A Couple Therapy Questionnaire For The Individual
The first step towards resolving the problems in any relationship, however minor or serious they may be, is for one or the other partner to realize that things can be better between them. This is by no means a sign that the relationship is about to end; rather, it's just an admission that no individual or couple has ever been perfect, but that we retain the ability to improve both together and separately. The second step is to verbalize what may be bothering either of the people involved, to which some couple therapy questions could be very helpful.
The Function of An Individual Couple Therapy Questionnaire
Many relationship therapists ask those who visit them to prepare by filling out a questionnaire at home before their first appointment. Almost all counselors will spend a lot of time getting to know you and your relationship before offering any opinion on it, the time between being occupied with various guided conversations and cooperative exercises.
It's far less common for a relationship counselor to ask always to see the spouses separately. After all, a couple who is unwilling to discuss their problems in front of each other will probably not be a model of domestic bliss. Both have to be willing to work together towards their mutual happiness. On the other hand, this does require each to "know their own mind" as far as their expectations and feelings go, and each partner thinking about their answers to certain key questions, such as questions for married couples, can be part of this process. Additionally, some of the relationship counseling questions are proprietary and call for an honest response from each partner. These important couples' intimacy questions can help in discovering significant predisposing issues to assist the couple in talking about, moving forward with, and overcoming their challenges.
What Initially Attracted You to Your Partner?
More importantly, does that still form the basis for your affection?
Different couples find each other for a multitude of different reasons, including physical appeal. As time goes on and a relationship strengthens and deepens, though, we often begin to see unexpected sides and qualities to our romantic partners. Plenty of happy marriages are based on only one or two dimensions of attraction, but not being able to think of at least a few admirable traits in each other may be an indication that you should get to know each other better.
How Much Time Do You Devote per Day Or Week To Making Your Partner Happy?
This could mean cooking their favorite meal, going grocery shopping on the weekend because you know they hate it, or simply phoning them to hear how they're doing. Every minute you spend on their well-being counts, with the proviso that these should be things they do like you to be doing and not because you should.
Every human tie involves some amount of giving and take. These interactions can't exactly be tabulated on a balance sheet, but the relationship is probably far from healthy if there's a serious imbalance.
When Were You Most Disappointed In Your Partner?
In the honeymoon phase, while they're still getting to know each other, many lovers tend to put their partners on a pedestal and refuse to believe anything bad about them. As time goes on, though, the rosy tint we saw them through begins to wear off, and we realize that they aren't angels, but humans after all.
In some cases, this may be unimportant, such as when they become less finicky about their grooming once they're comfortable in your relationship; in others, more serious. In either case, these perceived flaws would have to be accepted and worked around for the relationship to remain strong.
Numerous other questions can be asked: how are you similar and how different? What strengths and weaknesses do you each possess, and how do you complement each other? It is only by answering these kinds of questions honestly and thinking about their implications to build a relationship that will go the distance.
Let's take a deeper look.
What Qualities Do You Most Admire In Your Partner?
If you think back to that moment when you first laid eyes on your partner, there was an initial attraction. It may not have been love at first sight, but there was something there that grabbed your attention. In the early days of the relationship, you spent a lot of time together and went places together. These activities created treasured memories and maybe a few laughs too. Try to think about some of the times that you went out of your way to show your partner appreciation. Maybe you brought flowers, wrote a nice note on a card, or held the door open. It may have been easier to at that time to recognize the qualities in your partner that you value. Take a few minutes and answer these questions:
Name the top three qualities that caused you to be attracted to your partner.
List three of your all-time favorite memories from times you spent together early in the relationship.
How do you show appreciation to your partner? How have you shown it in the past?
What are the characteristics that you most value in your partner? Can you name three of them?
Increasing The Level Of Intimacy In Couple Relationships
Couples sometimes complain that the spark's been lost. Where they once had a loving, intimate relationship, the hustle and bustle of everyday life start to get in the way. It's easy to step on the other person's toes and not even realize that it's happened. If they do, there's no time to deal with it anyway, so it just gets swept under the carpet.
It's easy enough to blame the lack of intimacy on not having time for each other. In reality, there's nearly always time if you make it a priority. The best way to do this is to get rid of the daily noise. Turn off your cell phone. If the call is important, they'll leave a message. Close your laptop. Whatever you're working on will still be there tomorrow. Turn off the television. Record your favorite show and watch it later. In taking those three steps, you probably created 30-60 minutes in your day, which you can devote to working on your relationship with your partner.
Now that you've carved out some time, focus on how you can create the desire in your partner to enhance your level of intimacy. Following are some questions to help:
Is there anything that I can do that would make you feel more loved?
Are there any ways that I can help you to feel supported that I'm not already doing?
Is there anything that I've done recently that may have unintentionally hurt you?
What is the first thing that I can say or do when I come home from work to make you know that I missed you and make you feel loved?
Is there a type of physical touch (non-sexual) that I can use to make you feel loved?
Have I been giving you enough alone time?
Have we had any arguments lately that you feel are still unresolved?
What are your primary stressors right now? Is there anything I can do to alleviate that?
Rediscovering Your Partner On A Deeper Level
When couples have been together for a while, they can sometimes finish each other's thoughts and sentences. That's more a reflection of how you think alike than it knows each other on a deep, intimate level. Have you ever been chatting with other people, and your partner came out with something about him or herself that took you by surprise? We all have many parts to our personalities, and we don't necessarily reveal everything about ourselves, even when someone has asked.
Following are some suggestions for questions to help you get to know your partner on a more meaningful level:
What was your favorite television show as a child? Why?
If money wasn't an obstacle, where would you plan your next vacation?
What book (or movie) has most impacted your life?
When did you realize you were interested in me?
What is your favorite thing we do together as a couple?
What are five things on your bucket list?
What is the most challenging thing you do at work?
Describe a typical day at work from the time you get in until you clock out.
Do you think you feel happy most of the time?
Describe a time in your life that scared you the most.
How do you best relax after a stressful day?
Outside of our relationship, who are you closest to?
Gratitude Plays A Role in Building And Healing Relationships
If you take time to think about it, you probably have many things you're grateful for. Many of them probably have to do with your partner. When was the last time you communicated gratitude to your partner in any form? A simple expression of gratitude goes a long way towards making your partner feel appreciated and valued. Expressing gratitude helps us not to take our cherished relationships for granted.
Following are some questions to get you thinking about how to express thankfulness:
Do you use active listening skills when you're listening to your partner? Do you make eye contact and respond periodically?
When was the last time that you complimented your partner?
What is something you could do to surprise your partner to show your gratitude? Think about things like planning a date, leaving a small gift for them to find, or writing a sweet note.
How does your partner relax? Could you draw a bubble bath with candles around the tub? Offer a back rub or foot massage? Maybe let your partner take a nap in the middle of the day for no reason at all.
Sometimes it seems that there isn't anything to say. The reality is that in thinking more specifically about creating time for the relationship, enhancing intimacy, and expressing gratitude, there are lots of things to say and do to bring you closer together.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are some marriage counseling questions?
Every marriage counseling session is different, just like every marriage, relationship, and partnership is different. That said, many marriage counseling sessions will begin by asking you similar questions as your counselor attempts to understand what’s going on in your marriage, relationship, and life.
These questions should include ones created during the marriage counseling session and by the people in the marriage/relationship themselves. Some of these marriage/relationship questions include:
- What are the problems in our marriage?
- Are these problems temporary or permanent?
- Do we want to work to stay together?
- Do we trust each other?
- Do we love each other?
- Are we both happy with the level of intimacy?
- Why do you want this to work out?
- What can we each do to make our marriage better?
- What do you love most about each other?
As you can see, most marriage counseling questions revolve around the partnership and what each individual in the marriage/relationship brings to and takes from the table. Marriage counseling is only truly effective when both parties of the marriage/relationship are committed to fixing the marriage/relationship and are willing to put in the work needed.
What is the success rate of marriage counseling?
Many factors can influence the outcome of marriage counseling. These include the people's commitment in the marriage/relationship, the skill and level of experience of the marriage counselor, and the amount of work put in by the couple in the marriage/relationship.
On average, however, marriage counseling is effective for 70-80% of the people that utilize it. Of these people, over half say that it helped them resolve all or nearly all of the major issues in their marriage/relationship.
How do you know you need marriage counseling?
In general, the earlier that you attend marriage counseling, the better that it will be for your marriage/relationship. While you may want to try to work things out on your own, sometimes it’s best to ask for help. When it comes to your marriage/relationship, marriage counseling can be incredibly important. Some signs that your marriage/relationship need counseling are:
- The lines of communication seem broken. If you aren’t talking to each other or telling each other the important things that happen, then it’s a sure sign that your marriage/relationship may need help. This also applies if you find yourselves fighting and arguing all of the time.
- Lack of intimacy. This can be physical, emotional, or both.
- Trust has been broken by one or both parties. This includes lying to each other, cheating, etc.
- Major life changes can significantly impact your marriage/relationship. These include a new baby, a death in the family, significant debt or financial challenges, losing a job, moving somewhere new, etc.
- Addictions such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc. These all have a massive impact on a relationship.
What questions are asked in pre-marriage counseling?
Many people think that counseling is only for people whose marriage or relationship is in distress. In many cases, premarital counseling can be beneficial and can help uncover potential problems before a couple gets married. Some of the questions asked in the premarital counseling questionnaire are:
- Why are we getting married?
- What do we want out of life?
- Do we want children?
- What religious views do we have?
- How are we going to divide household chores?
- How much debt does each person have?
- Do we both plan to work?
These are all questions that should be asked before getting married, as if the couple has significantly different opinions, it could lead to trouble down the road.
How well do you know your spouse's questions?
These questions can open up communication between you and your partner or spouse. They can help you learn more about each other and help you grow closer together as you learn more about each other. Consider asking your spouse or partner some of these questions:
- What three places does your partner want to visit?
- What book most impacted your partner’s life?
- What song means the most to your partner and why?
- When they were a child, what did your partner want to be when they grew up?
- What is their dream job now?
- Did they have a nickname as a child? Do they still have a nickname?
- What do they consider themselves naturally talented at?
- What is their least favorite chore to do?
- What is their favorite date night activity?
There are hundreds of questions that you could ask your partner to get to know them better. The important thing is communication, and that there’s always going to be new things that you can learn and love about them.
What is the most common problem addressed in couples therapy?
What are serious relationship questions?
What not to say in couples counseling?
What couples should not do in counseling?
What are common themes in couples therapy?
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