Relationships are complex. Not only is it a matter of love: maintaining a balance between passion, intimacy and commitment , communicating properly and having a relationship that allows both partners to grow and enrich each other's lives involves a great effort. In this context, it is not uncommon that throughout the relationship different types of conflicts may appear that the couple must face, and they may not be able to do so on their own.

An alternative that is available, if there is a desire to improve the situation, is to seek professional help: it may be necessary to go to a professional who helps us to perform couples therapy. However, couples therapy is not a homogeneous thing that is always carried out in the same way, different currents of thought have developed different approaches that may be of greater or lesser use depending on the problem in question. In this article, we will discuss what couple's therapy in general is and some of the types of couple therapies that exist .

What is couples therapy?
The name of couple therapy is that type of treatment or procedure that is used at a professional level in order to improve the situation and relationship of a couple before the existence of any type of problem that interferes with its normal functioning or which is a generator of suffering for one or both parties.

This type of therapy is very useful for those couples with significant problems and conflicts or for those who seek to solve minor problems but that can affect the relationship. The most common is that behind the different problems is the presence of some kind of frustration or dissatisfaction with some aspect of the relationship, usually linked or worsened by lack of communication.

It is possible that there is no clear demand beyond the presence of relational problems, one of the main aspects to work is to elucidate the reason for dissatisfaction with the objective of finding ways to reduce it and introduce changes that allow the resolution of conflicts However, in other cases the cause of the conflict may be more limited to a specific circumstance , situation or discrepancy.

Some of the main causes that usually lead a couple to go to consultation are usually the appearance of infidelity, problems or absence of communication, poor living, presence of jealousy, emotional dependence, fertility problems, sexual dysfunctions, absence of shared goals or perception of lack of involvement by one of the parties, discrepancies in the education of the offspring, structural discrepancies at the level of problems of hierarchy or lack of equity in power or unexpected problems such as the death of a child or the diagnosis or condition of a chronic or terminal medical illness or a mental disorder.

Types of couples therapy according to their paradigm:
All these problems can be observed and treated from very different theoretical and practical perspectives . For example, some of them may focus more on emotional factors or the sensations of their members while others are more based on the existence of family roles and structures or on more cognitive aspects. All of them are considered couples therapy and all of them have their utility in different situations.

Next we will see some of the main types of couples therapy that exist based on the theoretical current from which they start .

1. Psycho dynamic couple therapy:
parterapeut Frederiksberg carried out from the psycho dynamic perspective usually focuses on the presence of conflicts produced in childhood or early development as a cause of the generation of problems of couple in the present. The use of defense mechanisms is also analyzed, such as the projection in the other of one's own fears or the introspection of characteristics of the other into the individual's own self.

Other notable aspects are the high value given to the therapeutic relationship and the conscious and unconscious fantasies of each member of the couple, especially in relation to the relationship.

2. Systemic couple therapy:
One of the most well-known types of couples therapy, which also leads to the application of family therapy, is based on the systemic paradigm. In this case, the couple's relationship is seen as an open system in which there is an exchange of roles, norms and relationships. Most problems are usually linked to communication problems, lack of recruitment or expression of the needs of each member of the couple or the appearance or maintenance of fixed roles that become dysfunctional and generators of suffering.

3. Cognitive-behavioral couple therapy:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most prevalent and recognized to this day in most facets of psychology. This type of therapy is usually linked to the cognition, beliefs, expectations and thoughts of each subject , as well as the behaviors derived from them. Thus, it is usual for divergences to work under this paradigm in terms of expectations in the relationship, the presence of behaviors that suppose suffering for one of the parties. Situations in which there is excessive control or low mutual reinforcement are worked on.

4. Humanistic couple therapy:
Another type of couple therapy, perhaps less known than the previous ones, is based on the humanist approach. From this approach, it is sought that the members of the couple develop and optimize their potentialities, demolish masks and roles and self-discover themselves. It is considered that it is the development of the individuality of each member of the couple that will lead to a stronger union between the two.

5. Other types of couples therapy:
So far we have talked about different types of couples therapy based on the paradigm that is part, but these are not the only ones. We can find different ways of conceptualizing and taking therapy within these same paradigms.

For example, there is therapy focused on emotions (which seek to improve the link from emotional expression and overcoming vicious circles of negative emotions) or the integral based on the acceptance and commitment of the problematic situation (for example , the condition of a chronic disorder). There are also therapies more focused on certain aspects of the relationship, such as with sexual therapy.