I originally chose to work in the field of individual psychology, but through research and education many years ago found marriage counseling to be even more effective for individuals
than individual therapy alone.
As I became a therapist I began to understand that working with couples required more skill and more commitment to deep training and
learning than individual therapy.
Working with your significant other can push you even
further than individual therapy because you can support each other, and you can, unfortunately, hurt each other the most.
Unfortunately, couple therapy can require more training and
skill than individual therapy, and many counselors are not well trained in couple therapy.
Outcome research informs us that couples counseling is more effective
than individual therapy in identifying addiction and moving the addict and family into recovery.
Gurman and colleagues (in Garfield and Bergin) would add «medical» disorders (like eating disorders, diabetes, and asthma), anxiety, and phobias to the list of problems that benefit more from family or couples
therapy than individual therapy.
It can be more
challenging than individual therapy as people try to tolerate feelings when their partner is in the room, to bring up difficult discussions and have the courage to speak their truth.
Every individual and every couple are different, and that makes couples therapy a bit more
complicated than individual therapy, but there also seems to be a real benefit to the relationship when people learn they can work through their issues together.
Indeed, the data seems to suggest that in some situations, Schema Therapy can work more swiftly in a group or when group therapy is added to treatment,
than individual therapy alone.
FT / ST often proves more
effective than individual therapy for serious problems in which patients are not — or are not actively — seeking care, such as anti-social behaviour, substance abuse, eating disorders or psychotic disorders.
This may be more cost effective
than individual therapy, and possibly even more effective.
Couples therapy helps narcissism much better
than individual therapy — because the partner is involved in the effort.
I generally recommend to couples that if they are having relationship problems, couples therapy is more likely to be helpful
than individual therapy.