Marriage Therapy

Marriage therapy studies began in the 19th century, and over time, various schools have been added to this field. Today, marriage therapy works with techniques that include psychodynamic, insight-based, cognitive-structural, structural, and systemic-strategic methods.

Marriage therapy aims to ensure that communication between spouses develops and continues in a healthy way. Marriage therapy primarily focuses on helping couples develop effective communication skills in their relationships, allowing them to build their shared world on solid foundations.

What is Marriage Therapy?

Marriage is based on the foundation of healthy communication. The famous therapist Virginia Satir compares communication, which forms the core of marriage, to an umbrella that covers everything between people. Communication affects all human relationships—whether written, vocal, verbal, silent, through symbols, sounds, silence, gestures, touches, or behaviors. In other words, no matter how it is established, communication forms the basis of all human relationships. Marriage, especially as an official partnership structure, operates around communication.

Marriage requires not only understanding oneself but also the ability to understand one’s partner. Based on this foundation, the ability to discuss, accept differences, and solve problems are essential components for maintaining a healthy marriage. In some cases, the failure to acquire these skills, or the insufficient application of these skills, can lead to problems in marriage.

Married or soon-to-be-married couples may encounter issues, conflicts, or find themselves stuck due to the changing dynamics of human relationships. Conflict, one of the inevitable aspects of every marriage or relationship, can sometimes lead to unresolved or insurmountable problems. Marriage therapy aims to provide constructive solutions to chronic or blocked problems by addressing communication issues observed between partners.

Marriage therapy, like all therapies, is based on the premise that both partners must first understand themselves and then understand the person they are with.

How is Marriage Therapy Applied?

In marriage therapy, the marriage is first evaluated. To assess the marriage in all its aspects and details, meetings are held with each partner separately and together. By evaluating the perspectives each partner has on problems, their expectations and perspectives within the marriage are assessed. The solutions and expectations each partner can offer from their perspective are also addressed.

In marriage therapy, psychometric tests are administered to both partners to evaluate how their personality traits reflect on their marriage. In addition, certain scales are applied to determine the severity of the problems within the marriage. During sessions with the partners, their communication and interactions with each other are evaluated. This helps to identify the root causes of communication problems.

Marriage therapy aims to develop communication skills by allowing individuals to take the initiative. In the process of renewing the marriage through healthy communication, various exercises and objective guidance are used to show that problems can be discussed and solved. As a result, couples undergoing marriage therapy discover that solutions and lasting changes can only be achieved through their own efforts. This process also helps couples develop problem-solving skills for future challenges in their marriage.

What is the Purpose of Marriage Therapy?

The primary goal of marriage therapy is to solve ongoing or chronic problems by improving communication skills and engaging the partners actively in the process. A happy marriage and marriage therapy aim to resolve ongoing issues or blockages by enhancing the communication skills of each partner.

Marriage is a dynamic that constantly renews itself. In fact, all human relationships gain continuity based on renewal. A person's ability to maintain healthy communication with another person depends on this renewal. Renewal is only possible through healthy and continuous communication. Therefore, problems in marriage arise when unresolved and chronic issues disrupt the renewal dynamic. Marriage therapy aims to enable partners to use the most basic communication skills in their relationships—essentially, to talk to each other. Through marriage therapy, partners are encouraged to talk with each other, allowing them to develop methods for solving problems.