Couple and Marital Therapy, Essay Example

Review your fellow learners’ posts and respond to two of them. In each response: Ask questions about the relationship to better understand why it works. Offer an alternative possibility for why this may be such a strong relationship.

I can tell from the duration of your Aunt Becky and Uncle Mike’s relationship that they are a successful couple, and I agree that it likely has to do with their ability to overcome agreements. I was wondering if you have ever observed them during a fight and how they interact with one another both before and after a conflict. In particular, do they attempt to resolve the dispute immediately, or do they separate for a time to figure out their own feelings first? Ultimately, I believe that this is such a strong relationship because they value their life together and are willing to compromise in order to ensure that it continues to work. However, I also believe that an important aspect of this conflict resolution process is that they immediately address their issues. It is likely that their relationship would be less stable if they took time off between arguments, because this can cause an angry individual to become upset about additional issues that were not even problematic during the initial fight. Because they are able to address these issues immediately, they are able to stay close.

Your parents seem to be a successful couple due to the traditional values they instill. It appears that both of your parents are strong people as well, and they take advantage of this in both their relationship and the ways they raise their children. However, it would be interesting to know what your parents argue about in order to gain a greater understanding of what allows them to remain close to one another. I think that an essential part of understanding relationships is an assessment of what the arguments are comprised of. In a majority of cases, arguments among a married couple are unavoidable because it is difficult for two individuals to completely agree on how to live with one another and how to raise a child. I believe that in the case of your parents, the arguments were mostly minor. Therefore, they were able to work out their arguments in a manner that was beneficial to the whole family.

Review your fellow learners’s posts and respond to two of them. In each response, comment on the strengths and resources that were identified. Offer an alternative course of action than simply giving advice.

I agree that the problem this couple is having is related to the fact that they are coping with their new family. However, while simply informing them that this is normal is useful, I believe that it is important for them to take more drastic measures in order to ensure they continue to bond as a couple. While putting the child to bed 30 minutes earlier to spend time together is somewhat helpful, the child can easily wakeup and they could lose this time. Therefore, it may be beneficial to hire a sitter or bring the child to his or her grandparents once a week or once every two weeks so the couple can have a full day alone together. Furthermore, it is important to stress that this day should be used for togetherness, and not for errands and other necessities. The stress reduction that this mini vacation allows will likely contribute to their success as a couple as well.

I don’t believe that divorce is necessary in this situation. Because they have a home foundation together and experience a lack of communication, it is important to focus on improving communication before making any major changes in their relationship. If in these conversations both members of the relationship feel that they would be happier if the marriage ended, then they should, but only after long discussion. It is apparent that the couple got married for a reason and they still may want to make their relationship work even if they are unsure how to do so. I would recommend that the couple sit down for an hour with each other each day, at minimum to discuss their day and watch a television show together. This will increase the knowledge that each partner has about the others life and give them an activity they have in common. It is my hope that this activity will stimulate conversation in the future and partially restore the relationship to normality.