Whether you’re dating, married, cohabitating, or co-parenting, everyone can benefit from going to relationship classes for couples (even the free ones). Why? Well, because of these stats:
- The United States had the sixth highest divorce rate in the world in 2022, with about 50% of married couples ending up in divorce.
- The number of people who are extremely satisfied with their relationship in 2022 compared to the year before has dropped down 10%.
- In 2021, only 9% of American adults mentioned their spouse or romantic partner as a source of meaning in life, down from 20% in 2017.
Now, you may throw your hands up in the air and call it quits. But if you’re looking for a last-ditch effort to save or improve your relationship or get over one that’s dead and gone, there’s still hope yet.
What is couples counseling?
Couples counseling is often recommended for those who are experiencing difficulties in their relationship. These sessions are conducted with a licensed therapist, who helps with miscommunication, feelings of disconnection, or any other external stressors.
There are different types of couples therapy. Some of these approaches and techniques can include:
- Cognitive behavior therapy helps people change their thought patterns and, thus, find new ways to behave.
- Emotionally focused therapy helps strengthen emotional bonds between partners, creating new, positive interactions.
- Positive psychology assists in focusing on the positive traits of the other person, living in the present, and loving their imperfect partner.
- Narrative therapy helps couples gain insight by exploring past issues from different angles.
- The Gottman Method, developed by Dr. John and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, helps both partners get a deeper sense of understanding, awareness, empathy, and connectedness within their relationship.
Main reasons why couples look for therapy
Whether your relationship is young or you’ve been together for a while now, chances are, some issues may have surfaced. Most issues can be resolved without the need for counseling.
However, there are instances where couples therapy can be quite useful. These are a few major ones:
- Power struggles
- Frequent miscommunication
- Sexual dissatisfaction
- Infidelity
- Mid-life crisis
- Financial issues and money wounds
- Conflicting ideas on how to raise their children
Couples therapy can help couples gain insight into their relationship, strengthen their emotional bond, or find ways to end their relationship amicably.
Now, it isn’t solely for those having troubles in their relationships. Partners who are in healthy relationships, but want to increase intimacy or find new ways to connect emotionally are also encouraged to seek counseling. And for those who are divorced, but seeking to co-parent amicably, couples therapy can help.
Recommended free relationship classes for couples
While traditional face-to-face services are effective, there are now options for couples to do them online. In fact, a 2019 study found that online therapy made it easier for people to access counseling services, with the added bonus of being less expensive.
On that note, we’ve compiled a list of free relationship classes for couples that are available online.
These five handpicked workshops will give you insights into your innermost thoughts and beliefs about love as well as nurture your relationship to stand the test of time. You’ll find this list ranges in topics: from designing the love life you dream of to breaking free from negative love patterns to mastering energy vibes between you and your partner.
So no matter what flavor of connection you’re looking for, these relationship classes are sure to do the trick.
1. How to Master the Energy in Your Relationships | Donna Eden & David Feinstein
You may be aware of your body’s energy type. But did you also know there’s another energy field that’s created when two people are in synergy with each other?
According to Donna Eden and David Feinstein, the world’s leading energy medicine pioneers, when you’re in a fight or argument with your partner, your energies are broken and in order to move forward, you need to bring it back to harmony.
With this ‘How to Master the Energy in Your Relationships’ masterclass, you’ll be equipped with powerful and practical energetic tools to strengthen your relationships and energetically connect with your partner.
Recommended For: Couples who are dating, living together, or married.
Watch the Preview:
What You Will Learn:
- How to resolve relationship problems and bypass the heartache of heated arguments.
- How to synchronize your partner’s energy with your own and experience a new level of connection.
- The types of love that we should have cultivated in childhood that might be affecting our love relationships today.
Where to Enroll: Mindvalley
2. How to Heal From a Breakup | Katherine Woodward Thomas
Separation isn’t easy, no matter how long you’ve been with that person. When your heart’s in it for the win, a loss can be devastating. And when children are in the mix, it’s incredibly heartbreaking.
How do you heal from such hurt? As Katherine Woodward Thomas, licensed marriage and family therapist and bestselling author, says, “Our next relationship will not begin when we meet our next partner, but with how we end this one.”
So here’s where you can start: conscious uncoupling.
Now, you may have heard of this term, thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. But how does it help you? With guidance from Katherine, you’ll learn how to identify and release negative relationship patterns and find emotional freedom.
Recommended For: Divorced couples (including those with kids), those who’re going through a separation of some degree, or those healing from a breakup.
Watch the Preview:
What You Will Learn:
- What you can do to release negative energy from past breakups.
- How to shift the energy from brokenness to kindness when ending a relationship, with or without the help of your partner.
- The four big relationship myths and how these lies could be keeping you from feeling more whole, more complete, and more free in love.
Where to Enroll: Mindvalley
3. How to Craft Your Own Extraordinary Life | Jon & Missy Butcher
“The first thing you have to know is what that looks like because you will never achieve that unless you know what it is that you’re moving toward,” explains Jon Butcher, founder of Lifebook.
This masterclass encourages you to really examine 12 areas of life — love being one of them. And with guidance from Jon and his wife, Missy, this class pushes you to ask yourself: What is the love life you’ve always dreamed of having?
Loving and being loved with no sense of purpose is living a life unfulfilled. So, if you’re with or without a partner, Lifebook can have a great impact on your love life.
Recommended For: Those who want to design areas of their life, love included. People who’ve taken part in Lifebook with their partner say that it was one of the best things that happened to their relationship.
Watch the Preview:
What You Will Learn:
- To really look at the 12 dimensions of your life, set your goals and objectives for each one, and design a unified life vision that inspires and propels you forward.
- Overcome habits, emotions, and patterns that disrupt your productivity.
- How to break free from the choices, especially in your love life, that don’t bring you joy.
Where to Enroll: Mindvalley
4. The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs
If you’re looking for a fun, feel class to learn more about yourself, and gain insights into your relationship, then this class is for you.
Taught by Professor Tsang and his associates from the University of Toronto, you’ll be equipped with various techniques to better understand your partner’s needs and responses depending on their capacities, characteristics, and circumstances.
Recommended For: Those who want to understand more about their partner’s needs.
What You Will Learn:
- The basic concepts of The Strategies and Skills Learning and Development System (SSLD) and how they’re relevant in your relationships.
- How to practice the principles and methods of SSLD.
- How to manage the relationship through observation learning, simulation, real life implementation, review, and monitoring.
Where to Enroll: University of Toronto via Coursera
5. Habits of Great Relationships
When you go into a relationship with intention and mindfulness, it has the potential to be a transformative journey for both you and your partner. This creates a safe space to nurture a healthy, happy relationship.
Taught by marriage therapist, Craig Lambert, this class helps you explore the habits of great relationships. Using proven, gentle strategies like mindfulness activities and imago therapy, you’ll learn how to identify unconscious issues from your past relationships and how to strengthen your current one so it can go to a higher level.
Recommended For: Couples who seek to make their relationship better.
What You Will Learn:
- How to improve your communication with your partner and navigate frustration and conflict in your relationship.
- Uncover the opportunities to heal, deepen your connection with your partner, and revive the spark in the relationship.
- Create a shared vision and learn the skills to manifest that vision.
Where to Enroll: Udemy
Do everything with love
Love can be a tricky thing, but without it, the world ceases to have a purpose. While it’s always important to find your person, it’s just as important to put self-love on your list of priorities.
If you feel lost on where to start, going to free relationship classes for couples is always high on the recommendation list. And you can find quite a number of good ones at Mindvalley. Whether it’s finding love for yourself, looking to strengthen the love in your relationship, or calling in ‘the one,’ we’ll see you there. Welcome in.
