What to Expect in Couples Coaching?
Discover what happens in your first couples coaching session with Bull City Coaching. Learn about our 5-session process, PREPARE assessment, and personalized approach in Durham, NC.
You and your partner want to go deeper and strengthen your relationship further. You did some research and decided you want to try couples coaching with Bull City Coaching. What now?
While the content of each engagement is personalized for your individual couple's needs, you can expect our work together to follow a similar pattern.
Let's assume you've reached out via the form, and we've agreed to work together.
You'll Always Meet with Both Kevin and Kristi
We believe that since there are two partners in a marriage, it is only wise to bring both perspectives into your couples coaching. Otherwise it becomes easy for one partner to feel unseen or unheard because of their lived experiences. So the meetings will always include you, your partner, Kevin and Kristi.
Session 1: Getting to Know Each Other
Our first session will be to learn about you as a couple, discuss your goals, and answer any questions about the program. You can also ask us questions about our relationship and challenges we’ve navigated that may be relevant to your journey. You can expect this session to take approximately 45-50 minutes.
The PREPARE Assessment
You and your partner will take the PREPARE assessment online at your convenience. This typically takes 30-45 minutes to complete. We do suggest you allocate an hour for the exercise so you have the time and don't feel stressed. Remember, the relationship doesn't work—you do. So take the time to do the work.
Session 2: Reviewing Your Results
After you both complete the assessment, we will get together for our second session to review your results as a couple and highlight areas of strength and growth. During this session we'll likely talk about your overall satisfaction and idealism in the relationship as well as goals and dreams for your joint future. We will use this discussion to plan your personalized coaching journey.
Sessions 3-5: Building Your Skills
The next three sessions will be different depending on your goals and the results of the assessment; however, typically we'd suggest the following breakdown and approach:
Session 3: Discuss how each of you handles stress and what communication patterns you each exhibit in your relationship. We will practice conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.
Session 4: We’ll dive into your background and see how your family of origin influences your current relationship - both positive, negative and unexpected. Typically, at this point we will unpack each of your role expectations and assumed responsibilities within the relationship.
Session 5: This session is dedicated to any special interests or topics for you as a couple such as spiritual beliefs and values, personal history, ongoing conflicts, etc.
During all of these sessions, we will guide you through personalized skill-building exercises so that you can foster growth in your relationship.
If you uncover significant issues
Our goal is to give you the tools to succeed in resolving conflicts, communicating effectively, and setting clear expectations. If significant concerns arise such as issues of addiction or abuse, we'll discuss them openly and will recommend additional resources or professional support.
Celebrating Your Growth
At the end of the 5 sessions, we will celebrate your growth! If you both have done the work, you will have confidence, tools, and a stronger connection. You will be ready to practice these tools and embrace this connection as you continue your journey together.
Ready to begin your coaching journey? We're here to guide you every step of the way. Will out the form below to get started.