Many people are hesitant to enter therapy with their loved ones due to the belief that people who love one another should be able to solve their own problems. It is not the lack of love that leads to problems; it is usually the lack of distance from a problem. When you can clearly see what another couple needs to do to improve their relationship, you may not be able to figure out how to escape unhelpful patterns in your own. While inviting a stranger into an intimate relationship may seem strange initially, many couples and families appreciate the opportunity to sit down together with another person to help identify and avoid harmful patterns.
Even when a problem seems to be an individual one, family or couples therapy can be tremendously helpful in supporting change that encourages and sustains healing and recovery.