Do I Need Marriage Counseling or Individual Therapy? Exploring the Right Path to Healing Relationship Challenges

It’s not uncommon for someone to walk into therapy to talk about their anxiety or depression, and find themselves talking about their relationship. Whether it’s a marriage that feels disconnected, communication breakdowns with a partner, recurring conflict, or unmet emotional needs, relationship struggles are a central topic in therapy rooms across the world. In fact, many people initially seek therapy for individual issues, only to discover that much of their emotional distress is connected to their relational dynamics.

So, when you’re experiencing challenges in your relationship, you might wonder: Do I need marriage counseling, individual therapy, or both? The answer isn’t always straightforward, but understanding how each form of therapy works—and what it’s best suited to address—can help you make a decision that supports your well-being and your relationship’s health.

How Individual Therapy Can Help With Relationship Challenges

Individual therapy provides a one-on-one space for you to explore your own emotions. As well as your patterns, attachment history, values, and behaviors. It’s especially powerful when you’re unsure about your role in a relationship dynamic, need clarity about how you’re feeling, or want to break cycles that keep repeating in your partnerships.

Common relational concerns explored in individual therapy might include:

• Struggling with trust or jealousy in relationships

• Having difficulty setting boundaries with a partner

• Feeling unsure about staying or leaving a relationship

• Patterns of self-sabotage or codependency

• Processing childhood or past relationship trauma affecting current dynamics

• Working through grief after infidelity or betrayal

In therapy, you may come to understand how your past (e.g., family of origin experiences, attachment wounds, or past partners) is influencing how you show up today. You might also identify communication styles, coping strategies, or unmet needs that contribute to relationship conflict.

At Illuminative Self-Care Therapy (ISCT), our individual therapy services are rooted in deep self-exploration, offering insight, clarity, and tools that allow you to make empowered decisions—not just in relationships, but across all aspects of your life.

How Couples Therapy Addresses Relationship Struggles

Couples therapy, on the other hand, brings both partners into the room to explore the relational dynamic together. It creates a structured and supported space to navigate conflict, rebuild trust, strengthen communication, and reconnect emotionally and physically.

Some relationship issues that couples therapy can address include:

• Communication breakdowns or constant arguments

• A sense of emotional disconnection or intimacy loss

• Navigating life transitions (parenthood, career changes, relocation)

• Infidelity or breaches of trust

• Differences in parenting, money management, or long-term goals

• Unmet emotional or physical needs

• Struggles in expressing appreciation, affection, or vulnerability

What makes couples therapy in Los Angeles unique is its focus on the system between partners, rather than just the internal world of one individual. It offers real-time practice in communication, accountability, empathy-building, and compromise. At ISCT, our couples therapy approach helps partners shift from cycles of blame and defensiveness to shared understanding and mutual care.

Which Therapy Do I Need? Individual, Couples—or Both?

To help you determine which path may be right for you, here are a few examples of issues and how they might best be addressed:

Best Addressed in Individual Therapy:

• You’re unsure how you truly feel about the relationship and need space to process

• You're repeating the same relationship patterns across different partners

• You’re dealing with anxiety, depression, or trauma that's affecting how you connect

• You’ve experienced abuse or emotional manipulation and need a safe place to heal

• You need help learning how to set boundaries or build self-worth

Best Addressed in Couples Counseling:

• You and your partner are having repeated conflicts or miscommunications

• There's been a breach of trust, and both partners want to rebuild

• You feel emotionally distant or unfulfilled but still committed to each other

• You're preparing for a major life transition and need support navigating it together

• You’re struggling to align on parenting, finances, or household roles.

Best Addressed in Both Therapies:

• One or both partners bring unresolved trauma into the relationship

• You’re working on personal growth and want your relationship to evolve with you

• There’s conflict or resentment, but also a desire to heal and stay together

• You're navigating differing attachment styles or emotional regulation struggles

• One partner is in individual therapy, and couples therapy can support shared goals

Many clients find that combining individual and couples therapy is the most effective path. In individual therapy, you explore and strengthen your inner world. In couples therapy, you learn to show up more vulnerably and effectively within your partnership. At ISCT, we offer both services with a holistic lens—recognizing that relationship work and self-work are deeply intertwined.

The ISCT Approach to Healing Relationships

At Illuminative Self-Care Therapy (ISCT), we specialize in supporting individuals and couples navigating complex emotional and relational challenges. Whether you're seeking to heal wounds from your past, grow in your current relationship, or make empowered decisions about your future, our therapists are here to support you.

Our couples therapy in Los Angeles, CA offers a collaborative and compassionate environment to work through blocks and reconnect. Meanwhile, our individual therapy services offer space for introspection, healing, and self-awareness—all of which are essential to showing up fully in a relationship.

We use evidence-based modalities like Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), somatic-based practices, and narrative therapy to help clients address their unique goals. Every relationship—and every individual—is different, and our work is always tailored to your needs.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you’ve been wondering whether your relationship needs support—or if you’re unsure what kind of therapy is right for you—it might be time to reach out.

At ISCT, we’re here to help you figure it out. Whether through individual therapy, couples counseling, or a combination of both, we’ll walk with you on the path to clarity, healing, and connection.

1. Book a consultation with ISCT today and get paired with a compassionate therapist.

2. Explore our blogs for more insights into lasting healing and couples therapy.

3. Start the journey toward deeper understanding—within yourself and in your relationship.

More Therapy Services in Los Angeles, CA and Nevada

While couples therapy is a core part of my work, I also offer individual therapy for those navigating personal growth, anxiety, or life transitions. Additionally, family therapy to help strengthen communication and connection within families. No matter where you’re starting, I’m here to support you. Learn more about the services I offer here.

About the Author

Shaffrayne “Shay” Solomon, MA, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Los Angeles, CA. With over a decade of experience, Shay supports both individuals and couples who are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected—whether in their relationships or within themselves.

Shay’s work centers on helping people rebuild trust, deepen emotional intimacy, and gain clarity in their personal lives. She draws from a range of approaches, including somatic therapy and EFT, to meet each client where they are. If you're considering marriage counseling or individual therapy in Los Angeles, Shay offers a compassionate, nonjudgmental space where you can explore what’s not working and take meaningful steps toward change.