There’s no question — marriage can be challenging. Maybe marriage counseling should be something you register for when you tie the knot. Much like a new set of dishes that gets scratched from constant use, relationships can also show wear and tear over the years. So how do you know if your marriage has hit a rough patch or it’s something more serious… requiring professional help?
Sign 1: Poor Communication.
Martin Novell, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles, urges couples to seek professional help when they aren’t able to talk about their problems. According to Novell, “When It’s just too frightening to even bring issues up — from sex to money, or even annoying little habits that are being blown out of proportion, a therapist’s job is to help the couple become clear about their issues and to help them understand what they are truly talking about.”
Sign 2: Your Sex Life has Significantly Changed.
Most feel that when there is a loss of intimacy, there are problems. While this is true, it is also important to be mindful of a sudden increase. Valerie Jencks, Founder and Executive Director of Prairie Family Therapy in Chicago, warns that either an absence or a sudden increase of sex in your relationship can signal danger. “If you have not been having regular or passionate sex and all of a sudden your partner behaves like a courting lover or wants to experiment with new activities that s/he has never expressed an interest in before, it could indicate that he is experiencing feeling of arousal that are not originating from his relationship with you!”
Sign 3: Holding on to the Past.
Silvia M. Dutchevici, the founder and President of the Critical Therapy Center in New York City, suggests that it might be a good idea to talk to a professional when there has been a traumatic event in your lives, like the loss of a child or an affair — and one partner cannot let the past go…
Read more: Huffington Post
