Can A Marriage Be Improved If Only One Partner Attends Therapy?

Did you know that nearly half of married couples have attended some form of counseling with their spouse? Now, why might couples need therapy in the first place? Well, just like any relationship marriage requires some crucial skills for it to thrive and strengthen. So, when life throws curveballs at you as a couple, you need to know how to beat them together. Unfortunately, this does not happen in many cases. Couples undergo frustration, misunderstanding, and frequent quarrels, but many still fail to seek therapy that could help them beat the odds healthily. The outcome is that either their marriage crumbles or they live in an unhealthy and toxic marriage. So, couples therapy is surely the way to go for any couple in need.

However, there are situations where both the partners are either not available or are not interested in couples therapy. This leaves the therapist with no other option than to opt for individual therapy. Now, does it help in the long run? Well, let’s take a deeper look to unfold the answer to this question:

THE PROS OF INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
The therapy in which only one partner is involved has some benefits to offer which include:

• IT HELPS SORT OUT THE PERSONAL PROBLEMS

When one partner seeks counseling, it gives him or her a fair chance to talk about personal problems that might be hindering or disrupting the relationship. For example, if a partner is introverted and struggles with healthy communication, the therapist can help him or her to resolve this problem by engaging them in psychotherapy. So, in this way, one person seeking the therapy leads to the resolution of underlying problems.

• IT GIVES FULL FREEDOM TO THE INDIVIDUAL IN THERAPY

Now, this is a very interesting perk of seeking individual therapy related to your marriage. When one person seeks therapy, he or she gets the much-needed avenue for catharsis and venting. There might be numerous friends and family members with whom you would be trusting and sharing of your thoughts. However, with a therapist by your side, your communication can become fearless as you are confident about your therapist’s non-judgmental attitude towards your story. Additionally, this further clarifies ambiguities as your therapist asks relevant and important questions to help you find the solution to issue(s), possibly leading to a more peaceful marriage.

• IT CAN HELP WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Individual therapy with one member of a couple becomes all the more important when the person in therapy is involved in substance abuse and is combating addiction. Moreover, it is useless to expect constant rationality and patience from someone addicted to drugs and in such a situation the marriage is bound to face calamities, such as disagreements and blame. So, when you seek therapy for this individual problem, you get directed towards better treatment and eventually it helps you beat this individual problem and improve your marriage.

• IT CAN ALLEVAITE THE IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Many a time, one of the partners suffers from anxiety or even impostor syndrome that stops them from expressing much and becoming silent. In the long run, this attitude creates confusion and frustration in the marriage. Thus, when the affected partner takes the needed therapy to beat these ills, the relationship and marriage can improve tremendously.

THE CONS OF INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
​Yes, you read it right. There are some challenges of this therapy as it doesn’t involve both partners. Let me give you an insight into those cons:

• IT DOESN’T GIVE THE FULL PICTURE TO THE THERAPIST

This is probably the most basic and most challenging aspect of individual therapy as it relates to marriage. When only one partner is involved in therapy, it hinders the understanding of the other version i.e. the other partner’s point of view. For instance, if one partner is present in therapy and he or she is talking about the flaws or toxicities of their better half, it leaves the therapist with very less space to explore and find a mediating path. Thus, this roadblock poses a great problem for the therapist when only one partner reaches out for therapy.

• THE COMMUNICATION GAP BETWEEN A COUPLE IS NOT BRIDGED BY THIS THERAPY

Quite related to the point mentioned already when one partner attends the counseling session or therapy, the lapse of communication that is already there becomes hard to overcome compared to when both the partners are present in therapy. This becomes especially challenging when the communication gap originates with the other partner and not from the one who is present in therapy. So, this setback makes this therapy less effective as well.

THE BOTTOMLINE
In short, if the participation of only one partner in therapy will make any significant improvement in their marriage entirely depends on the nature of challenges faced by the couple. This means that individual problems that cause trouble in your marriage can smartly be handled via individual therapy but if the problems are complex and involve both the partners, then couples therapy can do wonders. Individual therapy in such cases is usually less effective. If you or your loved ones are combating the challenges of marriage and are in a fix to resolve them, find yourself a relationship therapist and make your marriage beautiful and happier.