“Marriage is to be honored by all.” – Hebrews 13:4a CSB

Many go into marriage with great excitement and enthusiasm. Yet as the days and years pass that passion wanes, and you find yourself struggling with your marital relationship. The toll of life’s challenges and the wear-and-tear of time conspire to destroy the intimacy and joy you once felt.

Strengthening your relationship with your spouse is one of the most effective ways to lead a productive, fulfilling life. This relationship is at the core of so many other relationships. Learning how to communicate effectively and work through crises together will bond you both in love.

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(469) 333-6163

Schedule an Appointment

The professional marriage counselors at Little Elm Christian Counseling will help you enrich your relationship with each other by building on your faith in Christ. Your journey to a more meaningful relationship with your spouse starts by seeking guidance here.

You may have several questions about couples counseling such as:

  • Why do you need marriage counseling?
  • When should you go?
  • What are the benefits of marriage counseling?
  • What kind of techniques will the counselors use?
  • Does counseling work?

Why do you need marriage counseling?

Given that you have searched for this page you may already know why you need counseling. However, you may need to clarify some of the different issues you want to receive counseling for, before sitting down with a counselor at Little Elm Christian Counseling.

There are many reasons that a couple may seek counseling:

Infidelity – This is one of the big reasons that someone may seek counseling in their relationship.

Life transitions – Situations like new jobs, having kids, or becoming empty nesters. All these times are good to have a counselor to help you work through the ups and downs of major life transitions.

Damaging behaviors – If someone has struggled with overcoming substance abuse, has a history of trauma, or has mental health concerns. All of these affect your relationships.

Communication challenges – Psychology has made many discoveries about the way that people communicate or don’t. When you can understand each other’s unique communication styles it may alleviate many disagreements and hurts.

Lack of intimacy – This could be an emotional or a sexual challenge. With the help of a counselor, you can open doors that feel closed and locked right now.

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13 NIV

It can be difficult to admit that you need help to have a healthy relationship. Marriage counseling is about having a journey toward better communication, deeper intimacy, and lifelong love. The rosy glow of falling in love is not self-sustaining. Finding help for the journey will be satisfying and throughout a lifetime there will be challenges external and internal that could cause your relationship to feel strain or friction. Going to counseling even during times when things seem fine is a good way to build healthy trust for when things become difficult.

You could choose to go when you are having parenting challenges or making a transition into a new life stage. Marriage counseling may be helpful when navigating job changes, recovery from illnesses, or separation. New babies or becoming empty nesters are both seasons that you may benefit from time with a couples counselor.

Many people resort to counseling as a last-ditch effort to save the relationship. There is a chance that all will not work out well. It takes two willing participants to see success in couples counseling.

From changing destructive behaviors to strengthening the relationship there are many benefits to marriage counseling. You can learn to have honest communication, including how to have healthy disagreements. The time spent will break down the emotional and psychological barriers to intimacy. Counseling at Little Elm Christian Counseling can give you a safe space to heal the wounds that you may have inflicted on each other.

For Christian marriages, a foundation of faith will nurture the relationship. The counselors at Little Elm Christian Counseling can help you both connect more with God and with each other.

Common marriage counseling techniques

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” – Ephesians 4:25-27 NIV

The counselors at Little Elm Christian Counseling are trained in different techniques or methods to help your build your relationship. As they spend time with you as individuals and as a couple they will help you find solid practices such as:

Gottman Method – This method helps you build “love maps” designed to find an understanding of your partner’s fears, stresses, hopes, joys, and history. The goal is to grow a deeper connection and appreciation for the needs and experiences of each person. You will also learn skills for effective conflict management.

Crucible Approach Couples Counseling – This revolutionary counseling method is geared towards building sexual intimacy. Each person is given tools for personal growth related to issues that make building a fully-connected relationship difficult. This method identifies problem areas within your relationship and offers out-of-the-box solutions that last.

Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy – This approach offers real solutions fast by setting substantial, short-term goals. These goals involve changing damaging emotional responses and building a stronger emotional connection. It will involve learning how to interact with one another in ways that are healthy and productive.

Narrative Therapy – This method builds communication by allowing each partner to describe their experiences in narrative form. This creates a separation between the problem and the individual so that feelings can be expressed freely without hurting one another and defining each other by your mistakes. Your counselor will help you rewrite the negative parts of your story together, so you have real solutions for building the relationship you both want.

Psychodynamic Approach – Sometimes our pasts, such as issues in childhood, can have negative effects on our adult relationships. This approach brings to light the unconscious causes of your problems to change irrational patterns and harmful behavior.

Your counselor will work with you as a couple to determine the best methods for the journey of healing you are traveling.

This depends on the goals and willingness of each other to work on the relationship. You cannot come into counseling with the expectation that it will “fix” your spouse. There needs to be a mutual desire for there to be a success in healing your relationship.

When you both come to counseling with a desire to build up each other, marriage counseling will be helpful. It is a place for healing, empathy, and hope. A quick search on the internet says that marriage counseling works for many people.

Even if you come in on the brink of divorce, there is still a good chance to come back and have a healthy, meaningful relationship with your spouse.

It is important to remember that the process of building or restoring trust takes time. There is not going to be a quick fix, an overnight change. Be patient with yourself, be patient with each other, and trust the process.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 NIV

The calling of marriage and relationship is good and beautiful, but that does not make it easy. Life changes, people are changed by the experiences and relationships of their past. When a couple seeks greater intimacy with God and one another, good things will happen. The steady walk of faithfulness yields great rewards. Trust your counselor, trust the process, and learn to trust one another.

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(469) 333-6163

Schedule an Appointment