COUPLES COUNSELING
Whenever two people decide to become a unit, it is almost as if two worlds collide—two different worldviews, two distinct sets of values, and two unique collections of past hurts. While the phrase “opposites attract” holds some truth, it often also explains why many couples end up experiencing disappointment and agony. The more different we are, the more important it becomes to understand those differences. We must learn to read each other’s language, become better at decoding each other’s messages, and develop the ability to respond appropriately.
This is a complex process that, when it comes to a standstill, often requires the external guidance of a Mental Health professional to reignite progress. In a safe and supportive environment, we can work together to improve your communication skills. We strongly believe that understanding each other’s “language” is a skill that can be learned. To support this journey, we offer the following therapeutic settings:
Couples Counseling
Communication between people is a sensitive matter. We all understand things in unique ways. We explain ourselves distinctively and also have different expectations of each other depending on the situation we are in. These facts and many others imply that much can go wrong when we actually try to make ourselves understood.
Couples counseling is a way to find a common language. Additionally, it provides a safe place where old hurts that still bother one or the other can be expressed and worked through. While couples naturally accumulate many positive memories, they also inevitably hurt each other—often unintentionally. This phenomenon stems from the unavoidable differences in perception, mismatched “sender and receiver frequencies,” and varying “love languages.” As a result, couples may navigate rocky times more effectively with the presence of an encouraging third party: the counselor. We understand couples counseling to be a method whereby we deal with your issues as a team—a team that is not looking for “the guilty one,” but that tries to build a new, prosperous ground where positive communication can flourish again.
Multicultural Couples Counseling
A loving partnership can turn into a battleground. And in the case of international marriage or partnership, the misunderstandings and troubles can escalate even more, as those involved come from different cultural backgrounds where certain situations might be dealt with in contrasting ways. Working through these differences and finding new approaches that fit both partners are essential to affecting positive change.
In recent years, we have increasingly noticed that couples consisting of one Japanese national and one foreign partner tend to encounter similar types of issues. It appears that such couples repeatedly face comparable hurdles. The differing cultural backgrounds often lead to certain miscommunications being more frequent than others. However, aside from the unique nature of each couple, similar strategies for resolution can often be identified. These solutions focus, among other things, on helping both sides better understand each other’s cultural perspectives. As a result, recurring conflicts can often be defused more effectively.
TOKYO
REFUGIUM
Psychotherapy & Mental Health Consulting