Treating Stressed Out Couples: Interventions to Help Partners Navigate Stress and Improve Their Relationship

As a couples therapist, you’ve likely worked with clients who are either withdrawn or too dysregulated to engage in productive conversations. Sessions may start with frazzled, angry, or numb partners, and just as progress begins, emotions escalate or shut down entirely.

Outside of therapy, these couples are often overwhelmed—juggling parenting, work demands, caregiving, finances, and health concerns. The weight of these stressors seeps into their relationships, making it even harder to communicate and connect.