still, you may be wondering whether it’s appropriate to go for counseling if you’re not married or engaged. the fact is that there’s no reason to hold off on therapy if you’re “just” dating – and in fact, seeing a professional sooner rather than later could be the defining factor that actually leads to relationship success. gone are the times when the majority of partnerships would follow the same progression of dating, getting engaged, getting married, and moving in together. …

it’s completely natural, and comes with the territory of being in a relationship. when you’re in the heat of the moment and feeling emotional, it’s tough to think before you open your mouth. speaking in terms of how you feel and offering potential solutions to try together, rather than blaming your partner completely, will remind you that you’re in a partnership and need to work together to have a stronger relationship. you can say something instead like, “i feel frustrated …

i believed couples therapy would pretty much guarantee that the two of us would work out all of our issues as a couple. because ours wasn’t a last-ditch effort to mend the relationship, i thought that it would just make what was good better. when i wanted to sit down and discuss the hard things, he didn’t. so i became interested in the things he was doing in his spare time: long-distance running, crossfit, learning how to adopt a paleo …

when we first discussed the issue and looked at our options — breaking up right then, ignoring the issue until it became too big to dismiss, or trying to work through it with the help of a therapist — there was really only one good choice. by going to couples counseling, would we be making a big deal out of nothing? even our current therapist was at first surprised when we explained our situation, but not because we’re young or …

after all, you want to feel secure in your relationship, and you want to enjoy the time you spend with your partner. but if they tend to be stable and consistent in their behavior, it may be more of a reflection of your anxiety. of course, it’s reasonable (and often recommended) to end a relationship if you aren’t compatible with the other person. you want to know where things are going- if you’re both on the same page. if you …