You don't have to be married or in crisis to benefit from couples therapy. Whether you're dating, considering a future together, or navigating recurring challenges, these five questions can help you reflect on your relationship.
This brief reflection is educational only. It is not a diagnostic test and cannot tell you whether you need couples therapy.
Couples therapy is not just for relationships in crisis. It can help with recurring arguments, communication that keeps breaking down, feeling distant from a partner, or working through differences before they grow into bigger problems.
The questions below can help you reflect on patterns that may be showing up in your relationship.
Think about your relationship over the past few months and answer Yes or No.
Your responses do not suggest many of the patterns covered by this brief reflection. Every relationship has its ups and downs, and this is not a diagnostic assessment.
If something about your relationship is still sitting with you, couples therapy can be a helpful space to strengthen communication and connection, even without a crisis prompting it.
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A few of your responses reflect patterns that many couples recognize, such as recurring arguments, communication that breaks down under conflict, or feeling less understood than you would like.
Couples therapy can help you better understand these patterns, strengthen communication, build emotional security, and develop healthier ways to navigate conflict.
You don't have to wait until a relationship is in crisis to work toward a healthier, more connected partnership.
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Several of your responses reflect patterns that often lead couples to seek support, including recurring unresolved conflict, pursue-withdraw dynamics, feeling emotionally unsupported, or ongoing tension around trust, boundaries, intimacy, or the future.
This reflection cannot tell you whether couples therapy is the right fit. However, these are exactly the kinds of patterns couples therapy is built to work through together.
Mary Ibrahim provides couples and relationship counseling, helping partners strengthen communication, rebuild trust, and feel connected again, whether you are dating, engaged, or married.
This review only exists in your browser. It is never stored, saved, or sent anywhere, and disappears the moment you refresh or leave this page.
You don't have to wait until a relationship is in crisis to work toward a healthier, more connected partnership.
Important Information: These questions are intended for self-reflection, not as a validated clinical screening tool, and are not a substitute for a comprehensive evaluation by a qualified mental health professional.
Answering Yes to one or more questions does not mean that your relationship needs couples therapy. Similar patterns can occur for many reasons, and every relationship moves through difficult seasons.
If a relationship involves fear, intimidation, or abuse, confidential individual support and a safety assessment may be more appropriate than couples therapy. If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health emergency, call 911, go to the nearest emergency department, or call or text 988. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is also available at 1-800-799-7233.