Counseling for Newlyweds and New Parents
As experienced couples therapists in Bethesda, MD, we often work with couples who have been experiencing years and years of intense conflict, deep emotional wounds, and numbing distance. We often ask them, “what were the early years of your marriage like?” and although often we hear “we got along great–there was little fighting, good sex, and lots of fun” sometimes we hear “the seeds of our problems now were present then– we took each other for granted, sex changed after our first baby, and we got busier and busier.”
Couples that go into marriage counseling to repair current challenges and prevent future problems are far more successful in reaching their relationship goals than couples who are seeking services in a last attempt to avoid a divorce. Newlywed couples and new parent couples deserve a couples therapy experience that strengthens their sense of teamwork and partnership– counseling that teaches both communication skills for empathy and conflict resolution skills for problem solving, how to form relationship habits that foster connection and manage stress, and proactively maintain a loving and fulfilling relationship.
What Services Do You Provide Specifically for Newlywed Couples and New Parent Couples?
- Adoption
- Anxiety
- Attachment and connection with infants and young children
- Birth trauma and complications, including feelings of disappointment with labor and delivery
- Blended families
- Couples counseling
- Creating a cohesive co-parenting team
- Communication skills for empathy and understanding
- Conflict resolution and problem solving skills
- Emotional affairs
- Family therapy
- Fertility and baby-making sex
- Grief and loss, including perinatal loss
- Postpartum Depression (PPD)
- Parenting styles
- Pregnancy Issues for Mothers
- Pregnancy Issues for Fathers
- Sex therapy
- Stress
- Trauma
- Transition to parenthood
- Wedding let down
- Wedding stress’ impact on relationships with family and friends
How “New” Do We Need to Be for This Kind of Therapy?
Generally, we’re referring to marriages younger than 10 years, but this isn’t as much of a set time period as it is a developmental stage. When we say “new” we’re referring to the newly married couple who experienced their first huge, blow-up fight and feel scared. When we say “new” we’re referring to the couple married only 2 or 3 years who are thinking about separating or already threatening divorce. When we say “new” we’re referring to a couple trying to get pregnant or just found out about a pregnancy. When we say “new” we’re referring to a couple with a young infant struggling with personal, relationship, and family changes.
Don’t wait to seek help. Addressing and resolving relationship issues as newlyweds or new parents sets a strong foundation for a stable, satisfying, and sexual relationship for years to come.
Read more about how to get started with Bethesda, MD marriage counseling for new couples. Or request a consultation right now, we’re looking forward to hearing from you.