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According to research, the success of Reston couples counseling is evaluated in four factors. The client's power for growth and self-healing accounts for 40% percent of the success. As we all know, people have strengths and resources - the latter may include beliefs, values, feelings and relational capacity, just to name a few. An effective therapy is thus, one that will help clients appropriate their resources. Dr. Durana mentions that to be able to bring out strengths, competencies and resources, one must focus on what has worked, rather than what has failed. By believing that we can change most easily from a position of strength, not failure, problem solving is facilitated and self-esteem enhanced. Therefore, what supports healing and change are people's knowledge on what is right, what works, and what has worked before.

Many forms of therapy concentrate on the following: what is wrong with the person (pathologizing), what's the hidden cause of the problem, what must be done to fix it. Although occasionally useful, Dr. Durana learned that this approach has many drawbacks. For example, when a person is called phobic about relationships, this label and the associated lack of competencies can act as hurdles that may prevent fully understanding the person; the label may threaten and cause defensiveness. Dr. Durana holds that an individual is much more than a label. In the above example, it is therefore more useful to say that the person may have difficulty relating to other people because of past experiences. As a result, the client will be led to self-understanding, self-acceptance as well as self-love. As a therapist, Dr. Durana believes that thinking about the client in this fashion may help in avoiding getting into a rut, trying to "fix" the person. How we think about what goes on with ourselves and with another person is of utmost significance.

It is valuable to find out what has not worked, but it is more practical to find out what has worked so that it can be developed and used; for instance, during what periods of our lives were we most ourselves, when and how did we make the best decisions, and so on. Dr. Durana's approach facilitates self-discovery, personal responsibility, personal control and problem solving. This approach lets people utilize their ability to uncover resources and directions for growth in life and respects their personal worth, competence and lovability.

Dr. Durana holds that it's the job of the counselor to help the client uncover their resources and potential for growth, and to provide the conditions under which effective Reston couples counseling can take place, but it is the client that makes therapy work, not the therapist's or that of the specific approach.

The Client-Therapist Relationship in Couples Counseling

The second most important factor in successful Reston couples counseling is the working alliance developed by the client and the therapist. Believe it or not, this is another resource that you can utilize for growth and healing to take place. Some of the essential qualities displayed by an effective counselor are warmth, empathy, care, interest in and respect for you as an individual (your ideas and feelings), genuineness, and encouragement in trying out new solutions. The relationship can provide a safe and supportive environment where you, the client, can take the time to experience and think through problems, create new perspectives, experiment with potential solutions, obtain information and skills, receive feedback and experience mastery over your problems.

In a collaborative and caring relationship, through the meeting of minds and hearts, Dr. Durana listens and connects rather than "treating" or "fixing". Through this, a trusting relationship is developed and this allows the client to feel more at ease in exploring his or her deeper areas of concern. Even those who may not be prepared or even willing to engage in deeper self-analysis, will nonetheless benefit from this caring relationship and may discover new resources, gain skills and knowledge.

Dr. Durana is effective since he understands and empathizes with what's most essential for you, and how much you're willing to engage and to learn; in this sense, you control the agenda. Another good predictor of a successful result, therefore, is the agreement of objectives and tasks to be performed. Only when you, the client, see that the outcome of the couples counseling in Reston, VA is the result of your best efforts and have accepted the responsibility for change shall these results last.

Client Expectancy and Hope in Couples Counseling

People who resort to Reston couples counseling are usually those who are experiencing mental and emotional anguish and those who are not functioning optimally. This is because sometimes, people repeatedly utilize old and ineffective ways, avoid or deny problems, or simply do not have a support system. After feeling demoralized in their unsuccessful problem solving efforts or powerless about changing things, people then resort to therapy. However, the act of doing therapy demonstrates a new determination to get better, the "I can do it" attitude; this is an act of hope.

Good therapy fosters this kind of thinking. It gives the clients hope - it informs them that something can be done to make their case better. The techniques and methods of Dr. Durana's counseling improve pathways for experiencing and pondering on problems. The third factor that evaluates the success of a therapy, therefore, is the client's perception of the problem and his/her plans of confronting it. Of course, it helps to believe that therapy has some sort of a healing property. Attending to what's functional in the client's life, and enhancing the client's strengths, resources and capacities to cope effectively within a context of care and respect helps create optimistic expectations that change will occur and that the client has the competency and power to make recovery and change feasible.

Change is defined as a step-by-step process wherein a person tries out new things a lot of times. In everyday life, people change through normal processes of thinking about a problem, discovering and experimenting with solutions and getting feedback from the environment; out of this come novel perspectives and experiences which then lead to new solutions and discoveries. All these can be perceived as a natural self-righting mechanism - something that paves way for hope and positivity.

Reston couples counseling can be helpful for most people. Therapy research findings suggest that beneficial effects can be achieved in five to ten sessions with at least 50% of clients. For 20-30%, over 25 sessions may be needed. Clients who are very hostile, poorly motivated, have a history of poor relationships or expect to be inactive recipients of a medical procedures are more likely not to benefit.

Methods or Models of Couples Counseling

The last element for a successful Reston couples counseling is the method/technique used - this contributes to 15% of the total benefit. The client factor discussed earlier contributes about 40%, client/therapist relationship about 30% and hopeful expectancy about fifteen percent.

How you use the approach, is by far, the most significant element in a successful counseling. Be aware that the primary healing factor is no one else but YOU. Therefore, healing is best achieved through the personal efforts of the client: self-healing and self-actualizing. The techniques and methods of Reston couples counseling can help mobilize it, together with hope, and the therapist's supportive contributions. The magic is in you, the client.