If you're seeking couples' therapy as a way to repair and improve your marriage or relationship, then you need to know how to go about it in order to receive maximum benefits. First, timing is everything. The success rates of therapy in keeping couples together isn't great, according to Psychology Today. That's because many couples wait until it's too late and too much damage is done to salvage the relationship. So it's important to start before the walls go up between you two and lines of communication come down. Many couples also make the mistake of going to the wrong type of therapist, perhaps one who is more effective as a therapist for individuals, not couples. Be sure you're going to a licensed marriage and family therapist, or LMFT, before you sign up for sessions. A UCLA study of more than 40 years of couples' therapy boils down the five basic tenets of effective therapy as a couple. First, a good therapist will help both members of the couple see the relationship more objectively, ideally eliminating the "blame game."