Parterapi (Couples Therapy) - Making Marriage Work Out

Main Article Categories

"Divorce" Article
Article Directory Home

Parterapi (Couples Therapy) - Making Marriage Work Out By Expert Author: Ilan Wolffberg
View Summary \| Submitted: 2007-10-31 \| Word Count: 443 words \| Views: 92 view(s)

Way up at the northern tip of Europe is a little country of 6 million people in which separation and divorce are an everyday experience. In Denmark, most school kids, nearly 1 out of every 5, have two addresses, two telephone numbers and a pocket calendar to keep track of where they sleep and eat.

No wonder, then, that the numbers of Danish couples participating in couples therapy or Parterapi, as it is called in Danish, is large and steadily growing. Most families have by now become aware of the pain, frustration and waste of time, money and effort caused by a relationship gone wrong and many have decided to try and do something about it, to work hard at finding a better solution than just breaking up.

Having decided to begin therapy a couple arranges to meet with the therapist for a preliminary consultation. If they agree to continue they will meet for one and a half hours once a week or every 10 days, often in the afternoon or evening, after work. After 3-5 sessions many couples find that things start to change - often for the better. Couples can, alternatively, join a couples therapy group. Groups of 4-5 couples meet and work, learning through practice and by watching other couples work, how to improve their own relationship.

The two key factors that are addressed in couples therapy, aside from any specific individual problems such as e.g. alcoholism, physical violence or drug abuse, are awareness and communication. By awareness is meant an increase and sharpening of consciousness about what we do, how we do it and the consequences of what we do, to each other and to ourselves. Working in Parterapi on increasing awareness involves training and exercises, often simple and quite straightforward, with surprising results and many "ah-ha" experiences for both participants and onlookers.

Training and practice in increased awareness can encompass e.g. paying attention to bodily signals such as breathing, sweating, blushing, heartbeat or to avoidance behavior e.g. silence, workaholism. Most people find that their range of awareness is quite limited and that with increased awareness they are better able to attend to many signals from their partner that they either didn't notice, ignored or didn't understand.

Practice and training in communication involves learning (or re-learning) how to listen effectively and how to respond respectfully and adequately. Learning not to respond to the feeling of being attacked by resorting to excuses or apologies is a major step for many people. Practice in using the first person pronoun "I", instead of "One" or "They" and appreciating the improved reactions from other people is a real eye opener for most people undergoing a course of therapy.

About the Author/Author Bio

Having marital problems? Ilan Wolffberg is an American psychotherapist residing in Denmark for over 30 years. For more information on Parterapi or on Communication as they say in Danish.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Parterapi--Couples-Therapy----Making-Marriage-Work-Out/110549

Article Tags: news and society, divorce, couples therapy, marriage counseling, divorce, marital problems, realtionships, therapy, counseling, marriage, divorce, love, heartache, therapy, family, mental he

This Article has been viewed 92 times.

Comments on this Article

More "Divorce" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Divorce" article category.

People interested in the above article "Parterapi (Couples Therapy) - Making Marriage Work Out" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

Being Informed about Separating before a Divorce

Before a couple seeks divorce, separation is the usual precursor. There are a number of things couples need to do before seeking a divorce settlement. From finding the right attorney to getting your finances in order, a number of divorces have long periods of separation before they are finalized.

The Importance of a Divorce Lawyer

Divorce lawyers are there to help you make many important decisions and should be willing to discuss any of your concerns. No matter what your issues, a divorce lawyer can help you figure out the specifics of your case. That’s why for most people, the first step they take in getting divorced is contacting a divorce lawyer.

How Divorce Affects A Once Vibrant Family

Children are the key to marriage. The urge that drives one to marriage is purposely the desire to bear children and to start up your own family. It's amazing and surprising how people run and long for marriage and yet end up breaking after a very short period of time leaving children with scars in their hearts.

Divorced and Over 50 - The Secret To Redefine Your Image as a Midlife Single

Divorced for less than a year, 56 year old Darlene says, "It's worse than if Mack had died. At least, if my ex-husband had died, I’d get sympathy from everyone. I wouldn’t feel like I’m to blame for him leaving me, what was wrong with me as a wife that I couldn’t hold on to him or satisfy him. I wouldn’t feel guilty."

A Better Way... Choosing A Peaceful Divorce

Couples ending their marriages and other relationships face many challenges. These challenges exist especially in a family with children. With Collaborative Family Law couples can work toward a complete settlement that benefits everyone through an effective and efficient process.

Your Home, Your Credit, and Your Divorce

Divorce is one of the most horrible things a person can endure. There are a plethora of books and support groups out there that deal in the emotional aspects of divorce but what about the financial aspects...especially if you own a home.

Uncontested Divorce Information

According to Jennifer Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri, 50 per cent of all first marriages will end in divorce, 67 per cent of all second marriages will end in divorce, and 74 per cent of all third marriages will end in divorce. Many times people go into marriages for the wrong reasons, and predicting the future many years down the road is quite impossible. Thankfully, in the U.S. it is quite simple to get a divorce, that's if it remains uncontested by the spouse.

Print Article

Comment on Article

Favorite Article

Email to Friend

Republish Article

Article Directory Home

News And Society

Divorce

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!

(Search in 26 languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, German,
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, Serbian
Slovak, Hebrew, Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian)

(We serve worldwide - Locations updated as at Monday, 01 December 2008 10:53 pm , Singapore)

United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . Côte d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . São Tom?& Príncipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe

Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Template Design by Internet Marketing Singapore | Internet Marketing | Singapore Classified