Counselling Couples With Children

Certain life events and circumstances are associated with relationship issues. The arrival of children is a life event that is perhaps most associated with relationship difficulties.

For most couples there is much excitement and anticipation in the period before the birth of a child, however, the transition to parenthood with the associated sleepless nights and busy days can be a time of great stress for couples and can have a very negative impact on the couple’s relationship.

Lack of sleep can cause new parents to become fatigued and irritable with each other and frequently there is an imbalance in roles with women bearing a lot of the early work after the birth of a child. This can lead to a sense of unfairness and resentment and a sense of feeling rejected by their partner for many men.

The husband’s unhappiness with his relationship with his wife and her resentment towards him can often reduce his involvement with the child leaving her feeling less supported, and in turn, being more critical and angry towards him. The couple can then get caught up in this viscous cycle of resentment and blame.

Other circumstances such as financial problems due to the costs of a new baby, influence of family of origin and parent or child illnesses can also cause difficulties for the couple. Differences in the couple’s parenting style may emerge as the child gets older which often causes conflict.

Making the decision to go counselling can be very difficult for many couples but counselling can support the couple in working through some of these new challenges. Ignoring your issues or hoping they may get better on their ownseldom works.