A study in Australia has shown that the couples who seek relationship counselling sooner rather than later are more likely to feel the benefits.
The study, called "Relationship education and counselling – recent research findings" looked at how effective relationship counselling
was for couples at various stages in their relationships, and considered how big their issues were when they chose to seek help.
Counselling was seen to be successful for nearly three quarters of couples, but around 25% had less success. It seems that the people who enter into counselling early on when their issues are still manageable are more likely to have positive results.

The study also suggested that couples with the biggest difficulties showed the lowest improvement from relationship counselling. This echoes what we already know about the benefits of early intervention, or getting help before things get out of hand. Relationship counselling doesn’t have to be disaster management and can in fact be more useful when it’s used for foundation strengthening.
In some of the cases where counselling was seen to be less effective, it was already too late - particularly in cases of domestic violence, or where one partner was seeking a safe space to end the relationship.
But, if you’ve gone into counselling when things are already difficult and you want to see an improvement, there is still hope for you.  A willingness to be flexible and self-reflective can go a long way. In the study, people who were able to look at things from their partners’ points of view and reconsider their own actions and behaviour were more likely to arrive at the subtle shifts in attitude that can lead to problems being solved.

So keep an eye out for warning signs and don’t be afraid to seek help with your relationship. Often, people can worry that going to a counsellor means they are in big trouble, or that it’s the beginning of the end. In fact, if you go early enough, the opposite can be true!
If you find that conflict is difficult to resolve on your own, go and get some help while the issue is still small. You’ll be joining the majority of couples who enjoy an improvement in their relationships with the boost of a little outside help.

Photo credit: The art of relationship