This article is extracted from “This is NOT a Second Honeymoon: Helping Couples Survive Spending A Lot of Time Together”, a book that was written by Christopher L. Smith to help couples during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his clinical work, he realized that couples being quarantined together have particular challenges. The book goes into a lot of these challenges along with strategies to survive these types of times and even to have their relationship thrive. We will be sharing a series of these extracts over several weeks to help you. If you would like to look at all of them together and get the book right away, it can be found on Amazon (Book).

If you are having problems implementing ideas from this book, you might want to seek couples counseling or marriage therapy. Likewise, if you have had a history of difficulties in your relationship, this could be a good time to get someone who can help you work through them. When these things are going on, it is the smart couple who decides to reach out and use another person to provide the tools and structure to help them make their relationship what they want it to be.

During this time, most places that offer couples counseling or marriage therapy will have opportunities to do this work on a video platform or in other ways that you do not have to go into an office. In New York, for example, Seeking Shalom is not seeing anyone in the offices in the Bronx or Midtown but are working with couples (and individuals) online. When you reach out for help, the type of professional that is most qualified to help you is a marriage and family therapist. Check them out to see what kinds of issues and couples they work with. Get a feel whether you think you would be able to work with them through whatever needs to be done. If you are uncertain where to turn, ask your pastor or other leader of your faith group for guidance.

Most relationships can benefit from the couple spending some time with a counselor or therapist. The fruits of this investment are not guaranteed but are usually significant. Here’s the Book.