Couples therapy
What is
Same-sex couples present problems common to heterosexual couples: communication problems, jealousy, infidelity…But the development of a homosexual’s personality, in a society where homosexuality has only recently begun to be really accepted, brings together two people who bring to the relationship a past history, in which they have experienced to a greater or lesser extent a stressor specific to homosexual couples, homophobia, which many of them end up internalizing. To assume that they are completely different from heterosexual couples would be a fallacy and an exaggeration, but not admitting that there are differences would also be a mistake.
In the first session, both members of the couple are called together. In order to get a version of the situation from both parties and to evaluate how they interact in session. It will be explained which is the dynamic to follow in the couple therapy, the importance of their commitment, sincerity in the testimonies and the work outside of sessions.
The second session is done individually with each of the members of the couple separately, to know the situation without the presence of the partner and to evaluate if there are individual issues that should be worked on before starting the couple therapy. Several questionnaires will be given, which will have to be completed by the couple individually, of great importance to gather the necessary information for a more complete intervention.
The third and subsequent sessions will be attended to the couple jointly and individually depending on the evolution of the therapeutic process.
No two couples are alike, just as no two people are alike, so psychotherapy is completely individualized, adapted to their specific needs, but in general the treatment objectives are usually training in skills to increase reinforcement, improve communication, acquisition of problem solving skills, negotiation and agreements, acquisition of a new interpersonal vocabulary, learning conversational skills, expression, stimulus control, planning and use of free time, etc ….