Wilmington, NC Marriage Counselors & Couples Therapy
Repairing intimacy issues and investing in an emotional connection starts here! At Evolution Wellness, we have marriage counselors who are here for you. We focus on marriage counseling that strengthens you and your partner’s bond, so that you can achieve the deeply committed, loving relationship you desire.
Our marriage and couples therapists specialize in working with couples to heal damaged relationships, improve communication skills, work through fear of intimacy, and regain their emotional connection. Our counselors want to help you move forward and evolve together. Contact our team today!
“Their Providers are Extremely Talented & Professional”
I have been to Evolution Wellness for multiple services including counseling, skin care, and massage. Their providers are extremely talented and professional, and their office is beautiful and calming. They offer free coffee and assorted drinks, and you never have to wait long for your appointment. Every time I go, I feel better both physically and mentally. I highly recommend their services for anyone looking to heal their mind, body, and spirit.
Robert R. Read All Reviews
Our reviews and client testimonials speak for themselves! At Evolution Wellness, our marriage therapists care about bringing healing to your most intimate relationships.
What Relationship Problems are Addressed
in Marriage Counseling?
There seem to be three main categories of relationship struggles shared by those who end up seeking marriage or couples counseling.
They are 1.) high conflict relationships, 2.) betrayal within the partnership, and 3.) partners who are cold or distant. If any of these sounds like your relationship, please reach out to one of our marriage or couples counselors for a consultation.
Finding Resolution in a High
Conflict Relationship
While every couple has conflict, in relationships with high conflict, even how the towels are folded becomes an issue. What sets the happy couples apart from unhappy couples isn’t that they “got lucky” or found a “good one.” Rather, it all comes down to the way they manage conflict.
Questions to Ask:
- Have you fallen into a pattern of passive-aggressive comments?
- Does it seem like arguments repeatedly happen without a resolution?
- Are you going through cycles of criticism and defensiveness?
- Do you and your partner go days without talking after a disagreement?
If you can answer yes to any of these, then it’s time to consider marriage counseling and couples therapy.
Healing from Betrayal
A betrayal can be any kind of insult to the integrity and commitment of the relationship. This ranges from taking the side of a family member instead of your partner in a conflict to lying, flirtatious behaviors, and infidelity.
If there has been a betrayal in the relationship (even if the betrayal was years ago), one partner or the other may be harboring resentments or trust issues that still need to be resolved.
A betrayal is always a sign of deeper problems in the relationship and should warrant at least a consultation with a couples counselor.
Warming Up the Cold or Distant Partnership
The cold and distant couple are low key headed for divorce. This may be the couple that just never talks. Maybe the couple has children, and the only time they’re together is with the kids.
This is the couple who may not have any conflict, but they have lost their passion, intimacy, and emotional connection over time. Don’t think this is your relationship? Answer the following to know for sure.
Questions to Ask:
- Do you hang out with your partner and just talk?
- Have you gone on a date in the last two months?
- Is your sex life healthy and fulfilling?
- Do you look forward to seeing your partner?
- Is your partner the first person you want to talk to about good/bad/neutral news?
If you answered “No” to even one of these questions, it may be time to come to couples counseling. Rekindle the intimacy in your relationship. Reach out to a caring marriage therapist in Wilmington, NC today!
Other Issues to Address in Marriage Counseling
In addition to the three areas of relationship discord discussed above, other common issues our couples therapists address include:
If you answered “No” to even one of these questions, it may be time to come to marriage counseling and couples therapy to rekindle the connection in your relationship.
Benefits of Marriage Counseling & Couples Therapy
We understand that making the decision to get started with couples or marital counseling can be tough. Additionally, we know that reading a list of possible issues to discuss isn’t exactly encouraging.
We want our clients to know that there is hope for healing, growth, and increased love and intimacy in any relationship. If you and your partner are both willing to participate fully in therapy at Evolution Wellness, you can expect some great benefits, including:
- Resolving chronic relationship issues and stressors
- Deepening connections
- Forming a more intimate relationship
- Promoting growth in relationships
- Avoiding future problems
- Creating a safe environment for expressing emotions
Couples Counseling Assessment at Evolution Wellness
From our perspective, it’s important for you and your partner to find the right clinician to support your goals. For this reason, our counselors conduct thorough assessments with couples before beginning interventions. Your marriage or couples therapist needs to understand each partner’s family history, past relationships, values, and goals in order to provide effective recommendations and therapy plans. The couples counseling assessment happens in four stages:
Stage 1
During the first session, an evaluation of the couple and the history of the relationship takes place. This helps your counselor understand the relationship’s strengths and struggles and how the past has impacted the current state of your partnership. During this initial session, your counselor may also ask you both to discuss a conflict you have with each other for about 10 minutes. This helps us to understand how you’re currently interacting and managing (or not managing) conflict.
Stage 2
Following the initial marriage or couples counseling session, you and your partner will be sent home with a little homework. We’ll ask that you complete an in-depth questionnaire online through the Gottman Institute. After receiving the responses to your questionnaires, the counselor will meet with each partner individually to clinically assess their family history, past relationships, values, and goals for couples counseling without the influence of the other partner.
Stage 3
Once the questionnaire has been filled out, the next step is to meet with your counselor again. Your therapist will put all the assessment information together and present a tailored treatment plan based on you and your partner’s answers.
Stage 4
After the in-depth assessment, the couple and therapist meet weekly for hour long sessions to learn and practice interventions to improve their conflict management skills, increase their friendship and intimacy, heal past hurts, and address the couple’s needs.
What to Expect During Couples Therapy
Throughout the course of your couples or marriage therapy, you’ll discuss relationship issues, develop skills to work through conflict and increase intimacy, and plan to take steps to achieve your relationship goals.
All the therapy in the world won’t help your relationship if the work you do stays in the office, so couples should expect homework! It took years to create unhealthy patterns, so it is unrealistic to think that only one hour per week of work on your relationship can turn it around.
How Often Should We See Our Therapist?
Typically, couples see their counselor weekly for three to four months. Then, they shift to biweekly and/or monthly maintenance sessions. This is for four months to avoid regressing back into old habits.
Some of our past clients have found it helpful to come back for “booster” sessions. Especially when they go through a stressful time or feel they need a refresher.
Get Started with Marriage Counseling & Couples Therapy in Wilmington, NC Today!
With the help of a marriage counselor or couples therapist, you don’t have to navigate the difficulties within your relationship alone. Marriage takes work in order to have a relationship that succeeds. That’s why our Wilmington, NC marriage counseling and couples therapy team can make that work a little easier by providing you with the support you need to thrive!
