Does Couples Counseling Work for Cheating?
Being cheated on is devastating. It rattles the fabric of what you thought you knew about your relationship, your partner, and even yourself.
You’re probably wondering about a lot of things including how do we recover from this?
Because you are here, you probably thought of relationship counseling. And, then thought, does couples counseling work for cheating? My answer is YES, IT CAN!
There are some things that need to be in place for couples counseling for cheating to be effective. I will address those things below:
Motivation
Both people should be motivated to work on the relationship and themselves. During couples therapy people discover it takes some hard work to figure out their motivation, to make the relationship work, and maybe even to work on some uncomfortable things they may find within themselves. Recovering from infidelity is hard. And you need to be motivated to help you with all that hard work.
Honesty
To recover from cheating, you need some honesty in your relationship. Therapy can help establish the reassurance you are looking for. It can provide the emotional space for you to have that big conversation with your partner. An, “all cards on the table” talk.
Commitment
Commitment to therapy and to your relationship will be key. If a couple is looking to heal from such a big event that happened in their lives they must also know this will take time to heal and brief therapy strategies will not help long-term.
Patience
Using couples counseling to heal from cheating takes some patience. That phrase, “slow and steady wins the race” is absolutely true for therapy. I get it, your patience has been stretched thin already, but if you really want to heal from infidelity the right way, your patience will be key. This is not a process than can be rushed.
Openness
If this is your first time in therapy, it is crucial to understand that healing can feel difficult at times and easy during others. It is important to be open to the process and let your therapist know what you have been really feeling along the way. We can’t help you if we don’t know what’s really going on.
Some couples have entered the therapy room so disconnected and left feeling more connected than ever. Some have entered the room and learned something about themselves that helped them decide what to do about their relationship. Although everyone is unique, therapy can help you discover parts of yourself to start healing.
Cheating, affairs, or infidelity are some of the hardest things relationships face. They are also more common than you might know. And I hope it brings you hope to know couples counseling can work for cheating! We help couples every week deal with this challenge. At Inland Empire Couples Counseling we know the steps to help your relationship heal from infidelity. If you would like to work with one of our therapists, the first step is to schedule a free phone consultation. Click below to schedule!
Do you still have questions about counseling in general or us specifically? Visit our FAQs page to find out more! We are now offering online couples therapy in California and in-person marriage counseling services in Riverside, CA; and online marriage counseling services in Temecula, CA!!