Things were good, but between my parents being divorced, and myself having survived a very toxic relationship, I asked for it. I could feel myself edging towards bad habits, and DH was displaying anxiety, so we went.

SO helpful. Our counselor did think we were the healthiest couple she was working with, but that we were also there to strengthen our relationship, so we could handle the rough stuff. (Which came, hi, past summer, really, didn't ever need you, thanks, stay away.)

I cannot recommend enough.

If your health insurance doesn't cover it, try your local university, they likely have students who need clinical hours, and offer a sliding scale.

Check with your officient!! Some require premarital counseling that addresses how you two handle conflict. communication, finances, etc.! A lot of times, since it's a requirement, it's free as well!

So I may be biased as a psychologist-in-training lol, but I think therapy is so beneficial. Mental health is just as important as physical health, so you can compare seeing a couple's counselor to check up on your relationship's health as similar to going for a physical and checking on your blood pressure and so on. A therapist helps provide tools people can use for effective problem-solving down the line. Even though many people may already have some effective tools, what's the harm in adding a few extra into the toolbox? Also, just given the nature of therapy, it provides a space for openly discussing problems that may be difficult to talk about. The therapist's job is to facilitate those tough conversations and make it a but easier to have (cuz... let's face it, it's maybe not something you wanna just bring up while hanging out and watching tv because avoidance of uncomfortable topics is super common). No relationship is perfect, but the goal of therapy is to strengthen the tools that can help when the going gets tough.

We finished our couple’s counseling sessions about a year ago and our communication has improved tremendously. We were especially in need of better communication around our families. We wanted to start counseling so we could provide a strong front as a couple looking to get married. We enjoyed it once we put real effort into our sessions. (My fiance wasn’t as excited for it in the beginning). My best advice is to find a counselor whom you both like and enjoy talking to...

My Husband and I did pre-martial counseling with our pastor before we got married and it was helpful