Techniques for Couples Therapy

Relationship questions: My husband and I are considering couples therapy. But we're not sure what type of couples therapy to try.
Relationship advice: You're right in doing research into couples therapy before making the plunge. Believe it or not, there are 13 different recognized types of couples therapy, including psychoanalytic, behavioral and narrative.
Here is an overview of the most popular types of couples therapy:

• Solution focused couples therapy is a type of talk therapy that focuses on the future and what the couple wants to achieve after couples therapy.
  
• Narrative couples therapy is a form of psychotherapy using narrative—or stories to make sense of a couple's history—and plot their future.
  
• Cognitive behavioral couples therapy is a type of talk therapy that is goal-oriented and systematic in its approach. In theory, you will leave therapy with a plan for how to change the behaviors that drive each other crazy!
  
• Object relations therapy is a type of psychoanalysis that can be used to answer relationship questions. Expect to delve into childhood memories and problems.
  
• Emotionally focused therapy is short-term psychotherapy based on emotion theory and attachment theory. As the name suggests, it's about dealing with emotions.
  
• Psychoanalytic therapy: As in classic Freudian therapy, psychoanalytic couples therapy focuses on issues stemming from childhood as the root of relationship problems. In other words, it's all your mother's fault for potty training you so late!
  
• Gottman method of therapy: Focuses on the couple's strengths. In his book, "The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work," Gottman outlined seven main principles that reinforce the positive aspects of the relationship and help marriages survive rough patches.

Ultimately, whichever mode of therapy you try, you and your partner have to be open to relationship advice and committed to making changes if you want couples therapy to succeed!