Positive steps to well-being worksheet
Looking for a couples therapy questions PDF with get to know your partner questions for couples therapy? A couples therapy questions PDF can be a helpful tool for getting to know your partner and developing a healthy relationship.
This article provides an overview of how to prepare for couples counseling, examples of questions to ask in couples therapy, and the types of questions therapists may ask couples.
We’ve also included a free downloadable couples therapy questions PDF that includes a list of get to know your partner questions to deepen relationships.
How to prepare for couples counseling
Couples therapy can be a healing and transformative experience that improves communication, resolves conflicts, reduces stress, deepens your emotional connection, and improves well-being.
However, it can often be daunting for people to share their relationship difficulties with a therapist. They might not know what to expect or if couples therapy is the right fit for them.
Many couples experience significant periods of turmoil and distress, and in the United States, between 40% and 50% of first marriages end in divorce. This affects both partners’ well-being, mental health, and their children's well-being.
The good news is that couples don’t have to wait until they want to break up or get a divorce to seek help.
Couples therapy and asking and answering get to know your partner questions can be helpful at any point in the relationship.
Some of the reasons couples seek counseling include:
Parenting conflicts
Grief and loss
Infidelity
Sexual or intimacy problems
Conflict
Lack of trust
Life transitions like having a baby, relocating, getting a new job, or integrating families
Financial or legal issues
Mismatched expectations in the relationship
These tips can help couples prepare for couples counseling:
Get clear on your motivation: Before discussing couples therapy with your partner, reflect on your reasons for wanting counseling. It may be helpful to begin with get to know your partner questions.
Talk to your partner: Share why you want to seek counseling with your partner.
Reflect on your goals: The therapist will ask you what you’d like to get out of counseling, what issues you’d like to address, what your expectations are, and how you’ll find a couples therapist. Considering these questions before seeing your counselor for the first time may be helpful.
Understand the therapist's role: Counselors and therapists are neutral parties whose goal is not to take sides, but to help you achieve what you want from therapy. They will facilitate honest, open, and structured conversations in which each person shares their understanding and (hopefully) gains a better understanding of each other and the challenges you're facing.
Be open to feedback and willing to change: Therapy may change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Although being open to feedback, listening, and willing to change may make you uncomfortable, it will ultimately improve your relationship and lead to greater satisfaction.
Get to know your partner questions
Get to know your partner questions that can also be found in the couples therapy questions PDF include:
How do you like to give and receive affection?
What communication style frustrates you the most?
What is your dream vacation?
How would you like to enjoy your day off?
What are your relationship goals?
How do you define happiness?
How do you prefer to give and receive feedback?
Who is your most significant source of support?
What does success mean to you?
What is something you wish people understood about you?
How do you feel about marriage and kids?
What is your preferred relationship dynamic?
How do you handle stress?
What childhood experiences shaped who you are?
Couples therapy questions
Asking questions is an integral part of therapeutic work.
Some of the questions included in the couples therapy questions PDF include:
How did you meet each other?
When was the last time you felt emotionally connected?
What do you love about your partner?
What are your favorite memories of your relationship?
What helps you feel safe and supported in your relationship?
What is your favorite activity to do together?
Describe three strengths in your relationship.
Describe your partner's stressors right now.
What concerns you about your relationship?
What have I done for you in the past that has made you feel appreciated?
Name three values you admire in your partner.
What does commitment mean to you?
How do you handle disagreements?
Is there anything you used to do together that you’d like to do again?
What do you wish your partner understood about you?
What are your goals for therapy?
Where do you see your relationship in five years?
Describe unmet needs in your relationship that you’re afraid of discussing with your partner.
How satisfied are you with your physical and emotional intimacy?
How do you resolve conflict?
How do you handle hurt feelings?
When do you feel most heard?
What can your partner do to make you feel more comfortable sharing your feelings more openly and honestly?
What do you want to share with your partner that you haven’t felt you could discuss until now?
What helps to rebuild your trust after it has been broken?
Therapists can also ask reflective or clarifying questions, like:
What is going on for you when you hear your partner say ___?
How do you know that your opinion doesn’t count?
How do you know that they are ___?
Have you noticed them doing __?
What do they not know that they may need to know?
Why do you not want to stop doing __?
How to use the couples therapy questions PDF
You can use our couples therapy questions PDF in several ways.
For example, print or screen share the couples therapy questions PDF to use as a psychoeducational session prompt.
You can also use the document as a couples therapy questionnaire PDF for their intake assessment.
Or, give the couples therapy questions PDF to the client or couple to remind them of what you discussed during therapy.
Then, you can ask the couple to reflect on the get to know your partner questions worksheet between sessions and report their progress at their next therapy appointment.
Sources
Lebow, J., & Snyder, D. K. (2022). Couple therapy in the 2020s: Current status and emerging developments. Family process.
Muntigl, P., & Horvath, A. O. (2023). Strategic use of observer-perspective questions in couples therapy. Frontiers in psychology.
Schofield, M. J., Mumford, N., Jurkovic, D., Jurkovic, I., & Bickerdike, A. (2012). Short and long-term effectiveness of couple counselling: a study protocol. BMC public health.
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